B O Hutchison

Balfour Oliphant Hutchison was born on 12 Feb 1889, the son of Alexander Hutchinson of Braehead, Kirkaldy, Fife. His elder brother Robert was an MP and created 1st Baron Hutchinson of Montrose. Balfour was educated at Uppingham School, Rutland. He was commissioned into the RA on 26 June 1909 but transferred to the 7th Hussars on 9 Dec 1911. He served with them in Mesopotamia in WW1 and was mentioned in despatches 4 times. After the war he was a staff officer with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force before attending Staff College in England. Service after that took him to Scotland, and then China where he was a staff captain in the Shanghai Defence Force, later DAQMG. Another spell in England as DA&QMG in Eastern Command before transferring, on 11 October 1930, to the 10th Hussars in India.
He commanded the 10th from 1935 to 1937 during which time they returned to England and began the process of mechanisation. In October 1937 Colonel Hutchison was promoted and appointed to the staff of the Mobile Division. He was DQMG Middle East in 1940 and was promoted to major-general on 17 Jan 1942. At the end of the war he was QMG Army HQ India, given the honorary rank of lieutenant-general and knighted as KBE in 1946. He was married to Audrey Jervis-White-Jervis on 28 Jan 1920 and lived at Rendham Court, Saxmunden, Suffolk. They had 3 sons and 2 daughters. Lieutenant-General Sir Balfour Hutchison KBE CB died on 26 April 1967.

Regimental Details | Commanding Officers