Sir Walter Venning | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1882-01-17)17 January 1882[1] London, England |
| Died | 19 June 1964(1964-06-19) (aged 82) Sturminster Newton,Dorset, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1901–1946 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | 2nd (Rawalpindi) Infantry Brigade (1931–1934) |
| Battles / wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Commander of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross |
GeneralSir Walter King Venning,GCB, CMG, CBE, MC (17 January 1882 – 19 June 1964) was aBritish Army officer and administrator who served in both World Wars. Known for his competency as an administrator, he served asQuartermaster-General to the Forces from 1939 to 1942 and Director General of theBritish Supply Mission in Washington, D.C. from 1942 to 1945.[1]
Venning was educated atAllhallows andClifton College, followed by theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst.[1] Venning wascommissioned into theDuke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in 1901.[2] He saw service withWest African Frontier Force from 1907 to 1910.[2]
Venning saw active service in theFirst World War, earning theMilitary Cross in the King's1915 Birthday Honours. He was promoted to deputy assistant adjutant general at the General Headquarters of theBritish Expeditionary Force, and then to Assistant Adjutant General at theWar Office.[2]
After the war, Venning became an instructor at theStaff College, Camberley, and then, in 1922, was promoted to assistant adjutant general at the War Office.[2] He was appointed assistant adjutant and quartermaster general atAldershot Command in 1927 and deputy adjutant and quartermaster general at Eastern Command in India in 1929.[2] In 1931 he becamecommanding officer of the2nd (Rawalpindi) Infantry Brigade in India, and then in 1934 returned to the British Army as director of movements and quartering at the War Office.[2]
In theSecond World War, Venning served asQuartermaster-General to the Forces from 2 February 1939[3] to 1942; in this capacity he had responsibility for the War Office Fleet, which he despatched toDunkirk in 1940 to evacuate Allied forces.[4] According toThe Times, "It was due to the superb organization which [Venning] created and directed that the mobilization of the Regular Army in 1939, the embodiment of the Territorial Army and the embarkation of the expeditionary force were carried out with such astonishing smoothness."[1]
After being promoted togeneral in July 1940,[5] Venning retired from the army at the age of 60 and as a civilian served as Director General of theBritish Supply Mission inWashington, D.C., from 1942 to 1945.[2]
Venning Barracks atMoD Donnington nearTelford, Shropshire, is named after him.[6]
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Colonel of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 1939–1942 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Quartermaster-General to the Forces 1939–1942 | Succeeded by |