CleanupBot II: Removed empty portal template using script

2023-08-14T00:08:24Z

Removed empty portal template using script

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:38, 14 August 2023
Line 54:		Line 54:

	==References==		==References==
	~~{{Portal\|Cornwall}}~~
	;General		;General
	{{Refbegin\|colwidth=60em}}		{{Refbegin\|colwidth=60em}}

Bot at 04:38, 21 December 2022

2022-12-21T04:38:39Z

New page

{{Short description|British Army officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Eric Harrison
|image=
|image_size=175px
|caption=
|birth_date=23 March 1893
|death_date=20 December 1987 (aged 94)
|birth_place=[[Belgaum]], [[British Raj|India]]
|death_place=[[Amesbury]], [[Wiltshire]], England
|placeofburial=
|nickname="Drednought"{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=140}}
|allegiance={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|branch={{army|United Kingdom}}
|serviceyears=1913–1946
|rank=[[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]]
|servicenumber=27115
|unit=[[Royal Garrison Artillery]] [[Royal Artillery]]
|commands=[[Surrey and Sussex District]]
|battles=[[First World War]] [[1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab revolt in Palestine]] [[Second World War]]
|awards=[[Mentioned in Despatches]] (4) [[Military Cross]] [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]
|relations=
|laterwork= author, painter, justice of the peace, hospital chairman
}}
[[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] '''Eric George William Warde Harrison''', [[Companion of the Order of the Bath|CB]], [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]], [[Military Cross|MC]], (23 March 1893 – 20 December 1987) was a [[British Army]] officer who served in both world wars, a rugby player, Olympic athlete, and later a painter and author.<ref name="obit">Davies (ed.)</ref>

==Military career==
Harrison was born in [[Belgaum]], India;<ref name="ggg">''Gunners, Game & Gardens''</ref><ref name="SR">{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/eric-harrison-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418035505/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/eric-harrison-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 April 2020|title=Eric Harrison|publisher=[[Sports Reference]]|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> his father, Major WC Warde Harrison, was an officer in the [[British Indian Army]].<ref name="www">''Who Was Who''</ref> Harrison was educated at [[Cheltenham College]] before entering [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]]. While at Woolwich he played competitive [[rugby union]] for the army and for [[Kent]] and was selected by [[Barbarian F.C.|the Barbarians]]. From Woolwich he was commissioned into the [[Royal Garrison Artillery]] as a [[second lieutenant]] on 19 December 1913,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28794|page=500|date=20 January 1914}}</ref> after which he was invited to play football for [[Southend United F.C.]] He took up [[hurdling]] and was soon selected to compete for England in the [[110 metres hurdles|120 metres hurdles]] against Scotland and Ireland.

===First World War===
At the outbreak of the [[First World War]], in August 1914, Harrison was posted first to [[Harwich]], manning anti-aircraft guns, and then to France, where he was involved in intense fighting around [[Hooge in World War I|Hooge]]. He was promoted to [[Lieutenant]] in June 1915,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29250|supp=y|page=7650|date=4 August 1915}}</ref> and awarded the [[Military Cross]] later that year "for gallantry and initiative at [[Battle of Givenchy|Givenchy]], on 10 March 1915, when he rushed up his gun under heavy shell fire and close-range rifle fire, and destroyed a hostile machine gun".<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29131|supp=y|page=3694|date=15 April 1915}}</ref> He went on to fight at the [[Battle of Loos]]. He was promoted to temporary [[captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] in November 1916,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29874|supp=y|page=12452|date=21 December 1916}}</ref> a promotion which was made permanent a year later.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30362|supp=y|page=11300|date=2 November 1917}}</ref> In 1918 he was promoted to [[Brevet (military)|brevet]] major,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30450|supp=y|page=12|date=1 January 1918}}</ref> making him the youngest officer in the army to hold the rank at the time, and given command of an infantry school before appointment as a general staff officer first grade. By the end of the First World War, Harrison was attached to the [[58th (London) Division]] and had been [[mentioned in dispatches]] four times.<ref name="obit"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30692|supp=y|page=5960|date=21 May 1918}}</ref>

