Maj.Gen. William Henry Evered Poole, CB CBE DSO LOM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evered_Poole

He was appointed GSO1 of 1st SA Division, with the rank of colonel, on its formation in August 1940, but when the 2nd SA Division was formed he became its GSO1 on 1 October 1940. In April 1941, he was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier. In June 1941, he was transferred back to the 1st SA Division as brigadier to take command of the 2nd Infantry Brigade in Egypt. He saw active service with the Brigade at Mersa Matruh, commanding 'Braforce' under the 2nd SA Division on the Egyptian frontier later in 1941, and then with the 1st SA Division on the Gazala Line from February–May 1942. He returned temporarily to South Africa as officer commanding Cape Fortress until rejoining his brigade at El Alamein in August 1942. There he commanded the brigade in the final battle of Alamein in October–November 1942. He returned to South Africa as second-in-command of the 1st SA Division.

He took command, with the rank of major-general, of the 6th Armoured Division on its formation in February 1943. He retained command throughout its training in the Middle East and subsequent service in Italy as part of the British 8th Army. After the liberation of Florence the division became part of the 5th US Army. At the end of the war, he became General Officer Administration of all South African troops in the Allied Central Mediterranean Force until their repatriation on 2 March 1946.

In 1948, he was passed over as Chief of Staff by the newly elected National Party government of Dr DF Malan and posted to Berlin to head the South African military mission there. After this he switched to a diplomatic career. He was subsequently appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Italy, Greece and Egypt, and in 1954 was transferred to Argentina and Chile. In 1960, he became ambassador to Greece.

In 1927, he married Elsie Irene van Boeschoten and had one daughter. After the dissolution of the marriage in 1951, he married Maureen Naish-Gray on 22 October 1951.

He was twice mentioned in dispatches, received the Distinguished Service Order, and was appointed a Companion in The Most Honourable Order of the Bath and a Commander in the Order of the British Empire. He was among the very few South Africans to become a Commander of the US Legion of Merit, and was also a Commander of the French Légion d'honneur and received the Croix de Guerre avec Palme. He was a Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. Whilst ambassador to Greece, he was decorated with the Order of King George I in 1964. St Andrew's College, Grahamstown, annually award the General Evered Poole Cadet Cup to the winning house in the inter-house cadet competition.

In his last years, he suffered from a lung ailment which forced his retirement in 1966. In retirement, he spent half the year at his home in Hermanus, Cape Province, and the other half in Greece, aboard the Poole's yacht Estrellita. He died on 9 March 1969.

http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol014gb.html Tribute to late Major-General W. H. Evered Poole, CB, CBE, DSO

By LIEUTENANT-GENERAL GEO. E. BRINK, CB, CBE, DSO.

http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol095at.html MAJOR-GENERAL W H EVERED POOLE, CB, CBE, DSO: 1902-1969 PERSONAL RETROSPECTS

Major A B Theunissen, MBE (formerly SA Staff Corps)