{{Short description|British Army general (1885–1963)}} {{EngvarB|date=November 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] |name= Sir Harold Franklyn |honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB|DSO|MC}} |image= HaroldFranklyn.jpg |image_size= 250 |alt= |caption= Lieutenant-General Sir Harold Franklyn in August 1943 |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth date|1885|11|28|df=yes}} |birth_place= [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[County Cork]], Ireland<ref name="auto"/> |death_date= {{death date and age|1963|03|31|1885|11|28|df=yes}} |death_place= [[Newbury, Berkshire]], England |burial_place=St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard, [[Speen, Berkshire]], England<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/166818983/harold-franklyn|title=GEN Harold Franklyn (1885–1963) – Find A Grave...|website=www.findagrave.com}}</ref> |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= [[British Army]] |service_years= 1905–1945 |rank= [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] |service_number= 3285 |unit= |commands= [[Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces|Home Forces]] (1943–1945)<br/>British Troops in Northern Ireland (1941–1943)<br/>[[VIII Corps (United Kingdom)|VIII Corps]] (1940–1941)<br/>[[5th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|5th Infantry Division]] (1938–1940)<br/>[[Sudan Defence Force]] (1935–1938)<br/>1st Battalion, [[West Yorkshire Regiment]] (1930–1933) |battles= [[First World War]]<br/>[[Second World War]] |awards= [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Distinguished Service Order]]<br/>[[Military Cross]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]] (6)<br/>[[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de Guerre]] (France)<br/>[[Order of the Nile|Grand Officer of the Order of the Nile]] (Egypt) |relations= [[William Franklyn (British Army officer)|Sir William Franklyn]] (father)<br/>[[Geoffrey Franklyn]] (brother) |other_work= }} [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] '''Sir Harold Edmund Franklyn''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|KCB|DSO|MC}} (28 November 1885 − 31 March 1963) was a [[British Army]] officer who fought in both the [[First World War|First]] and the [[Second World War]]s. He is most notable for his command of the [[5th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|5th Infantry Division]] during the [[Battle of France]] in May/June 1940.
==Early life and First World War== Harold Edmund Franklyn was born in [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[County Cork]], Ireland, on 28 November 1885, the son of [[William Franklyn (British Army officer)|William Franklyn]], a [[British Army]] officer who later became a [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|lieutenant general]].<ref name="auto"/> He was educated in England at [[Rugby School]] and the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]],<ref name=21st>{{Cite web|url=http://www.21stdivision1914-18.org/franklyn.htm|title=Franklyn|website=21st Division 1914–18...a divisional history}}</ref><ref name="Smart107">Smart, p. 107</ref> where he was [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned]] as a [[second lieutenant]] into his father's regiment, the [[Green Howards|Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment)]] on 16 August 1905.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27827|page=5620|date=15 August 1905}}</ref><ref name="Officers of the British Army">{{cite web|url=http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_F01.html#Franklyn_HE|title=British Army officer histories|publisher=Unit Histories|access-date=3 July 2017}}</ref><ref name=lh>{{Cite web|url=https://kingscollections.org/catalogues/lhcma|title=King's Collections : Archive Catalogues : Military Archives|website=kingscollections.org}}</ref> Promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] on 16 January 1908,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28107|page=893|date=7 February 1908}}</ref> he married Monica Belfield, daughter of Lieutenant General [[Herbert Belfield]], in 1913; they had one daughter and one son.<ref name=21st/> In March 1910 he was appointed as an [[aide-de-camp]] to his father, then commanding the 3rd Division,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28352|page=2210|date=29 March 1910}}</ref> By 1914, the year of his father's death and the outbreak of the [[First World War]], he was attending the [[Staff College, Camberley]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28796|page=736|date=27 January 1914}}</ref>
Franklyn served in the First World War, mainly on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] and as a [[Staff (military)|staff officer]].<ref name=21st/> Soon after the outbreak of war in August 1914, Franklyn, graduating early from the Staff College, was made an Assistant Embarkation Staff Officer, later serving briefly as [[adjutant]] with the 6th (Service) Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, a newly created [[Kitchener's Army]] unit composed of volunteers, which was followed, on 31 October, by a promotion to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29017|page=11023|date=22 December 1914|supp=y}}</ref> After having served as a [[Staff (military)|General Staff Officer Grade 3]] and a [[brigade major]], Franklyn was promoted to [[Brevet (military)|brevet]] [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] on 3 June 1916,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29639|page=6316|date=23 June 1916|supp=y}}</ref> and served on the operations staff of the [[21st Division (United Kingdom)|21st Division]], also a Kitchener's Army unit, and was involved in the division's preparations for the [[Battle of the Somme]].<ref name=21st/> After the division's involvement in the [[Battle of Arras (1917)|Battle of Arras]] in April 1917, followed by the [[Battle of Passchendaele]], Franklyn became the senior staff officer in the division in mid-October, remaining in this role until hostilities ceased in November 1918.<ref name=21st/> During the war, Franklyn was six times [[mentioned in despatches]] and was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] and the [[Military Cross]].<ref name="Smart107"/>
