Major-General John Yeldham Whitfield CB DSO OBE

John Whitfield was born in 1899, on 11th Oct, too young to serve in the First World War. He was commissioned into the Queen's Royal West Surreys in December 1918 and spent most of his time in Africa. He returned to the UK in 1942 and was a battalion commander in the Queen's Brigade of the 56th Division. They served in Iraq, North Africa and Italy.
At Monte Camino he led an attack which impressed the Russian generals who awarded him the Order of the Red Star. In the 5th Division he was a Brigade Commander and fought at Gariliano and Anzio, and in July 1944 he was promoted to Major-General in command of the 56th 'Black Cat' Division. They fought their way through Italy and set up HQ in Venice.
After the war he was in command of the Northumberland Division and then he was Chief of Staff Northern Command. He was appointed Colonel of the Queen's Royal West Surreys on 28th Sep 1954, being the last Colonel before the regiment amalgamated with the East Surreys on 14th Oct 1959. By this time he was blind as a result of diabetes. He suffered poor health in the last decade of his life and died on 23rd Sep 1971.

Regimental details | Colonels