Background
Stanley Kirby was the son of Sir Woodburn Kirby, born in the Hendon district of London.
Stanley Kirby was the son of Sir Woodburn Kirby, born in the Hendon district of London.
He was educated at Charterhouse School. He was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Military Cross and Bar and finished the war as a captain. He studied at Staff College from 1927 to 1928.
Kirby was married twice. First in 1924 to Rosabel Gell who died in 1954 - the couple had one son. Kirby was commissioned into the Royal Engineers on 17 July 1914 and served during World War I in Egypt (1915), France (21 February 1915 to 21 October 1915), Macedonia (1 December 1915 to 7 September 1917).
He was Assistant Instructor in Survey, School of Military Engineering from 24 May 1920 until 15 July 1923 and subsequently served in Singapore between 1923 and 1926.
Foreign four years from 9 February 1931 until 18 February 1935, he served as a General Staff Officer at the Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence, War Office, starting as a General Staff Officer, 3rd grade (GSO3) and then as 2nd grade (GSO2). He studied at the Imperial Defence College in 1936.
From October 1937 until 1943, Kirby served at General Headquarters, India, first as Assistant Master-General of Ordnance, then as Deputy Master-General of Ordnance (from 13 March 1940). He was Director of Staff Duties from 1 October 1941 and became Deputy Chief of the General Staff, India, in 1942.
Kirby returned to Britain and he was appointed as Director of Civil Affairs, at the War Office in June 1943, until April 1944.
Working as a historian from 1950, he was a joint publisher of the official history, The War Against Japan.