Eric Dorman-Smith
| Eric Dorman-Smith (later known as Eric Dorman O'Gowan) | |
|---|---|
Dorman-Smith (left) talking with General Alan Brooke, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, at El Alamein, August 1942.
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| Nickname(s) | "Chink" |
| Born |
24 July 1895 County Cavan, Ireland |
| Died | 11 May 1969 (aged 73) Cavan General Hospital, Lisdarn, County Cavan, Ireland |
| Buried at | Kilcrow, Cootehill, County Cavan, Ireland |
| Service/branch |
 British ArmyIrish Republican Army |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit | Northumberland Fusiliers |
| Commands held |
160th Infantry Brigade 3rd Infantry Brigade Commandant of the Middle East Staff College |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Military Cross |
| Relations |
Brothers: Col. Reginald Dorman-Smith Capt. Victor Dorman-Smith |
World War I
Irish War of Independence
World War II
Major-General Eric Edward ("Chink") Dorman-Smith (24 July 1895 – 11 May 1969), who later changed his name to Eric Edward Dorman O'Gowan, was an Irish officer whose career in the British Army began in World War I and ended at the end of World War II, and in the 1950s he became an officer in the Irish Republican Army. In the 1920s, he was one of the military thinkers in various countries – such as Heinz Guderian in Germany and Charles de Gaulle in France – who realised that technology and motorisation were changing the way that wars and battles were fought. Influenced by J.F.C. Fuller, Archibald Wavell, Liddell Hart, and others, Dorman-Smith took an active role in trying to change the culture of the British Army and held a number of teaching and training roles in various parts of the British Empire. Although he made several contributions in advisory roles during the campaigns in the Western Desert in 1940–41, it was not until May 1942 that he went on active service again. However, his service record in World War II is shrouded in controversy and ended when he was fired from his command in 1944.
Dorman-Smith was born to a mixed-religion couple in Bellamont Forest, Cootehill, County Cavan, Ireland. He was received into the Catholic Church four days after his birth as a result of his Catholic mother's pleading. His younger brothers, Victor and Reggie, were baptized Protestant. His best friend as a child in Cootehill was John Charles McQuaid, the local doctor's son, who was later appointed Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin.
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