Field Marshal Viscount Gort VC GCB CBE DSO MVO MC

Alfred Dudley Ward was born in Wimborne, Dorset on 27 Jan 1905. His father was Lionell Howell Ward and his mother, Lillie Maud Morgan. He served as a private soldier for 3 years before going to Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Dorset Regiment in Jan 1929 and posted to India in 1931. In 1935 he attended Staff College in Quetta and transferred to the King’s Liverpool Regiment as a captain in 1937.
During the War, Ward was in England, selected for command in 1941, to the 43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment, taking part in Exercise Tiger in May 1942 and Exercise Spartan in March 1943. He was then sent to the Mediterranean in Sep 1943 and commanded the 17th Infantry Brigade for the fighting in Italy. He led them in the First battle of Monte Cassino. In early March 1944 his Division relieved the British 56th Division at the Anzio Beachhead. His brigade was involved in defensive trench warfare and Ward was appointed to the DSO in April 1944. He was still in his 30s when he was made acting major-general commanding 4th Infantry Division.
He brought the division to peak fitness as they had recently arrived from North Africa. They created a bridgehead across the River Gari and fought at the 4th Battle of Monte Cassino. After taking part in Operation Olive, the division suffered severe winter weather and stiff German resistance, so they were moved to Greece to fight Communist partisans. By mid-January 1945 order was restored and Ward was made Chief of Staff to Lt-General Ronald Scobie in Greece. He was appointed CBE in April 1945, and CB in July. He was appointed Colonel of the King’s Liverpool Regiment in April 1947, and Commandant of the Staff College in 1948, and commanded One Corps in Germany. In 1953 he was Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff until 1956. He was in command in Germany in Jan 1957 and then in 1960 was Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East. In 1961 he was ADC General to the Queen.
In June 1962, General Sir Dudley Ward was sent to Gibraltar to be Governor and Commander-in-Chief. During his time there he presided over the introduction of the 1964 Constitution. He retired from the army in 1965 and was Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk from 1968. Apart from his colonelcy of the King’s Regiment he was also Commandant of REME (Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers). He died on 28 December 1991 and was buried in the churchyard of St Mary’s, Dennington, Suffolk.

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