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{{Short description|British Army general (1911–2007)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{for|the jockey|Harry Grimshaw (jockey)}}
{{Infobox military person
|name = Harry Grimshaw
|image =
|caption =
|birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1911|06|30}}
|birth_place = [[British Raj|India]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2007|11|01|1911|06|30}}
|death_place = Amesbury Abbey
|rank = [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]]
|serviceyears = 1931–1965
|servicenumber = 50117
|allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
|branch = {{army|British India}} {{army|United Kingdom}}
|commands = 1st Battalion, [[1st Punjab Regiment]] 1st Battalion, [[Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers]] [[161st Indian Infantry Brigade]] [[19th Brigade (United Kingdom)|19th Infantry Brigade]] [[44th (Home Counties) Division]]
|unit = [[1st Punjab Regiment]] [[Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers]]
|battles = [[World War II]] [[Battle of Kohima]] [[Malayan Emergency]] [[Mau Mau uprising]] [[Suez Crisis]]
|awards = [[Order of the Bath|Companion of the Order of the Bath]], [[Distinguished Service Order]], [[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of the British Empire]], [[Mentioned in dispatches]]
}}
[[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] '''Ewing Henry Wrigley Grimshaw''' {{post-nominals|CB|CBE|DSO}} (30 June 1911 – 1 November 2007) was a senior [[British Indian Army]] and [[British Army]] [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]] who fought in [[World War II]] and the [[Cold War]].

==Early life==
Grimshaw was born in India, the son of an army officer.<ref>{{cite news |date=19 November 2007 |title=Major-General Harry Grimshaw |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1569759/Major-General-Harry-Grimshaw.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |accessdate=19 August 2015 }}</ref> He was educated at [[Brighton College]] before attending the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]].<ref name="Officers of the Indian Army">{{cite web|url=https://www.unithistories.com/officers/IndianArmy_officers_G01.html#Grimshaw_EHW|title=Indian Army officer histories|publisher=Unit Histories|access-date=2022-07-09}}</ref>

==Military career==
On 29 January 1931 he commissioned into the [[1st Punjab Regiment]], garrisoned in India.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33685|date=30 January 1931|page=676}}</ref> He first saw active service in the [[Waziristan campaign (1936–39)]] and against terrorists in Bengal. In 1939 Grimshaw was serving with the 1st Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment, and was posted with it to Iraq and Libya. He fought in the [[Western Desert campaign]], during which he was [[mentioned in dispatches]], before his unit was transferred to Burma in early 1943.<ref name="Officers of the Indian Army" />

By April 1944 Grimshaw was commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of the [[1st Punjab Regiment]]. On 18 April 1944 he was one of the first soldiers to enter Kohima Garrison breaking the siege during the [[Battle of Kohima]].{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=191}} He was mentioned in dispatches for a second time during the [[Burma campaign]]. In March 1945 he was promoted to brigadier and took command of the [[161st Indian Infantry Brigade]], holding the position for a year. In June 1945 he was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] for services in Burma.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37151|supp=y|page=3381|date=28 June 1945}} </ref><ref name="Officers of the Indian Army" />

In October 1947 Grimshaw transferred to the [[Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers]], and in 1948 he served with the regiment during the early stages of the [[Malayan Emergency]]. In 1952 he commanded the 1st Battalion of the regiment in the Canal Zone before leading the battalion during operations in the [[Mau Mau uprising]] in Kenya. At the conclusion of this tour, his battalion was awarded the Freedom of [[Nairobi]], and as Commanding Officer he was made an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]].<ref name="Officers of the Indian Army" />

Grimshaw's next posting was to [[HQ Northern Ireland]] as Chief of Staff, but this posting was shortened by his appointment to command 19 Infantry Brigade at four days notice. Grimshaw was deployed with the brigade to Egypt during the [[Suez Crisis]] of 1956, and he was the last British soldier to leave [[Port Said]], having handed over to the United Nations Force Commander.<ref>{{cite news |date=19 November 2007 |title=Major-General Harry Grimshaw |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1569759/Major-General-Harry-Grimshaw.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |accessdate=19 August 2015 }}</ref> In 1957 he was advanced to [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=41092|date=4 June 1957|page=3416|supp=y }}</ref> Grimshaw commanded the brigade in Cyprus in operations against [[EOKA]] in 1958. This was followed by a staff appointment in the [[War Office]], after which he was promoted to major general. His final commanded was of the [[44th (Home Counties) Division]] in 1962, which carried with it the appointment of Deputy Constable of Dover Castle. He was appointed a [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] in 1965, when he retired.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=44103|date=2 September 1966|page=9750|supp=y }}</ref>

Appointed on 1 September,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=44103|supp=y|page=9750|date=6 September 1966}}</ref> between 1966 and 1968 he was Colonel of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.<ref name="Officers of the Indian Army" />

==Personal life==
In 1943 he married Hilda Allison, who died in 1993. They had two sons and a daughter; his elder son, Colonel Ewing Grimshaw, died in 1996.<ref>{{cite news |date=19 November 2007 |title=Major-General Harry Grimshaw |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1569759/Major-General-Harry-Grimshaw.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |accessdate=19 August 2015 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|last=Edwards|first=Leslie|year=2009|title=Kohima: The Furthest Battle - The Story of the Japanese Invasion of India in 1944 and the Battle of Kohima|publisher=The History Press|location=Stroud|isbn=978-1-86227-488-4}}

==External links==
*[https://generals.dk/general/Grimshaw/Ewing_Henry_Wrigley/Great_Britain.html Generals of World War II]
*[https://www.unithistories.com/officers/IndianArmy_officers_G01.html#Grimshaw_EHW Indian Army Officers 1939−1945]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Paul Gleadell]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[44th (Home Counties) Division|GOC 44th (Home Counties) Division]]|years=1962–1965}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Brian Wyldbore-Smith]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimshaw, Harry}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]
[[Category:British Army major generals]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:People educated at Brighton College]]
[[Category:Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers officers]]

Harry Grimshaw - Revision history

Bot at 03:22, 9 July 2022