Major General James Malcolm Leslie Renton CB DSO OBE (1898–1972) was a senior British Army officer who briefly commanded the 7th Armoured Division ("The Desert Rats") during the Second World War.

James Malcolm Leslie Renton
Nickname(s)"Wingy"[1]"Cal"[2]
Born18 March 1898
Mayfair, London, England[3]
Died1972 (aged 73–74)
Horsham, West Sussex, England[3]
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1916–1948
RankMajor General
Service number10795
UnitRifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own)
Commands held2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own)
7th Motor Brigade
7th Armoured Division
199th Infantry Brigade
Senior Officers' School, Sheerness
Battles/warsFirst World War
Second World War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Military career edit

After being educated at Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Renton was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in 1916 and served in World War I.[4][5]

He was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant General for the Iraq Levies in 1922.[5] He also served in World War II as Commander of 2nd Bn the Rifle Brigade from 1940 (leading it and losing an arm at the Battle of Sidi Saleh in 1941)[1] and as Commander of the Support Group of 7th Motor Brigade from 1942 (leading it at the Battle of Gazala).[1] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 7th Armoured Division later that year.[5] He went on to serve at the Senior Officers' School from 1943 before becoming Head of the British Military Mission and Inspector General of the Iraqi Army in 1944 and retiring in 1948.[5][6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Divisional Commanders". Archived from the original on 12 May 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ Smart 2005, p. 266.
  3. ^ a b "We remember James Malcolm Leslie Renton". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ "No. 29537". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 April 1916. p. 3685.
  5. ^ a b c d Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  6. ^ Smart 2005, p. 267.

Bibliography edit

External links edit

Military offices
Preceded by GOC 7th Armoured Division
June–September 1942
Succeeded by
Preceded by Commandant of the Senior Officers' School, Sheerness
1943–1944
Succeeded by