Miles Dempsey

Sir Miles Dempsey
Dempsey in April 1944
Nickname(s)	"Bimbo"
Born	(1896-12-15)15 December 1896 New Brighton, Wallasey, Cheshire, England
Died	5 June 1969(1969-06-05) (aged 72) Yattendon, Berkshire, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1915–1947
Rank	General
Service number	9391[1]
Unit	Royal Berkshire Regiment
Commands	Middle East Land Forces (1946–47) Allied Land Forces, South East Asia (1945–46) Fourteenth Army (1945) Second Army (1944–45) XIII Corps (1942–44) 42nd Armoured Division (1941–42) 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division (1941) 46th Infantry Division (1941) 13th Infantry Brigade (1939–40) 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment (1938–39)
Battles / wars	First World War: Battle of Delville Wood Battle of Cambrai German spring offensive Hundred Days Offensive Iraqi revolt of 1920 Russian Civil War Second World War: Battle of France Allied invasion of Sicily Battle of Normandy Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine Operation Market Garden Western Allied invasion of Germany Greek Civil War Palestine Emergency
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches (4) Army Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold with Palm (Belgium) Croix de guerre with Palm (Belgium) Knight Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords (Netherlands)

General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey, GBE, KCB, DSO, MC, DL (15 December 1896 – 5 June 1969) was a senior British Army officer who served in both world wars. During the Second World War he commanded the Second Army in northwest Europe. A highly professional career soldier who made his reputation in active service, Dempsey was highly thought of by both his subordinates and superiors, most notably Bernard Montgomery, but is not well known.

A 1915 graduate of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Dempsey was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Berkshire Regiment. As a junior officer, he fought on the Western Front during the First World War, where he was wounded, and was awarded the Military Cross. After the war, he served in Iraq during the Iraqi revolt of 1920, in Iran during the Russian Civil War, and in India.

During the Second World War Dempsey formed a close relationship with Montgomery. He commanded the 13th Brigade in the Battle of France in 1940, and then spent the next two years training troops in England. He commanded the Eighth Army's XIII Corps in the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy in 1943. He commanded the Second Army during the Battle of Normandy and made rapid advances in the subsequent campaign in Northern France and Belgium.

After the war, he commanded the Fourteenth Army in the Far East, and the Middle East Command during the Greek Civil War and the Palestine Emergency. He retired from the Army in 1947, and was involved in horse racing. He bred and raced his own horses, and was Chairman of the Racecourse Betting Control Board from 1947 to 1951.