==Inter-war period== After the war, Franklyn was promoted to major upon transferring to the [[East Lancashire Regiment]] on 19 August 1925,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33076|page=5496|date=18 August 1925}}</ref> and served at the Staff College, Camberley, as Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (DAAG) from 31 August 1925 until 31 August 1928.<ref name=21st/> Transferring on 10 May 1930 and receiving promotion to lieutenant colonel in the [[West Yorkshire Regiment]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33604|page=2868|date=9 May 1930}}</ref> he became [[Commanding officer]] of the regiment's 1st Battalion in 1930, and transferred to the [[Sudan Defence Force]] in 1933, initially as a [[Staff (military)|General Staff Officer]] and then from 1935 until 1938 as Commandant.<ref name="Officers of the British Army" /> Promoted to [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] on 28 November 1933,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34005|page=8126|date=15 December 1933}}</ref> on his forty-eighth birthday, he was, on 29 January 1938, promoted to major general (with seniority backdated to 1 January 1938).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34482|page=968|date=15 February 1938}}</ref> In December 1938, he returned to Britain where he was appointed [[General Officer Commanding]] (GOC) of the [[5th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|5th Infantry Division]]. The division was stationed in and around [[Catterick, North Yorkshire|Catterick]] in [[North Riding of Yorkshire|North Yorkshire]] under the control of [[Northern Command (United Kingdom)|Northern Command]], but was severely understrength having recently returned from [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]].<ref name="Mead143">Mead, p. 143</ref><ref name="Smart107"/> On 21 August 1939, Franklyn was made [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|Colonel]] of the Green Howards.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34684|page=6332|date=15 September 1939}}</ref> In late 1939, he was appointed a Grand Officer of the [[Order of the Nile]] in recognition of his service in Sudan.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34713|page=7038|date=20 October 1939}}</ref>
==Second World War== ===France and Belgium=== When the [[Second World War]] broke out in September 1939, the division was not fully formed and arrived piecemeal in France over the next few weeks and months as independent formations where it became part of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF). The divisional HQ only arrived in France in mid-December.<ref name="Mead143"/><ref name=21st/>
The division, composed of the [[13th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|13th]], the [[15th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|15th]] and the [[17th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|17th Infantry Brigade]]s as well as supporting units.<ref name="Mead143−144">Mead, p. 143−144</ref> Although the 15th Brigade saw contact with the enemy on the Saar front in January and February, the division, as a whole, saw little action, and time was spent digging defensive positions in expectation of a repeat of the [[trench warfare]] of the First World War. In April, the 15th Brigade was detached from the division for participation in the disastrous [[Norwegian campaign]], leaving Franklyn's 5th Division with just two infantry brigades.<ref name="Mead144">Mead, p. 144</ref>
The [[War Office]] in London had intended for the 5th Division to return to the United Kingdom as a reserve.<ref name="Mead144"/> By 9 May, many units had already reached the [[Channel Ports]], but the order was cancelled. The [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|German Army]] launched its [[Battle of France|assault in the West]] the day after, and the division joined [[III Corps (United Kingdom)|III Corps]] was assigned just days later to [[I Corps (United Kingdom)|I Corps]], which was manning a defensive line on the [[Zenne|River Senne]]. After withdrawing, the division was held in reserve until moving to [[Arras]], which was then under attack from several German [[panzer division]]s.<ref name="Mead144"/> The Germans had broken through the French armies on the BEF's right flank, and were sweeping their way west and northwards, aiming for the Channel coast.<ref name="Mead144"/> Senior [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] commanders believed a [[counterattack]] necessary, to be made southwards from Arras, and Franklyn was assigned to command "Frankforce". "Frankforce" was composed of Franklyn's 5th Division, along with the [[50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division]] and the [[1st Army Tank Brigade (United Kingdom)|1st Army Tank Brigade]].<ref name="Mead144"/> On 21 May, the attack went in and was initially very successful, greatly surprising the Germans. However, French support did not materialise on time and Franklyn was forced on the defensive and ordered to hold the high ground on Vimy Ridge. "Frankforce" came under heavy attack and ordered to withdraw on the night of 23 May.<ref name="Mead144"/>
