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{{Short description|British Army officer (1899–1946)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Charles Scott Napier
|image=Charles Scott Napier.jpg
|caption=As a brigadier in June 1942
|birth_date={{birth date|df=yes|1899|2|3}}
|death_date={{death date and age|df=yes|1946|6|16|1899|2|3}}
|placeofburial_label=
|placeofburial=
|birth_place=India
|death_place=[[London]]
|nickname=Dome <ref name="Obit"/>
|allegiance={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|branch={{army|United Kingdom}}
|serviceyears=1919–1946
|servicenumber=27784
|rank=[[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]]
|unit=[[Royal Engineers]]
|commands=
|battles={{tree list}}
* [[First World War]]
** [[Sinai and Palestine campaign]]
* [[Second World War]]
** [[Battle of France]]
** [[Operation Overlord]]
** [[Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine]]
** [[Western Allied invasion of Germany]]
{{Tree list/end}}
|awards={{ulist | [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] | [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] | [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] | [[Legion d'Honneur]] (France) | [[Croix de Guerre 1939–1945]] (France) | [[Commander of the Legion of Merit]] (US) }}
|relations=
|laterwork=
}}
[[Major general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] '''Charles Scott Napier''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|CB|CBE}} (3 February 1899 – 16 June 1946), was a [[British Army]] officer who served in the [[First World War|First]] and [[Second World War]]s. During the latter he was Chief of Movements and Transportation at the [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force]] (SHAEF) during the campaign in north-west Europe.

== Early life ==
Charles Scott Napier was born in India on 3 February 1899, the oldest of the two sons of Archibald Scott Napier, a [[civil engineer]], and his wife Katherine Edith {{née}} Liveing.<ref name="Obit">{{cite journal |journal=The Royal Engineers Journal |issn= 0035-8878 |title=Major-General C. S. Napier, CB, CBE |volume=LX |date=December 1946 |pages=336–339 |url=https://www.nzsappers.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1946-December.pdf |access-date=21 March 2021 }}</ref><ref name="Burke">{{cite book |first=Charles |last=Mosley |title=Burke's Peerage |page=2862 |year=2003 |location=Stokesley |publisher=Burke's Peerage & Gentry |isbn=978-0-9711966-2-9 |oclc=52621466 }}</ref> He was sent to [[England]] and educated at Springfield Park School, [[Horsham]], and [[Wellington College, Berkshire]], where he earned a Prize Cadetship granting entry to the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]] in 1915.<ref name="Obit" />

== Great War ==
On graduation, Napier was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]] in the [[Royal Engineers]] on 26 May 1916, during the [[First World War]].<ref>{{London Gazette |date=23 May 1916 |issue=29595 |supp=1 |page=5184}}</ref> At the age of 17, he was too young to send overseas, so he attended a short course at the School of Mechanical Engineers, and was posted to [[Eastern Command (United Kingdom)|Eastern Command]]. He was promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] on 26 November 1917,<ref>{{London Gazette |date=5 February 1918 |issue=30515 |supp=1 |page=1810}}</ref> and when he reached the age of nineteen, was sent to India, from whence he joined the [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force]] in October 1918.<ref name="Obit" />

== Between the wars ==
After the war Napier commanded the 18th Company of the [[Bombay Sappers and Miners]] in [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]] until he was recalled to the UK in 1920 to attend a supplementary course at the [[University of Cambridge]]. He earned a First Class pass in the second-year course of the Mechanical Sciences [[tripos]]. He then attended the School of Mechanical Engineers and the railway operating course at [[Bordon and Longmoor Military Camps|Longmoor]].<ref name="Obit"/> On completion of the course in June 1925 he became the [[adjutant]] of Supplementary Reserve (Railway) units.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=24 July 1925 |issue=33069 |page=4954}}</ref> He was promoted to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 19 January 1926.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=26 February 1926 |issue=33136 |page=1429}}</ref> In 1927 he married Ada Kathleen Day {{nee}} Douetil. They had one child, a son who was born in 1929.<ref name="Obit"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Divorce Court File: 2980. Appellant: John Day. Respondent: Ada Kathleen Day |publisher= The National Archives |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C8046241 |access-date=21 March 2021}}</ref>

In January 1928 he returned to India, as an Assistant Executive Engineer with the [[Eastern Bengal Railway]], and later as Garrison Engineer in [[Murree]].<ref name="Obit" /> In 1932, Napier attended the [[Staff College, Camberley]]. He then became Garrison Engineer in [[Colchester]].<ref name="Obit" /> He was promoted to [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] on 5 March 1935,<ref>{{London Gazette |date=5 March 1935 |issue=34139 |page=1555}}</ref> and was appointed a [[Staff (military)#British & Commonwealth Staff|General Staff Officer (Grade 3)]] (GSO3) in the [[Directorate of Military Intelligence (United Kingdom)|Military Intelligence Branch]] at the [[War Office]] on 1 September.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=6 September 1935 |issue=34196 |page=5657}}</ref> He then became the [[brigade major]] of the [[1st Anti-Aircraft Group (United Kingdom)|1st Anti-Aircraft Group]] on 26 September 1937,<ref>{{London Gazette |date=5 October 1937 |issue=34441 |page=6148}}</ref> but returned to the War Office on 28 November 1938 as the Deputy Assistant Director of Transportation.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=9 December 1938 |issue=34578 |page=7785}}</ref>

