Who's the General?

[sapper533]

Can I ask for your help. I have this old photo, shows some staff officers and a General officer. Any ideas who he is?
Where are they does anyone recognise the building? I wondered if with the. artillery link if it might be Woolwich, also all the flags outside ........might it be getting ready for the Victory Parade?
Any views chaps?
Cheers
Sean

[grey_green_acorn]

Sean,
On the right of the picture is what looks like a wheel, stabilising Jack and towing eye from a 3.7 Anti Aircraft gun. There is also another General on the right of the picture near the door.

Tim

[Tinto]

There's a certain resemblance to Field-Marshall Sir William Slim.
Cheers, Tinto

[sapper533]

Well spotted Tim, hadn't seen the other General.
Tinto I think you might be right here's a picture of Bill Slim from the Internet

[sapper533]

And another. What do you think? Very similar.

[Hoot]

The medal ribbons in post 1 and post 5 look to be the same and I think the photos were probably taken on the same occasion. Definitely the man himself.

[Blackadder1916]

Originally Posted by sapper533

........might it be getting ready for the Victory Parade?

It appears that Slim is wearing insignia of Field Marshal in the OP photo as well as the photo in post 5. As "Uncle Bill" was not gazetted FM until 4 January 1949 (shortly after he was appointed CIGS), the gathering is unlikely associated with the Victory Parade (June 1946).

[Hoot]

Originally Posted by Blackadder1916

It appears that Slim is wearing insignia of Field Marshal in the OP photo as well as the photo in post 5. As "Uncle Bill" was not gazetted FM until 4 January 1949 (shortly after he was appointed CIGS), the gathering is unlikely associated with the Victory Parade (June 1946).

That dates the photos in posts 1 and 5 to between January 1949 and January 1950. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in January 1950 so after that date his first two medal ribbons would have changed places. GCB takes precedence over GBE.

[Mike Jackson]

Originally Posted by grey_green_acorn

Sean,
On the right of the picture is what looks like a wheel, stabilising Jack and towing eye from a 3.7 Anti Aircraft gun. There is also another General on the right of the picture near the door.

Tim

Is the General near the door wearing a War Office formation sign? Mike

[Postwarden]

Thee building in the photo has all the hallmarks of a pre-WW2 TA drill hall. The 3.7 AA gun and the ATS/WRAC soldier standing in the doorway suggest a Mixed Heavy AA unit, TA.

Could this possibly be part of a recruiting drive event for the postwar TA?

Jon

[volunteersoldier]

Second from the left is definitely Bill Slim. Could the chap to Slim's left be Percival?

[Mike Jackson]

Could be. Although he retired in 1946, he retained honorary rank and was Honorary Colonel of a TA HAA Regt.

Percival returned to the United Kingdom in September 1945 to write his despatch at the War Office but this was revised by the UK Government and only published in 1948.[74] He retired from the army in 1946 with the honorary rank of lieutenant-general but the pension of his substantive rank of major-general.[75] Thereafter, he held appointments connected with the county of Hertfordshire, where he lived at Bullards in Widford: he was Honorary Colonel of 479th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, (T.A.) from 1949 to 1954[76][77] and acted as one of the Deputy Lieutenants of Hertfordshire in 1951.[78] He continued his relationship with the Cheshire Regiment being appointed Colonel of the Cheshire Regiment between 1950 and 1955;[79][80] an association continued by his son, Brigadier James Percival who became Colonel of the Regiment between 1992 and 1999.u

[Deejayuu]

I think the officer in the background may be Field Marshall Alan Brooke though not much detail to go on.