===Between the wars===
Following the end of the war, Harrison resumed his sports careers. He was selected for the "Mother Country" [[rugby union|rugby]] team (forerunner to the [[British and Irish Lions]]) in 1919, and played for the army against Oxford University in 1920. Harrison's rugby career ended prematurely due to injury, after which he refocused on hurdling; he was selected for the [[1920 Summer Olympics]] but was prohibited from competing due to heart problems.<ref name="obit" /><ref name="SR" /><ref name="www" /> He was appointed master of the Royal Artillery Harriers and then selected for staff college. He went on to compete at the [[1924 Summer Olympics]] in Paris,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69120 |title=Eric Harrison |work=Olympedia |access-date=21 September 2021}}</ref> and reached a semi-final in the [[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 110 metres hurdles|110 metres hurdles]].<ref name="SportsRef">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/eric-harrison-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418035505/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/eric-harrison-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Eric Harrison Olympic Results |access-date=12 September 2017}}</ref> After the Olympics, Harrison attended the [[Staff College, Camberley]]<ref name="www" /> from 1925 to 1926 and was appointed [[adjutant]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33396|supp=y|page=4265|date=22 June 1928}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33015|page=591|date=27 January 1925}}</ref> to [[Lahore District]], India, from 1928 to 1932.<ref name="www" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33398|page=4416|date=29 June 1928}}</ref> There he became master of the Lahore Hunt and took up big game shooting and [[racquets (sport)|racquets]], in which he won the doubles event at the All India Championships. He returned to England in 1932,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33834|page=3789|date=10 June 1932}}</ref> when he was promoted to permanent major.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33815|page=2293|date=8 April 1932}}</ref> In 1934, Harrison was appointed a battery commander at [[Catterick Garrison]] in Yorkshire. Here he began painting, and eventually had three of his works hung at [[Salon (Paris)|the Salon]] in Paris.<ref name="obit"/> Later that year, he was promoted to brevet [[lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]] and given command of the Oxford University Officer Training Corps (OTC)<ref name="www" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34102|supp=y|page=7084|date=6 November 1934}}</ref> and lectured at the university on military history until he relinquished the post in 1938;<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34561|page=6438|date=14 October 1938}}</ref> he also became master of the South Oxfordshire Hunt.<ref name="obit" />

In 1939, Harrison briefly served in [[Mandatory Palestine]], commanding an infantry battalion at the end of the [[1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab Revolt]] under [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] [[Bernard Montgomery]], [[General Officer Commanding]] (GOC) [[8th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|8th Infantry Division]] and a former Staff College instructor, who remarked that, "having loosed 'Dreadnought Harrison' on the task of killing rebels [...] he needed no urging in this respect".{{sfn|Smart|2005|p=140}} On 22 July 1939 Harrison was promoted to lieutenant colonel.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34650|page=5312|date=1 August 1939}}</ref>

===Second World War===
With the outbreak of the [[Second World War]] in September 1939, Harrison returned to England and was appointed [[Commander, Royal Artillery]] (CRA) with the [[12th (Eastern) Division|12th (Eastern) Infantry Division]], based at [[Sevenoaks]] in Kent. Harrison was promoted to full [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] on 28 August 1939 (with seniority backdated to 1 January 1937),<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34684|page=6331|date=15 September 1939}}</ref> and, on the same date, to the temporary rank of [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|brigadier]].<ref name="www" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34684|page=6333|date=15 September 1939}}</ref> The 12th Division was sent overseas to France in April 1940 but left its artillery, and Harrison, behind. Severely mauled during the [[Battle of France]] the following month, the 12th Division was disbanded in July and Harrison became Brigadier, Royal Artillery (BRA) in [[HQ Northern Ireland|Northern Ireland District]] before being posted to Tunisia, where he served as Commander, Corps of Royal Artillery (CCRA) in [[IX Corps (United Kingdom)|IX Corps]], under, initially, [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]] [[John Crocker]], and, from late April 1943, Lieutenant-General [[Brian Horrocks]]. After the end of the campaign, Harrison was promoted to major general and served in [[General (United States)|General]] [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]'s [[Allied Force Headquarters|Allied Forces Headquarters]] (AFHQ) as Major General, Royal Artillery (MGRA); he was mentioned in despatches for his service during the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]] and continued in the post until 1943, when he returned to Britain to become [[General Officer Commanding]] (GOC) Sussex and Surrey District. Harrison was made a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) on 5 August 1943,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=36120|page=3521|date=3 August 1943|supp=y}}</ref> and was promoted on 4 December 1943 to acting major-general.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=36293|supp=y|page=5525|date=21 December 1943}}</ref> His rank of major-general was made temporary on 4 December 1944.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=36934|page=857|date=9 February 1945|supp=y}}</ref> He was made a [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] (CB) in 1945, and appointed [[aide-de-camp]] to [[George VI|King George VI]] in 1945,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37326|supp=y|page=5263|date=26 October 1945}}</ref> and retired from the army on 28 May 1946, having been granted the honorary permanent rank of major general.<ref name="obit"/><ref name="www" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37580|supp=y|page=2547|date=28 May 1946}}</ref>

