George Erskine

Sir George Erskine
George "Bobby" Erskine
Nickname(s)	Bobby
Born	23 August 1899
Died	29 August 1965 (aged 66)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	General
Unit	King's Royal Rifle Corps
Commands held	2nd Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps 7th Armoured Division 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong British Troops in Egypt Eastern Command East Africa Command Southern Command
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Mau Mau Uprising
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order

General Sir George Watkin Eben James Erskine GCB KBE DSO (23 August 1899 – 29 August 1965) was a senior British Army officer who commanded the 7th Armoured Division during World War II.

Erskine was the son of Major General George Elphinstone Erskine by his second wife Eva Constance Sarah, daughter of Canon Ebenezer Wood Edwards. He was a descendant of the noted 18th-century jurist John Erskine of Carnock.

Erskine was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He served during World War I in France and Belgium. During the 1930s he served in India but returned to Britain in 1937 to become Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General at Eastern Command. In 1939 he became a General Staff Officer for 1st London Division of the Territorial Army. In 1941 he was appointed Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps who were then part of 69th Infantry Brigade and deployed to North Africa, where he earned his Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1942. He was then appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7th Armoured Division and served in North Africa, Italy and Normandy between 1943 and 1944.