Hubert Essame

Background

Essame was the son of Ernest H. Essame of Wokingham and educated at Nottingham High School.

Career

Essame joined the army as a volunteer in 1915, and joined the 2nd Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment. He first saw active service on the Western Front in May 1916, and on 2 October 1916 he commissioned into the Northamptonshire Regiment. In November 1924, Essame was promoted to captain.

Between 1926 and 1929 he served as Adjutant in the Auxiliary Forces in India, before attending the Staff College, Quetta.

He then served as a staff officer at the War Office and with Territorial units. In 1941 Essame became Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment.

He was promoted to brigadier in 1942 and became commander of the 214th Infantry Brigade, leading the brigade in fighting in northern France. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in October 1944.

In June 1945 he briefly served as commander of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division.

Essame became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in October 1945. Between 1946 and 1949, Essame was President of the Regular Commissions Board, before retiring from the army with the rank of major-general on 24 June 1949. Following his retirement from the army, Essame worked as a military historian.

Achievements

• He was wounded twice over the course of the First World War, Mentioned in Dispatches in December 1917 and awarded the Military Cross in July 1918.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Battle for Germany.

    (A chronicle of the battle history on the Western front af...)

  • Normandy bridgehead (Ballantine's illustrated history of World War II. Campaign book)

    (out of print detailed account of the fighting at Normandy)

  • Battle for Normandy Belfield

    (The Battle for Normandy (Pan British Battles Series))

  • The Battle for Germany

    (Battle For Germany, The, by Essame, H.)

  • The 43rd Wessex Division at War 1944-45
  • The 43rd Wessex Division at war, 1944-1945