== Second World War ==
As the Deputy Assistant Director of Transportation, Napier planned the movement of the men and vehicles of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] to France. After the [[Second World War]] broke out, he moved to the Movements Directorate, where he oversaw the process,{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=230}} which involved the despatch of 160,000 personnel, 25,000 vehicles and {{convert|140,000|LT|t|order=flip}} of stores. It was accomplished in accordance with the plan in five weeks and without any casualties. Due to the risk of air attack, personnel were landed at [[Cherbourg]] and [[Le Havre]], while vehicles and cargo went through ports in [[Brittany]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Higham |first1=J. B. |last2=Knighton |first2=E. A. |title=Movements |date=1955 |publisher=The War Office |series=The Second World War 1939–1945 Army |location=London |oclc=16642055 |page=175}}</ref> He became a temporary [[brigadier (United Kingdom)|brigadier]] on 8 August 1941,<ref name="Obit"/> and was promoted to the substantive rank of [[lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]] on 14 November 1941,<ref name="Lt Col">{{London Gazette |date=28 November 1941 |issue=35363 |supp=1 |page=6876}}</ref> and [[colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] on 8 August 1943.<ref name="Col">{{London Gazette |date=3 September 1943 |issue=36160 |supp=1 |page=3965}}</ref> He was granted the acting rank of [[major-general (United Kingdom)|major-general]] on 30 December 1943.<ref name="Maj-Gen">{{London Gazette |date=11 January 1944 |issue=36328 |supp=1 |page=277}}</ref>

In early 1944, Napier was appointed the Chief of the Movement and Transportation Branch of the G-4 Division (the one responsible for logistics) on the [[Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force]] (SHAEF).<ref>{{cite book |last=Pogue |first=Forrest |author-link=Forrest Pogue |title=The Supreme Command |series = United States Army in World War II – The European Theater of Operations |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/007/7-1/CMH_Pub_7-1.pdf |publisher=Center of Military History, United States Army |location=Washington, DC |year=1954 |lccn=53-61717 |oclc=1247005 |pages=74, 537 }}</ref> In this role he coordinated the shipping and build-up of forces in [[Operation Overlord]], the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] invasion of France in June 1944.{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=230}} For his services, Napier was made an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] in the [[1940 Birthday Honours]],<ref name="OBE">{{London Gazette |date=9 July 1940 |issue=34893 |supp=1 |page=4251}}</ref> and a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] in the [[1944 New Year Honours]].<ref name="CBE">{{London Gazette |date=31 December 1943 |issue=36309 |supp=1 |page=10}}</ref> On 2 August 1945, he was appointed a [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]].<ref name="CB" >{{London Gazette |date=31 July 1945 |issue=37204 |supp=1 |page=3953}}</ref> His citation, written by [[lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]] Sir [[Humfrey Gale]], the Chief Administrative Officer at SHAEF, read:{{quote|This officer has been the Chief of the Movement and Transportation Branch of G-4, SHAEF since early 1944 and before that time was largely responsible for coordinating, for the COSSAC staff, the planning of shipping, movement and transportation.

His highly specialised knowledge, indomitable energy, foresight and brilliant planning contributed largely to the success of the Overlord Operation.

During the progress of the operations in N.W. Europe his experience in all movement problems, his extensive knowledge of the Continental railway system, obtained by years of personal study, have enabled him to contribute in an outstanding manner to the success of the operations.

The work of coordination in transportation matters of all types has been an intricate an arduous task involving many Governments, the British, U.S. and French Armies and other agencies. Gen. Napier has been conspicuously successful in his responsible task and has earned the admiration and appreciation of all with whom he comes in contact.<ref>{{cite web |title=Recommendation for Award for Napier, Charles Scott Rank: Colonel; Acting Major... |publisher= The National Archives |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8679334 |access-date=21 March 2021}}</ref> }}

He was also made an American [[Commander of the Legion of Merit]],<ref name="LoM">{{London Gazette |date=6 November 1945 |issue=37340 |supp=1 |page=5460}}</ref> and awarded the French [[Legion d'Honneur]] and [[Croix de Guerre 1939–1945]].<ref name="Obit"/>
Worn out by his exertions, Napier suffered a breakdown at the end of 1944, necessitating two months' sick leave. He returned to SHAEF for the final stages of the [[Western Allied invasion of Germany]]. His attention then turned to the rehabilitation of the German transportation system.<ref name="Obit"/>

==Post-war==
Napier relinquished his appointment in July 1945,<ref name="Obit"/> and retired from the Army on 11 April 1946 with the honorary rank of major-general.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=9 April 1946 |issue=37529 |supp=1 |page=1839}}</ref> He accepted a position with the [[Allied Control Council]] in the hope that agreement could be reached between the former Allies on transportation matters which in turn would lead to wider cooperation, but he died suddenly in London on 16 June 1946.<ref name="Obit"/> His remains were cremated and he is commemorated at [[Golders Green Crematorium]].<ref name="CWGC">{{cite web |title=Casualty Details – Major General Charles Scott Napier |publisher=Commonwealth War Graves Commission |url=https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2430977/napier,-charles-scott/ |access-date=21 March 2021}}</ref>

== 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==
*[https://generals.dk/general/Napier/Charles_Scott/Great_Britain.html Generals of World War II]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Napier, Charles Scott}}
[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:British Army generals of World War II]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]]
[[Category:War Office personnel in World War II]]
[[Category:Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Royal Engineers officers]]
[[Category:People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire]]
[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]
[[Category:Golders Green Crematorium]]
[[Category:British Army major generals]]

Charles Scott Napier - Revision history

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