Ronald Penney
| Sir Ronald Penney | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 May 1896 |
| Died |
3 December 1964 (age 67) Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1949 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit |
Royal Engineers Royal Corps of Signals |
| Commands held |
3rd Infantry Brigade 1st Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Military Cross |
Major-General Sir (William) Ronald (Campbell) Penney KBE CB DSO MC (16 May 1896 – 3 December 1964) was a senior officer of the British Army who fought in both World War I and World War II, where he commanded the 1st Infantry Division during the Battle of Anzio.
Military career
Penney joined the British Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Engineers in 1914 at the start of World War I during which he fought in France and Belgium.[1] After the war he transferred, in 1921, to the Royal Corps of Signals and then served in British India and China.[1]
He served in World War II where he commanded the 3rd Infantry Brigade, and later as Signal Officer-in-Chief in the Middle East from 1941, becoming General Sir Harold Alexander's Chief Signal Officer, and as General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1st Infantry Division from late 1943 (taking part in the Anzio landings of the Italian Campaign)[2] The division came under command of U.S. VI Corps, commanded by Major General John P. Lucas, whom Penney was skeptical about and he formed a very low opinion of. He was wounded by shellfire during the fighting at Anzio, and the division was temporarily commanded by Major-General Gerald Templer, GOC of the 56th (London) Infantry Division, which had recently arrived in the beachhead.[3][4] From 1944, he was Director of Military Intelligence at Headquarters Supreme Allied Command South East Asia until the end of the war.[1]
After the Second World War ended in 1945, he became Assistant Controller Supplies (Munitions) at the Ministry of Supply until his retirement in 1949.[1] In retirement he worked at the Foreign Office.[1] From 1953 he was the first Director of the London Communications Security Agency (an agency established to study and advise on British cypher security and which later evolved to become CESG).[5][6] He stood down as Director of the London Communications Security Agency in 1957.[7]
Family
In 1963 he married Muriel Stella Daubeny.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ↑ People's War
- ↑ "Gerald Templer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ↑ Blaxland, p. 47.
- ↑ "GCHQ: Britain's Most Secret Intelligence Agency by Richard J Aldrich" (PDF). Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ "History of CESG". CESG. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ↑ "Captain Robert Stannard RN becomes Director of LCSA, taking over from Penney". Warwick University. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ↑ Conqueror 100
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Walter Clutterbuck |
General Officer Commanding the 1st Infantry Division 1943–1944 |
Succeeded by Charles Loewen |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by New Post |
Director of the London Communications Security Agency 1953–1957 |
Succeeded by Robert Stannard |
Bibliography
- Blaxland, Gregory (1979). Alexander's Generals (the Italian Campaign 1944-1945). London: William Kimber. ISBN 0-7183-0386-5.