Francis Festing

Francis Festing

Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing, GCB, KBE, DSO, DL (28 August 1902 – 3 August 1976), called 菲士挺 in Chinese, was a field marshal of the British Army. His most important posts were as Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong (1945–1946 and 1949), General Officer Commanding British Troops in Egypt (1952), General Officer Commanding Eastern Command (1954), Commander-in-Chief Far East Land Forces (1956), and Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1958–1961). He served in World War II, 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.