KITSON, Gen Sir Frank Edward GBE KCB MC 1926-2023
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Obit in the Times of 4 Jan 2024:
E X T R A C T
General Sir Frank Kitson obituary
Laconic and controversial commander-in-chief who became such a hate figure of the IRA he had to spend the rest of his life under police protection
…Frank Edward Kitson was born in 1926, the elder son of Vice-Admiral Sir Henry and Lady (Marjorie) Kitson (nėe de Pass). His mother was descended from Elias de Paz, a Sephardic Jew and one of the original 12 Jewish merchants admitted to the Royal Exchange in 1697. His uncle, after whom he was named, was the first Jewish officer (and the first officer of the Indian Army) to win the Victoria Cross, at Ypres in 1914.
Kitson was educated at Stowe, the school founded just three years before his birth with the aim of providing a modern public school education concentrating on the individual, without the arcana and fagging at what would be considered its rivals, although one article in the Irish press claiming that Stowe was “the second choice for the British ruling class, after Eton” was somewhat fanciful.
…After Sandhurst, in 1946 Kitson was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade, a regiment that considered itself without equal, and for much of the time probably was. Keen on hunting, shooting and fishing, he spent much time alone in pursuit of his quarry, wherever he was posted. It was in a quest for a new hunter while a student at the Staff College, Camberley, in 1955, that he met Elizabeth, daughter of Colonel Charles (Dick) Spencer, who had commanded the 12th Lancers and from whom he bought a 16-hands bay gelding (Kitson himself being of modest height and spare build). Elizabeth was 17, 12 years his junior, however, and they waited seven years before marrying. They had three daughters, who lead private lives. All survive him…
…Kitson was otherwise a man of few words, usually delivered
in a rhinal monotone. His smile, if it came at all, was sphinx-like, although
he had a mischievous sense of humour and could shake with silent laughter. As a
soldier of originality, independent mind and intrepid nerve, however, he was
perfectly suited to the role of lightning conductor to the forces.
General Sir Frank Kitson GBE, KCB, MC and Bar was born on December 15, 1926.
He died on January 2, 2024, aged 97
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/general-sir-frank-kitson-obituary-ts3xk9tt2
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The King and Queen were represented by General Sir Patrick Sanders (Chief of the General Staff) at the Memorial Service for General Sir Frank Kitson (Former Commander-in-Chief, United Kingdom Land Forces) which was held in Exeter Cathedral this afternoon.
The Duke of Kent was represented by Lieutenant Colonel Colin Oliver.