Cecil Romer

General Sir Cecil Francis Romer, GCB, KBE, CMG (14 November 1869 – 1 October 1962) was a British Army general who reached high command during the 1920s.^[2]

Sir Cecil Romer
General Sir Cecil Romer
Born	(1869-11-14)14 November 1869 Kensington, London[1]
Died	1 October 1962(1962-10-01) (aged 92) Maidstone, Kent
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Years of service	1890–1935
Rank	General
Commands	Southern Command Western Command 1st Division 59th (2nd North Midland) Division
Battles / wars	Second Boer War First World War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Mentioned in Despatches Legion of Honour (France)

Early life and education

Romer was born in Kensington, London, the son of Lord Justice Robert Romer and Betty Lemon, daughter of Mark Lemon, editor of Punch. His elder brother was Mark Romer, Baron Romer. He was educated at Eton College.^[2] His sister, Helen Mary, married Lord Chancellor Frederic Maugham, 1st Viscount Maugham.^[3]

Military career

King George V and General Sir Henry Horne inspecting men of the 2/6th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment, 59th Division, at Gauchin, 30 March 1918. They are accompanied by Brigadier General T. G. Cope and Major General Cecil Romer, GOC 59th Division.

Romer was commissioned into the Royal Dublin Fusiliers as a second lieutenant on 1 March 1890,^[4] promoted lieutenant on 23 August 1893, and captain on 19 October 1898. He served in the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1902, was wounded in early 1900,^[5] and received the brevet rank of major on 29 November 1900.^[6] Following the war he was seconded as an adjutant of volunteers in February 1902,^[7] but only a few months later he was on 19 June 1902 appointed brigade major to the 13th Brigade, in Dublin.^[8] He went on to become a General Staff Officer in 1904.^[6]

During the First World War, Romer, promoted to temporary colonel in November 1914,^[9] fought on the Western Front.^[6] In February 1915 he was made a CB.^[10] In July he was promoted to temporary brigadier general and succeeded Major General Arthur Lynden-Bell as brigadier general, general staff of III Corps.^[11] In January 1916 he was advanced to brevet colonel and made an aide-de-camp (extra) to King George V.^[12] Promoted in April 1917 to temporary major general,^[13] he was general officer commanding (GOC) of the 59th (2nd North Midland) Division between then and 1918.^[14][15]

Romer, promoted in January 1919 to substantive major general,^[16] became GOC 1st Division at Aldershot in 1926.^[6] He was then elevated to General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command in 1928 and to General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command in March 1931.^[6][17] In 1933, he was appointed Adjutant-General to the Forces: he relinquished this appointment and retired from the army in March 1935.^[6][18]