GB 0099 KCLMA Messervy - MESSERVY, Gen Sir Frank Walter (1893-1974)

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0099 KCLMA Messervy

Title

MESSERVY, Gen Sir Frank Walter (1893-1974)

Date(s)

  • Created 1941-1946, 1951 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

3 boxes or 0.03 cubic metres

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Born in 1893; educated at Eton College and Royal Military College, Sandhurst; 2nd Lt, Indian Army, 1913; joined 9th Hodson's Horse, 1914; served in World War One in France, Palestine, and Syria; Lt, 1915; Capt, 1917; served in India, 1919-1938, at regimental duty, as Bde Maj, 1 Risalpur Cavalry Bde, and as an instructor at Staff College, Quetta; attended Staff College,Camberley, 1925-1926; Maj, 1929; Lt Col, 1938; commanded 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers, India, 1938-1939; Col, 1939; General Staff Officer Grade 1, 5 Indian Div, 1939-1940; Col 1939; commanded Gazelle Force, Sudan and Eritrea, 1940-1941; commanded 9 IndianInfantry Bde, Keren, Eritrea, 1941; commanded 4 Indian Div, Western Desert and Cyrenaica, 1941-1942; commanded 1 Armoured Div, Cyrenaica, 1942; commanded 7 Armoured Div, Western Desert, 1942; Deputy Chief of General Staff, General HQ, Middle East Force, 1942; commanded 43 Indian Armoured Div, 1942-1943; Director of Armoured Fighting Vehicles, General HQ, India Command, 1943; Maj Gen, 1943; commanded 7 Indian Div, and later 4 Corps, Burma campaign, 1944-1945; Lt Gen, 1945; General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Malaya Command, 1945-1946; General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, India, 1946-1947; Commander-in-Chief,Pakistan Army, 1947; retired, 1948; died in 1974.

Archival history

GB 0099 KCLMA Messervy Created 1941-1946, 1951 3 boxes or 0.03 cubic metres

Born in 1893; educated at Eton College and Royal Military College, Sandhurst; 2nd Lt, Indian Army, 1913; joined 9th Hodson's Horse, 1914; served in World War One in France, Palestine, and Syria; Lt, 1915; Capt, 1917; served in India, 1919-1938, at regimental duty, as Bde Maj, 1 Risalpur Cavalry Bde, and as an instructor at Staff College, Quetta; attended Staff College,Camberley, 1925-1926; Maj, 1929; Lt Col, 1938; commanded 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers, India, 1938-1939; Col, 1939; General Staff Officer Grade 1, 5 Indian Div, 1939-1940; Col 1939; commanded Gazelle Force, Sudan and Eritrea, 1940-1941; commanded 9 IndianInfantry Bde, Keren, Eritrea, 1941; commanded 4 Indian Div, Western Desert and Cyrenaica, 1941-1942; commanded 1 Armoured Div, Cyrenaica, 1942; commanded 7 Armoured Div, Western Desert, 1942; Deputy Chief of General Staff, General HQ, Middle East Force, 1942; commanded 43 Indian Armoured Div, 1942-1943; Director of Armoured Fighting Vehicles, General HQ, India Command, 1943; Maj Gen, 1943; commanded 7 Indian Div, and later 4 Corps, Burma campaign, 1944-1945; Lt Gen, 1945; General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Malaya Command, 1945-1946; General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, India, 1946-1947; Commander-in-Chief,Pakistan Army, 1947; retired, 1948; died in 1974.

Presented to the Centre by Messervy in 1971.

