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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Maj-Gen C.E Pereira


AGWR

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I have obtained some information about this man from the 1914 Army List, but does anyone have any general information about his family background, and what he did after the war? I have already looked for an obituary in the Times without success.

Regards,

AGWR

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Major General Sir Cecil Edward Pereira KCB 1919, CMG, 1917. Son of Edward Periera; born 1869. Married (1903) Helen , daughter of George Lane Fox. Served in operations on the Niger , 1897; expeditions to Egbon, Bida and Ilorin, Uganda, 1898. SA War 1899-1902. Brigade Commander 1915-16. Commanding "2nd Div. 1916-1919. Commanding 1st London Division TF 1919-1923 Retired 1923. JP 1928 Oxfordshire. Lived Caversham Place, Emmer Green Reading.

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Forget my original post .. I was reading 'G' for 'C' ... shoulda gone to specsav .......

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Thanks chaps. I am ashamed to say that I have never got around to purchasing either book, although they have both been on my 'to buy list' for a number of years.

Do you have a date of death anywhere? I can then have another hunt for an obituary. There's bound to be one in the Telegraph...

Regards.

AGWR

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Hello AGWR

Nothing really about the man post war but here is a potted history and may contain info that you don't have.

"Cecil Edward Pereira was born July 1869, educated at the Oratory School, Edgbaston and commisioned into the Coldstream Guards on 29 January 1890. Promoted Lt 6 Jul 93 and Capt 1 Feb 99. Took part in operations on the River Niger 1897 and awarded East and West Africa Medal with clasp 'Niger 1897'. Served in Uganda 1897-98 and awarded 3rd Class Brilliant Star of Zanzibar and East and Central Africa Medal with clasp 'Uganda 1897-98'. Served in South Africa 1899-1902 and awarded Queen's Medal with 4 clasps and King's Medal with 2 clasps. Promoted Brevet Major 20 Nov 05 and Lt Col 29 Nov 13. Commanded 2nd Coldstream from the outbreak of war and promoted to command 85 Bde in May 15. Wounded in trenches near Vermelles 26 May 15 and reassumed command 10 Jun 15. Wounded a second time on 27 Sep 15 during Battle of Loos. On recovery assumed command of 1 Guards Bde in 1916 and subseuqently commanded 2nd Division. CMG 1917, CB 1918 and KCB 1919. Also awarded Belgian Order of the Crown 3rd Class, Belgian and French Croix de Guerre and was mentioned in despatches eight times. Retired from the Army in 1923 and died in 1942." (this info supplied to me by another Pal)

Try these links as well

http://www.firstworldwar.bham.ac.uk/nicknames/pereira.htm

http://www.firstworldwar.bham.ac.uk/nickna...reirageorge.htm

Andy

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Forget my original post .. I was reading 'G' for 'C' ... shoulda gone to specsav .......

Des,

I think that George was a brother.

Regards,

AGWR

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Max,

Thanks for the extra info and the date of death. I have just checked the death registers for 1942, and his death was registered in Kensington in the final quarter. I will have a hunt through a few papers when I am next down Colindale, and post anything of interest.

Regards,

AGWR

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His brother George Edward was also a senior officer. He was born in 1865 and also went to the Oratory at Edgebaston. Commissioned into the Grenadier Guards, he went to China in 1899 attached to the Chinese Regiment, raised at Wei-hai-Wei. He was wounded whilst serving with them and received the DSO. He served in the final stages of the war in SA and then was the British Mission to Pope Leo XIII. In 1904 he was attached to the Japanses Army in Manchuria and received the CMG in 1906. From 1905 he was the Military Attache to the Britis Legation in Peking and travelled extensively in Turkestan and Western China.

In WW1 he served on the staff of 47th Division and then commanded the 4th RWF. Later he commanded 47 Infantry Brigade. Wounded and CB.

In 1921 he undertook a 7000 mile trek on foot from Peking to Lhasa , despite being partially disabled by the wound he received in his leg on the Western Front. He had covered half the journey when he was taken ill in Calcutta. He recovered amd continued his journey to Lhasa, wher he died from gastric ulcers in late 1923.

Terry Reeves

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Here's his Obit from the Times, October 28 1942....

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and this snippet from the Times, February 18, 1943 gives his date of death as October 26 1942.

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Steve,

Thank you so much for posting his obituary. I can only assume that I must have spelt his name wrong when searching Times online...

Thanks again to everyone for their contribution to this thread. His brother's 1921 trip sounds absolutely fascinating. Has anyone ever written about it?

Regards,

AGWR

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Hello

From the Coldstream Guards 1914/18 by Bladensburg

Ian

post-3871-1143977239.jpg

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Thanks again to everyone for their contribution to this thread. His brother's 1921 trip sounds absolutely fascinating. Has anyone ever written about it?

They have, but not recently. The book of his journies was published in 1925 from his diaries, lent by his brother Cecil for the purpose.

[PEREIRA, GEORGE]/YOUNGHUSBAND, SIR FRANCIS: Peking to Lhasa.

The narrative of journeys in the Chinese empire made by the late Brigadier-General George Pereira. London, Constable and Co. Ltd., 1925.

Pp. x, 293. With two folding maps, one front portrait and 32 illustrations made from photographs.

Regards

Steve

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Hello

a picture take in 1932

let me know if youd like a better copy

Ian

post-3871-1144399476.jpg

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Hello

Its from the "Coldstream Gazette" , issue 16, November 1938

Regards

Ian

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  • 10 months later...

Ive found a group photo as well - its an old pic and I cant post due to the 100k limit being tool small

pm if youd like a high res copy

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  • 11 years later...

I have some info which could be very handy. I'm not sure what you're after exactly, but I knew his granddaughter when I was growning up, and she had a personal record from WW1. Cecil and his wife Helen (Lane-Fox) actually wrote to each other for nearly every day of the 1st world war. I was asked to transcribe every single letter which created two 200+ page volumes some 22 years ago (as a 15 year old boy). It's a wonderful insight, and I'm not sure whether you're allowed to access them, but the original letters are in the Imperial War Museum. 

 

Here's an example:

 

C. to H.                                                                   Mytchett Camp,                                      2nd August, 1914.

 

          Everything is so uncertain, apart from thinking of my mouse and little ones there are many responsibilities ahead which are bound to be a care. Fortunately, I have a battalion staff which would be very hard to beat and so I know that all will go smoothly in the event of mobilisation. I feel that a soldier should not be married, it gives me so much pain and anxiety to others and tears him in half. However, all things come to an end and the "little grey home in the west" will mature some day and will be loved all the more after the discomforts my poor mouse has had of constant moves and living in uninviting houses.

 

          This camp which in ordinary circumstances would be quite amusing and instructive has under the present circumstances become quite intolerable to me.

 

          I hear that in Aldershot officers have been allowed away on leave until 2 a.m. Tuesday, it does not look like a denouement for some time.

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