Kendal Chavasse

Lieutenant Colonel Kendal George Fleming Chavasse, DSO and bar (born 28 September 1904, Waterford, Ireland; died April 2001, Co. Waterford, Ireland), was an Irish-born British Army officer who saw service in World War II.

Chavasse was the third son (with four brothers) of Major Henry Chavasse (1863–1943) and his second wife Judith Isabella Fleming (1867–1935). Two brothers served (with distinction) in the Royal Navy (Commander Evelyn Chavasse, DSO, DSC and Captain Paul Chavasse, CBE, DSC and bar). He married Oonah Perceval-Maxwell in 1930; the couple had a son and a daughter.

Early life
Chevasse was also intended to join the Royal Navy and to that end he was educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne, and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. However, illness prevented his timely start as a naval cadet until he was too old to do so, but, through family contacts, he was accepted into the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1923.

Army service
He was commissioned into the Royal Irish Fusiliers on 30 August 1924 and subsequently (1942 - 1945?) had wartime service as Commanding Officer of the 56th Reconnaissance Regiment (nicknamed "Chavasse's Light Horse"). "56 Reccy" fought in Tunisia as part of the 78th Division and between 25 November and 10 December 1942, it operated east of Oued Med Jerga. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned and without effective air protection, "56 Recce" dominated its area. This was attributed to Chavasse's "personal example, dash and daring" and consequently he was awarded his first Distinguished Service Order.

56 Reccy stayed with 78th Division during the Italian campaign and at Termoli on 5 October, Chavasse led a mixed force consisting of part of his regiment, 3 Commando, a troop of the Special Raiding Squadron and an anti-tank battery; this force held an exposed position under heavy attack. Superior forces were held off during the day and when ordered to withdraw, Chavasse extracted his force almost entirely. Once again, much was attributed to his leadership and he was awarded a bar to his DSO; the citation praised his "exceptional leadership, coolness and devotion to duty" and stated that "his personal example was the mainspring of a gallant and effective defence which did much to ensure the successful outcome of the operations".

As a Temporary Colonel, he served briefly with 5th Army as British Deputy Chief of Staff and then returned to England to run the Reconnaissance Training Centre at Catterick. From March 1946 he served as GSO1 with the 1st Armoured Division at Padua. He commanded the Royal Irish Fusiliers' 2nd Battalion in December, a role he continued in Egypt and Palestine until his retirement in 1947.

Retirement
Chavasse retired to a new family home, a farm in Co. Waterford. Once again, he displayed customary enthusiasm and action, and became an innovative farmer, pioneering methods new to his area. He was a founder member of the Irish Farmers' Association and a prominent participant in local activities such as the West Waterford Hunt and the Dungarvan Show.

He was a devout Christian and became the longest-serving lay reader in Ireland, assisting with services, including the annual Armistice Day service, throughout the diocese. He also represented his diocese at the 1963 World Anglican Conference in Toronto. He was a member of the Diocesan Council and the General Synod of the Church of Ireland.

Awards and decorations

 * Distinguished Service Order (11 February 1943) and bar (10 February 1944)
 * Mentioned in Despatches (22 December 1940)
 * Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States, 15 August 1946)

External references

 * The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II