Papers relating to his service in World War Two, dated 1941-1946, 1941-1946, 1951, principally comprising semi-official and personal correspondence, 1941-1946, including letter to his wife describing events leading up to his dismissal from command of 7 Armoured Div, 1942; pamphlet on the Battle of Keren, Mar 1941, produced by Maj Gen Sir Nigel Trapp, HQEritrea District, for visit of Commander-in-Chief, Middle East Land Forces, to Keren battlefield, Eritrea, Mar 1947; Report to the Combined Chiefs of Staff by the Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia, 1943-1945 by AF Louis (Francis Albert Victor Nicholas) Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (London, HMSO, 1951); operational notes and training instructions for 7 and 9 Indian Divs during the Burma campaign, 1943-1945; 'Warfare in undeveloped countries. Part 1: desert warfare', War Office publication written by [Messervy] in 1954; printed histories by Messervy and others describing operations in Burma by 12 Army, 14 Army, 4 Corps, 15 Indian Corps, 23 Indian Corps, and 25 Indian Div; Ministry of Information publications, dated [1945], concerning campaigns in the Middle East and Far East, 1941-1945, the Merchant Navy, 1939-1944, Combined Operations, 1940-1942, Britain's anti-aircraft defences, 1939-1942, and civil defence in the UK, 1940-1941, and the war effort on the Home Front, 1942-1944; Government of India publications,dated [1944-1946], describing the service of various divisions of the Indian Army during World War Two.

Arranged in the following sections: miscellaneous correspondence; reports, lessons and accounts relating to campaigns; reports, lessons and accounts relating to units; official and propaganda publications.

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.
English

Summary guide on-line at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/top.htm, anddetailed catalogue available in hard copy in the Centre's reading room.

The papers of AF Louis (Francis Albert Victor Nicholas), 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, at the University of Southampton Library include personal correspondence, 1946-1947 (Ref: MB1/E106). The National Army Museum have two bound volumes and one folder of press cuttings relating to Messervy's career (Ref: 7409-77) and his printed orders (Ref: 7409-78).

Mar 1997 Amphibious warfare Armed forces British Army Civil defence Defence Desert warfare East Africa Eritrea Europe Higher science education India Indian Army International conflicts International relations Merchant Navy Middle East Military education Military engineering Military operations Military organizations Mountbatten , Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas , 1900-1979 , 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma , Admiral of the Fleet x Mountbatten of Burma , 1st Earl x Battenburg , Prince von Myanmar Organizations South Asia South East Asia State security Trapp , Sir , Nigel , fl 1947 , Knight , Major General UK War Warfare Western Europe World wars (events) World War Two (1939-1945) Wars (events) London England

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Presented to the Centre by Messervy in 1971.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Papers relating to his service in World War Two, dated 1941-1946, 1941-1946, 1951, principally comprising semi-official and personal correspondence, 1941-1946, including letter to his wife describing events leading up to his dismissal from command of 7 Armoured Div, 1942; pamphlet on the Battle of Keren, Mar 1941, produced by Maj Gen Sir Nigel Trapp, HQEritrea District, for visit of Commander-in-Chief, Middle East Land Forces, to Keren battlefield, Eritrea, Mar 1947; Report to the Combined Chiefs of Staff by the Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia, 1943-1945 by AF Louis (Francis Albert Victor Nicholas) Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (London, HMSO, 1951); operational notes and training instructions for 7 and 9 Indian Divs during the Burma campaign, 1943-1945; 'Warfare in undeveloped countries. Part 1: desert warfare', War Office publication written by [Messervy] in 1954; printed histories by Messervy and others describing operations in Burma by 12 Army, 14 Army, 4 Corps, 15 Indian Corps, 23 Indian Corps, and 25 Indian Div; Ministry of Information publications, dated [1945], concerning campaigns in the Middle East and Far East, 1941-1945, the Merchant Navy, 1939-1944, Combined Operations, 1940-1942, Britain's anti-aircraft defences, 1939-1942, and civil defence in the UK, 1940-1941, and the war effort on the Home Front, 1942-1944; Government of India publications,dated [1944-1946], describing the service of various divisions of the Indian Army during World War Two.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Arranged in the following sections: miscellaneous correspondence; reports, lessons and accounts relating to campaigns; reports, lessons and accounts relating to units; official and propaganda publications.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

The papers of AF Louis (Francis Albert Victor Nicholas), 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, at the University of Southampton Library include personal correspondence, 1946-1947 (Ref: MB1/E106). The National Army Museum have two bound volumes and one folder of press cuttings relating to Messervy's career (Ref: 7409-77) and his printed orders (Ref: 7409-78).

Finding aids

Summary guide on-line at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/top.htm, anddetailed catalogue available in hard copy in the Centre's reading room.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area