Alexander Galloway

Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander Galloway, (3 November 1895 – 28 January 1977) was a senior British Army officer. During the Second World War, he was particularly highly regarded as a staff officer and, as such, had an influential role in the outcome of Operation Crusader during the Western Desert Campaign in late 1941. He later commanded the 4th Indian Infantry Division at the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Italian Campaign in early 1944. Early life and military career Born in Minto, near Hawick, Scotland on 3 November 1895, the son of a Church of Scotland minister, Alexander Galloway was educated at King William's College. On the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 Galloway volunteered for the British Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) but was then posted on 8 October 1914 to the 1/4th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, a Territorial Force unit, part of the 156th (Scottish Rifles) Brigade of the 52nd (Lowland) Division. He was promoted to lieutenant in May 1915, and saw action at Gallipoli, in Egypt and Palestine, and on the Western Front. In 1917, he gained a commission in the Regular Army, returned to the Scottish Rifles, and was promoted to captain in July. He was awarded the Military Cross (MC) in 1918. Between the wars Remaining in the British Army during the interwar period, Galloway had a number of regimental and staff jobs, serving from 1925 to 1926 as adjutant to the 2nd Battalion, Cameronians. He attended the Staff College, Camberley for a year from January 1928 and graduated in December 1929. His fellow students there included several future general officers such as Richard McCreery, Gerald Templer, John Harding, Gerard Bucknall, William Holmes, Philip Gregson-Ellis, Gordon MacMillan and I. S. O. Playfair. His appointment after graduating was as including appointments as staff captain at HQ Cairo in February 1930 and also as brigade major of the Canal Brigade in Egypt from February 1932. He returned to the Staff College, Camberley in February 1937 July 1938 as an instructor, and several of his fellow instructors would rise to prominence in the war. Galloway was promoted to major in December 1933 (having previously been made brevet major) and was made brevet lieutenant-colonel in January 1935. His promotion to lieutenant-colonel came on completing his period instructing at the Staff College in 1938.