Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Dowler KCB KBE

Commanding Officer - The East Surrey Regiment

Commanded 1^st Bn The East Surrey Regiment in August 1939 but on the outbreak of war was posted, against his wishes, to his mobilisation appointment of GSO I with 49^th Division.

Arthur Arnhold Bullick Dowler was born on 16^th July 1895 and was educated at Tunbridge and the RMC Sandhurst. He was commissioned in The East Surrey Regiment in August 1914 and joined the 1^st Battalion in France. He was evacuated sick to the UK and in May 1915 joined the 2^nd Battalion in France and was wounded in September. After a long period in hospital he was appointed to the staff at the War Office. For his services he was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the French Croix de Guerre. Between the wars he served in both the 1^st and 2^nd Battalions at various places in Ireland, India and England and attended the Staff College, Camberley and became an instructor there. In August 1939 he was appointed to command the 1^st Battalion which he had to relinquish to take up his mobilisation appointment of GSO I with 49^th Division. He took part in the Narvik expedition in 1940. He later held various senior appointments including BGS V Corps, command of 2^nd Infantry Brigade and in November 1941 command of 38^th (Welsh) Division. His next appointments included M G A Southern Command, M G A Middle East Forces and Chief of Staff BAOR. From 1946 to 1948 he was Director of Infantry and his last command was that of East Africa from which he returned in 1951. In 1943 he was made a CB and in 1946 a KBE and in 1951 elevated to KCB. He was Colonel of The East Surrey Regiment from 1946 to 1954.

He died on 14^th November 1963.

For further details of his service see the Journal of The East Surrey Regiment Vol.II No.3 page 128.

For obituary see the Journal of The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment Vol.2 No.1 page 54

See also Colonels of the Regiment

 

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