Walter Lentaigne - Career Highlights

Career Highlights

• 1899 Born
• 1918 Joined 4th Prince of Wales's Own Gurkha Rifles
• 1919 Third Anglo-Afghan War
• 1919-1924 Served in Waziristan, North West Frontier
• 1925-1929 Garrison and Depot duty, Bakloh, India
• 1930-1934 Served in Tirah, North West Frontier
• 1935-1936 Attended British Army Staff College, Camberley
• 1936-1939 Waziristan, North West Frontier
• World War II
  • 1938-1941 Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General at General Headquarters(GHQ) India
  • 1941-1942 Instructor at the Indian Army Staff College, Quetta
  • 1942 Commanding Officer 1st Battalion, 4th Gurkha Rifles. Took part in the retreat from Burma, into India. Better described in "British Commanders" Published June 1945 by British Information Services in the USA as commanding a battalion which was landed in Burma in time to take part in General Alexander's battling withdrawal. He soon gained a legendary name for bravery. "Once this bespectacled giant had his revolver kicked out of his hand in a hand-to-hand scrap with four Japs. he tore the sword from the leader's hand and killed him with it; then, turning on the others, hewed one to the ground and chased the other two back into the jungle. Another time, when the japanese had captured an ambulance convoy, a wounded officer in one of them heard a noise which he described as like the roaring of the Bull of Bashan. It was Joe Lentaigne arriving. He had charged ahead of his Gurkhas and arrive first, killing several Japs before they caught up with him. The ambulances were saved."
  • 1943 Temporarily commanded Indian 63rd Infantry Brigade in Imphal, India. Subsequently raised Indian 111 Infantry Brigade, a Long Range Penetration formation.
  • 1944 Led 111 Brigade in Operation Thursday, the second Chindit operation. On 24 March 1944 succeeded to command of Special Force / 3rd Indian Infantry Division, on the death of Major General Orde Wingate in an air crash. Commanded the Chindits until it they were disbanded early in 1945.
• 1945 General Officer Commanding Indian 39th Infantry Division
• 1946 Attended Imperial Defence College
• 1947 Director of Military Operations (18 Feb. – 14 May)
• 1947 Deputy Quartermaster General at GHQ India.(15 May – 15 Aug)
• 1947 Deputy Quartermaster General at GHQ,British Troops in India and Pakistan.(15 Aug 1947 – 15 Mar 1948)
• 1948-1955 Commandant of the Indian Army Staff College, Wellington.(16 March 1948-12 March 1955)
• 1955 Retired as Lieut-General and returned to UK owing to bad health.