Reginald Hobbs

British Army general (1908–1977)

For his father, the British Army officer, see Reginald Francis Arthur Hobbs.

Reginald Hobbs

Born| (1908-08-08)8 August 1908
Elham, Kent, England
Died| 7 November 1977(1977-11-07) (aged 69)
Bromley, London, England
Buried|

Camberley, Surrey, England

Allegiance| United Kingdom
Service/branch| British Army
Years of service| 1928–1960
Rank| Major General
Service number| 40387
Unit| Royal Artillery
Commands| 1st Division
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
2nd Infantry Brigade
104th Regiment (Essex Yeomanry), Royal Horse Artillery
Battles/wars| Second World War
Awards| Companion of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Relations| Sir William Stirling (grandfather)
Reginald Francis Arthur Hobbs (father)

Major General Reginald Geoffrey Stirling Hobbs, CB, DSO, OBE (8 August 1908 − 7 November 1977) was a British Army officer who served as Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from 1954 to 1957.

## Early life

[edit]

Hobbs was the eldest son of Brigadier General Reginald Francis Arthur Hobbs and Frances Graham Stirling, daughter of Sir William Stirling. His brothers, Major Peter Graham Hobbs (1911–1942) and Lieutenant Colonel William Paul Hobbs (1914–1943), were both killed in action in the Second World War.[1]

## Military career

[edit]

Staff officers of the 21st Army Group, June 1944. Colonel R. G. S. Hobbs, wearing peaked cap, is stood third from the right in the back row.

Hobbs was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1928.[2] He played rugby for England against South Africa at Twickenham in 1932,[3] and then served in India.[2] He fought in the Second World War, becoming commanding officer of the 104th Regiment (Essex Yeomanry), Royal Horse Artillery in the Western Desert taking part in the Battle of El Alamein in 1942 and then being deployed to North West Europe as a General Staff Officer.[2]

After the war, Hobbs was chief of staff for Combined Operations.[2] Then in 1950, he became Commander Royal Artillery for the 1st Division in the Middle East.[2] He was made commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade in 1951, Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1954 and Director of the Royal Artillery at the War Office in 1957.[2] He went on to be General Officer Commanding 1st Division in 1959 before retiring in 1960.[2]

In retirement Hobbs was President of the Regular Commissions Board, Honorary Colonel of the Essex Yeomanry and Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery from 1963 to 1968.[2] He lived at Lerags House in Oban in Argyllshire.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Obituary: Brig.-Gen. R. F. A. Hobbs". The Times. 14 July 1953. p. 8.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
3. ^ ESPN Scrum
4. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.

Military offices

Preceded by

Guy Gregson

|  General Officer Commanding 1st Division
1959–1960  | Succeeded by

Alan Jolly

Preceded by

David Dawnay

|  Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
1954–1957  | Succeeded by

Ronald Urquhart