Frank Crowther Roberts
| Frank Crowther Roberts | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | "Culley" |
| Born |
2 June 1891 Highbury, London, England |
| Died | 12 January 1982 (aged 90) Stanhope Bretby, Derbyshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1911–1939 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit |
Worcestershire Regiment Royal Warwickshire Regiment |
| Commands held |
48th (South Midland) Infantry Division (1939) Poona Brigade (1938–39) 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (1937–38) 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment (1917–18) |
| Battles/wars |
First World War Second World War |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches (6) |
Major General Frank Crowther Roberts, VC, DSO, OBE, MC (2 June 1891 – 12 January 1982) was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Frank Crowther Roberts was born on 2 June 1891 at Highbury, London, the son of Rev. Frank Roberts, vicar of St. John Hall, Southall. He was educated at St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, where he graduated and was subsequently commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Worcestershire Regiment on 4 March 1911. He was posted to the 1st Battalion of his regiment and was sent, with his battalion, to Alexandria, Egypt the following year, to relieve the 2nd Battalion, Worcesters, and was there upon the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914.
The battalion, then commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Grogan, returned to the United Kingdom shortly after the declaration of war and arrived there in October 1914, where it became part of the 24th Brigade of the 8th Division, which was then in the process of formation. The battalion was sent to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front and landed in France in November 1914. The battalion was involved in the winter operations 1914–1915 and participated in the Christmas truce. Three months after his arrival, Roberts, by now a lieutenant (promoted on 3 September 1914), was awarded the Distinguished Service Order while leading a trench raid. He later fought in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, and became the adjutant of his battalion until October 1916 when he was made brigade major of the 23rd Brigade. In that capacity, during the Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the Third Battle of Ypres) in August 1917, Roberts was awarded the Military Cross (MC). In late October he returned to the 1st Battalion, Worcesters and, aged just 26, was promoted to the acting rank of lieutenant colonel, and given temporary command of the battalion, becoming one of the British Army's youngest battalion commanders.
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