Walter Lentaigne

Who was Walter Lentaigne?

Lieutenant General Walter David Alexander Lentaigne, CB, CBE, DSO, was a British Indian Army officer. He was sometimes called "Joe" Lentaigne.

He was born the elder son of Justice Benjamin Plunkett Lentaigne of the Burma High Court and educated at the Oratory School, Edgbaston, Birmingham. His family had origins in Navan, County Meath in Ireland, but was domiciled in then Burma. He was one of two domiciled European officers serving Independent Indian army.

He had a brother, Commander Charles Nugent Lentaigne, DSO, RN, who commanded HMS Gurkha, launched in July 1940, by Mary, daughter of Winston Churchill. The ship was originally to be named Larne, however after the Tribal-class Gurkha was sunk in April 1940 the officers and men of the Gurkha Regiments each subscribed one day's pay to replace her and Larne was renamed before launching. Whilst escorting a Malta convoy the ship was torpedoed 17 Jan 1942 off Sidi Barani and later scuttled.

Walter Lentaigne joined British Indian Army as 2nd Lt. in October 1918 in 4th Gurkha Rifles. He fought in the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919. During World War II he commanded a battalion during the 1942 Burma Campaign and was later given command of 63rd Indian Infantry Brigade. In 1943, he was personally selected by General Archibald Wavell to form and command the 111th Indian Infantry Brigade as a Long Range Pentration Brigade. In 1944, in the midst of the second Chindit operation he was appointed commander of the Chindit Force and led the force until it was disbanded in 1945. He then led the Indian Army's jungle training programs as commander of the 39th Indian Infantry Division. He served in the postwar Indian Army and rose finally to the rank of Lieutenant General.