==Retirement==
In retirement, Harrison lived in [[Cornwall]]. He became master of the North Cornwall Hounds and was appointed [[Deputy Lieutenant]] of Cornwall in 1955<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=40591|supp=y|page=5356|date=23 September 1955}}</ref> and then [[High Sheriff of Cornwall]] in 1958.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=41319|supp=y|page=1195|date=21 February 1958}}</ref> He also served as a [[justice of the peace]], and chairman of [[St Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin|St Lawrence's Hospital]] in [[Bodmin]]. In spare time, he grew [[rhododendron]]s and bred [[Labrador Retriever]]s, and fished for [[trout]]. He also published three books, including an autobiography, ''Gunners, Game & Gardens''. His wife, Roza (née Stevenson), died in 1967. Harrison himself died in [[Amesbury]], Wiltshire, on 20 December 1987 at the age of 94.<ref name="obit" /><ref name="SR" />

==Legacy==
The [[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]] holds five photographic portraits of Harrison, three by [[Walter Stoneman]] from 1945 and two by [[Bassano Ltd]] from 1947.<ref name="NPG">{{cite web|url=http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp97986/eric-george-william-warde-harrison|title=Eric George William Warde Harrison|publisher=[[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]]|access-date=26 September 2015}}</ref>

==Publications==
[[File:Gunners, Game & Gardens- An Autobiography.jpg|thumb|upright|Book jacket for Harrison's autobiography, ''Gunners, Game & Gardens''.]]
* {{Cite book |last=Harrison |first=Eric George William Warde |author-mask=2 |title=Riding: a guide for beginners |year=1949 |others=illustrated by John Board}}
* {{Cite book |last=Harrison |first=Eric George William Warde |author-mask=2 |title=To Own a Dog |year=1951 |others=illustrated by the author}}
* {{Cite book |publisher=Cooper |isbn=978-0-85052-245-7 |last=Harrison |first=Eric George William Warde |author-mask=2 |title = Gunners, Game & Gardens: An Autobiography |location=London |year=1978}}

==References==
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
;General
{{Refbegin|colwidth=60em}}
*{{cite book|title=Who Was Who Volume VIII: 1981–1990|year=1991|publisher=[[A&C Black]]|location=London|isbn=0713633360|page=331}}
*{{cite book|editor=David Twiston Davies|title=The Daily Telegraph Book of Military Obituaries|year=2003|publisher=Grub Street|location=London|isbn=1904010342|pages=33–35}}
*{{Cite book |publisher=Cooper |isbn=9780850522457 |last=Harrison |first=Eric George William Warde |title = Gunners, Game & Gardens: An Autobiography |location=London |year=1978}}
*{{cite book|last=Smart|first=Nick|title=Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War|year=2005|publisher=[[Pen and Sword Books]]|location=[[Barnsley]], South Yorkshire|isbn=1844150496|pages=139–140}}
{{Refend}}

{{clear}}
;Specific
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://generals.dk/general/Harrison/Eric_George_William_Wade/Great_Britain.html Generals of World War II]

{{Footer Great Britain athletics team at the 1924 Summer Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Eric (British Army officer)}}
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:British Army major generals]]
[[Category:British Army generals of World War II]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:British autobiographers]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine]]
[[Category:British non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Deputy Lieutenants of Cornwall]]
[[Category:English footballers]]
[[Category:English male hurdlers]]
[[Category:English rugby union players]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]]
[[Category:High Sheriffs of Cornwall]]
[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes of Great Britain]]
[[Category:People educated at Cheltenham College]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:Royal Artillery officers]]
[[Category:Royal Garrison Artillery officers]]
[[Category:Southend United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Association footballers not categorized by position]]
[[Category:20th-century non-fiction writers]]

Eric Harrison (British Army officer) - Revision history

CleanupBot II: Removed empty portal template using script

Bot at 04:38, 21 December 2022