Kenneth Anderson (British Army officer)

Sir Kenneth Anderson
Anderson in 1943
Nickname(s)"Sunshine"[1]
Born(1891-12-25)25 December 1891
Madras, British India
Died29 April 1959(1959-04-29) (aged 67)
King George V Hospital, Gibraltar
Buried
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1911–1952
RankGeneral
Service number12023
UnitSeaforth Highlanders
CommandsEast Africa Command (1945–46)
Eastern Command (1942, 1944)
Second Army (1943–44)
First Army (1942–43)
II Corps (1941–42)
VIII Corps (1941)
1st Infantry Division (1940–41)
11th Infantry Brigade (1938–40)
152nd (Seaforth and Cameron Highlanders) Infantry Brigade
2nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders
Battles / warsFirst World War
North West Frontier
Second World War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Military Cross
Mentioned in Despatches (2)
Knight of the Order of St John
Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)
Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)
Croix de guerre (France)
Grand Cross of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite (Morocco)
Grand Cordon of the Order of Glory (Tunisia)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Ethiopia

General Sir Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson, KCB, MC (25 December 1891 – 29 April 1959) was a senior British Army officer who saw service in both world wars. He is mainly remembered as the commander of the British First Army during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa and the subsequent Tunisian campaign which ended with the capture of almost 250,000 Axis soldiers. An outwardly reserved character, he did not court popularity either with his superiors or with the public.

His American superior, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, wrote that he was "blunt, at times to the point of rudeness". In consequence he is less well known than many of his contemporaries. According to Richard Mead, however, "he handled a difficult campaign more competently than his critics suggest, but competence without flair was not good enough for a top commander in 1944."[2]

  1. ^ Smart 2005, p. 11.
  2. ^ Mead 2007, p. 51.