Francis Festing


Sir Francis Festing
Nickname(s)"Frontline Frankie"
"Frankie"[1]
Born(1902-08-28)28 August 1902
Dublin, Ireland
Died3 August 1976(1976-08-03) (aged 73)
Hexham, Northumberland, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1921–1961
RankField Marshal
Service number611
UnitRifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own)
CommandsChief of the Imperial General Staff (1958–61)
Far East Land Forces (1956–58)
Eastern Command (1954–56)
British Troops in Egypt (1952–54)
Regular Commissions Board (1950–51)
British Forces in Hong Kong (1945–46, 1949)
36th Infantry Division (1942–45)
29th Infantry Brigade (1941)
2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment (1940–41)
Battles / warsSecond World War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches
Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)
Order of the Cloud and Banner (China)

Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing, GCB, KBE, DSO, DL (Mandarin: 菲士廷, fēi shì tíng; 28 August 1902 – 3 August 1976) was a senior British Army officer. His most important posts were as Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong (1945–46 and 1949), General Officer Commanding (GOC) British Troops in Egypt (1952), GOC Eastern Command (1954), Commander-in-Chief Far East Land Forces (1956), and Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1958–61). He saw active service in the Second World War, taking a prominent role in Operation Ironclad (the Battle of Madagascar) and the Arakan offensive of the Burma campaign, and later advised the British government on ending conscription and reducing the size of the army by fifteen battalions.

  1. ^ Smart 2005, p. 101.