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{{Short description|British Army general}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Sir Eric de Burgh
|birth_date={{birth date|df=y|1881|05|10}}<ref>''UK, British Army Lists, 1882–1962''</ref>
|death_date={{death date and age|df=y|1973|2|6|1881|05|10}}<ref>''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1995''</ref>
|birth_place= [[Naas]], [[County Kildare]], [[Ireland]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]
|death_place=[[Wexford]], [[County Wexford]], [[Republic of Ireland]]
|image=
|caption= General Sir Eric de Burgh
|nickname=
|allegiance={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|branch=[[Image:Flag of the British Army.svg|23px]] [[British Army]] [[File:Flag of the Royal Indian Army.svg|23px]] [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]]
|serviceyears=1901–1941
|servicenumber=3737
|rank=[[General (United Kingdom)|General]]
|placeofburial = [[Maudlin's Cemetery]]
|commands=[[1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade]] [[Lahore District]] [[Rawalpindi District]] [[1st Indian Division]]
|battles=[[Second Boer War]] [[World War I]] [[Third Anglo-Afghan War]] [[World War II]]
|awards=[[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]] [[Distinguished Service Order]] [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]]
|laterwork=
|spouse = {{marriage|Mary Fanshawe|1923|1934|end=d.}} }}
[[File:De Burgh gravestone, Naas Maudlin.jpg|thumb|Tombstone of General de Burgh and his wife, [[Maudlin's Cemetery]]]]
[[General]] '''Sir Eric de Burgh''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB|DSO|OBE}} ({{IPAc-en|lang|d|_|'|b|ɜːr|}}; {{respell|d’|BER}}; 10 May 1881 – 6 February 1973) was a [[British Indian Army]] officer who became [[Chief of the General Staff (India)|Chief of the General Staff in India]].

==Military career==
Educated at [[Marlborough College]] and the [[Colonial College]], [[Hollesley Bay, Suffolk|Hollesley Bay]], De Burgh was [[Commissioned officer|commissioned]] into the 3rd ([[Militia (United Kingdom)|Militia]]) Battalion, [[Royal Dublin Fusiliers]], as a [[Second Lieutenant]] in October 1901. In February 1902 he was seconded for service with [[Mounted infantry]] during the [[Second Boer War]],<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=27417 |page=1887 |date=18 March 1902}}</ref><ref name="iwm">[http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1030018820 Private Papers of General Sir Eric de Burgh], [[Imperial War Museum]], London, UK.</ref> with the local rank of [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|Lieutenant in the Army]] whilst serving in [[South Africa]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27425 |page=2507 |date=15 April 1902}}</ref> He later joined the Indian Army, and served in the [[19th Lancers (Fane's Horse)]]. He attended the [[Staff College, Camberley]] from 1913 to 1914.{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=79}}

He served in [[World War I]] and saw action at the [[Battle of Neuve Chapelle]] in March 1915, the [[Second Battle of Ypres]] in April 1915 and the [[Battle of Loos]] in September 1915.<ref name=iwm/> He later saw action at the [[Battle of the Somme]] in 1916, the [[Battle of Arras (1917)|Battle of Arras]] in April 1917 and the [[Battle of Cambrai (1917)|Battle of Cambrai]] in November 1917.<ref name=iwm/>

He also fought in the [[Third Anglo-Afghan War]] in 1919.<ref name=iwm/> He was appointed an instructor at [[Pakistan Command and Staff College|Staff College, Quetta]] in 1928.<ref name="dk">[https://generals.dk/general/de_Burgh/Eric/Great_Britain.html de Burgh, Sir Eric, General (1881–1973) (Indian Army)], [http://www.generals.dk/ Generals.dk].</ref> He went on to be a Brigadier on the General Staff at Eastern Command in India in 1930, Commanding Officer of the [[1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade]] in 1931 and District Officer Commanding [[Lahore]] District in 1934.<ref name=dk/> After that he attended the [[Royal College of Defence Studies|Imperial Defence College]].{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=79}} He then became Deputy Chief General Staff at Army Headquarters India in 1935, District Officer Commanding [[Rawalpindi]] District in 1936 and General Officer Commanding 1st Indian Division in 1937.<ref name=dk/> His last appointment was as [[Chief of the General Staff (India)|Chief of the General Staff in India]] in 1939 at the start of [[World War II]] before retiring in 1941.<ref name=dk/>

In retirement, he lived at Ard Cairn outside [[Naas]], and in 1960, he acquired [[Bargy Castle]] in [[County Wexford]].<ref name="tb">[http://www.turtlebunbury.com/history/history_family/hist_family_deburgh.htm#general General Sir Eric de Burgh — Old Friend], [http://www.turtlebunbury.com/ Turtle Bunbury].</ref>

==Family==

In 1923, he married Mary Fanshawe, daughter of General [[Edward Fanshawe (British Army officer)|Sir Edward Fanshawe]]; they had two daughters.<ref name=tb/> He was the maternal grandfather of singer [[Chris de Burgh]].<ref name=tb/>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book| first=Nick| last=Smart| title=Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War| isbn=1844150496| year=2005| location=Barnesley| publisher=Pen & Sword}}

==External links==
*{{find a Grave|183067199}}
*[https://generals.dk/general/de_Burgh/Eric/Great_Britain.html Generals of World War II]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ivo Vesey|Sir Ivo Vesey]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of the General Staff (India)]]|years=1939–1941}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Thomas Jacomb Hutton|Sir Thomas Hutton]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgh, Eric de}}
[[Category:1881 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]
[[Category:Academics of the Staff College, Quetta]]
[[Category:Military personnel from County Kildare]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies]]
[[Category:British Indian Army generals]]
[[Category:People educated at Marlborough College]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Second Boer War]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Afghan War]]
[[Category:Indian Army generals of World War II]]
[[Category:Irish expatriates in India]]
[[Category:Irish knights]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People from County Kildare]]
[[Category:Royal Dublin Fusiliers officers]]
[[Category:Royal Irish Fusiliers officers]]
[[Category:Manchester Regiment officers]]

Eric de Burgh - Revision history

Bot at 18:09, 1 November 2022