Maj.-Gen. Sir William George Lawrence Beynon, KCIE CB DSO

• Commissioned, 2 Bn, Royal Sussex Regt 1887;
• joined Indian Staff Corps;
• Hazara Field Force, North West Frontier, India 1888;
• Staff Officer to Col Kelly, Chitral Relief Force, North West Frontier, India 1896;
• Samana 1897;
• Punjab Frontier 1897;
• Tirah Expedition, North West Frontier, India 1897-1898;
• Somaliland expedition 1901;
• Tibet Mission Force 1903-1904;
• Abor, India 1911-1912;
• World War I 1914-1918;
• North West Frontier, India 1915-1916;
• Waziristan Field Force 1917;
• Maj Gen, Indian Army 1917;
• Afghan War 1919;
• Div Commander, India 1919-1920;
• retired 1920;
• Col, 3 (Queen Alexandra's Own) Gurkha Rifles 1926-1945;
• Royal Observer Corps, World War II 1943-1944

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Obituary The Times 21st Feb 1955

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MAJ.-GEN. SIR WILLIAM

BEYNON

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SERVICE ON INDIAN FRONTIERS

Major-General Sir William Beynon, KCIE, CB, DSO, whose active career in the Indian Army extended over 30 years, and who probably saw as much campaigning on the North-West Frontier as any of his contemporaries, died at Gerrards Cross on Saturday at the age of 88.

William George Lawrence Beynon was born on November 5, 1866, and was gazetted to The Royal Sussex Regiment in 1887. In 1889 he was transferred to the Indian Army, being posted to the 30th Bengal Infantry, but after serving with the 4th Gurkhas he joined the 1st/3rd Gurkhas in 1891. He was employed upon Intelligence duties at Gilgit when trouble developed in Chitral in 1895, and acted as staff officer to Colonel Kelly. Beynon, who was awarded the DSO for his good work and mentioned in dispatches, afterwards published a very racy account of the little campaign under the title of With Kelly to Chitral.

In 1900 he went to Simla to act as Staff Captain for Mobilization in the department of the Quartermaster-General, and in September was appointed an additional Assistant Secretary in the Military Department of the Government of India. At the beginning of the following year, however, he was selected for duty in Somaliland where he commanded the mounted troops during the 1901 operations against the "Mad" Mullah, and was again mentioned in dispatches.

He was transferred to the 2nd/6th Gurkhas in 1908 but went to the 1st/2nd Gurkhas as second-in-command in 1910, becoming brevet colonel in November. In March, 1913, he became commandant of the 1st/2nd Gurkhas. Before the outbreak of war in 1914 he was in temporary command of the Dehra Dun Brigade, but in November of that year he was given the Nowshera Brigade. When there was trouble on the upper Swat in May, 1915, Beynon commanded the Malakand Moveable Column.

Finally, during the Afghan War of 1919 he was in command of the 16th Division at Lahore which formed the general reserve and was heavily drawn upon in the course of the campaign. He relinquished his appointment, at the end of 1919, and retired from the service in 1920. He was Colonel of his old Regiment the 3rd (Queen Alexandra's Own) Gurkha Rifles from 1926-1945.

He married in 1899 Edith Norah, younger daughter of Mr. George Petrie, who survives him, together with three daughters of the marriage.