"Frankforce" was ordered to use the 5th and 50th Divisions to attack across the German [[Line of communication|lines of communication]] and link up with the French attacking from the [[Somme (river)|Somme]].<ref name="Mead144"/> On 25 May, this order was countermanded and "Frankforce", in one of the most important decisions of the campaign, was ordered to fill the gap between the [[Belgian Land Component|Belgian Army]] and the BEF along the Ypres–Comines Canal. Franklyn's 5th Division fought in the [[Battle of the Ypres–Comines Canal]] and engaged in some of the toughest fighting of the war so far, with the Germans concentrating to eliminate the division.<ref name="Mead144"/> As the battle wore on, more units came under Franklyn's command, including the [[10th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|10th]] and the [[11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East|11th Brigade]] as well as elements of the [[History of the British 1st Division during the World Wars|1st Division]] and heavy artillery from I Corps. By holding the line on the night of 27 May, Franklyn enabled Major General [[Bernard Montgomery]]'s [[3rd Division (United Kingdom)|3rd Division]] to cross behind Franklyn's rear to fill the huge gap caused by the Belgian Army's surrender.<ref name="Mead144"/> Franklyn's stand was hailed by Lieutenant General [[Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke|Sir Alan Brooke]], commanding the [[II Corps (United Kingdom)|II Corps]], under whose command the 5th Division was serving under, as having saved the BEF from destruction. Brooke wrote in his diary that "Franklyn had put up a very fine show and the 5th Division had fought admirably".<ref name="Mead144"/> Lieutenant General [[Henry Pownall|Sir Henry Pownall]], chief of staff to General [[John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort|Lord Gort]], commander of the BEF, believed Franklyn to be the outstanding British divisional commander of the campaign.<ref name="Smart107"/> Brooke then gave orders for Franklyn and his division, now reduced to roughly 600 men in each of his two brigades, to withdraw from their positions and [[Battle of Dunkirk|retreat to the Dunkirk perimeter]], which they did on the night of 29 May and were subsequently [[Dunkirk evacuation|evacuated to England]] over the next few days.<ref name="Mead144"/>
===Britain=== [[File:The Czechoslovak Government in Exile during the Second World War H26244.jpg|thumb|right|Members of the Czech Government in Exile visiting Northern Ireland. Left to right: Brigadier General Edmund Hill (USA); General Jan Sergěj Ingr, Minister of National Defence and C-in-C of Czechoslovak Forces; Lieutenant General Harold Franklyn; Air Vice Marshal Karel Janoušek, GOC Czechoslovak Air Force; and Jan Masaryk, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia.]] After returning to England on 1 June, Franklyn and his division were sent to Scotland to serve under [[Scottish Command]]. In July, the 15th Brigade, having evacuated from Norway in early May, rejoined the division. Franklyn was made a [[Order of the Bath|Companion of the Order of the Bath]] on 11 July 1940.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34893|page=4244|date=9 July 1940|supp=y}}</ref> On 19 July, Franklyn relinquished command of the 5th Division, was promoted to acting lieutenant general on 19 July, and ordered to establish a new [[VIII Corps (United Kingdom)|VIII Corps]].<ref name="Mead144"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34944|page=5471|date=10 September 1940|supp=y}}</ref> With fears throughout the country of a [[Operation Sea Lion|German invasion]], Franklyn was responsible for the defence of the counties of [[Devon]], Cornwall and [[Somerset]], a very long line of coast to defend, but one which was considered a less likely invasion target.<ref name="Mead144−145">Mead, p. 144−145</ref>
In May 1941, Franklyn was appointed as C-in-C of Northern Ireland and left VIII Corps.<ref name="Mead145">Mead, p. 145</ref><ref name=lh/><ref name=21st/> Additional troops were placed under his command, and Franklyn established a superior formation, entitled British Troops in Northern Ireland.<ref name="Mead145"/> Franklyn's rank of lieutenant general was made temporary on 19 July 1941,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35224|page=4202|date=18 July 1941|supp=y}}</ref> and permanent on 30 September.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35290|page=5642|date=26 September 1941|supp=y}}</ref> Franklyn was made a [[Order of the Bath|Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]] on 1 January 1943,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35841|page=3|date=29 December 1942}}</ref> and remained in his post as C-in-C Northern Ireland until 23 July 1943 when he was promoted to the rank of full general<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=36247|page=5015|date=12 November 1943|supp=y}}</ref> and became [[Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces]].<ref name="Mead145"/><ref name=21st/> On 27 September 1944, Franklyn's son, Captain John Belfield Edmund Franklyn, was killed in action in Holland.<ref name=21st/><ref name="Officers of the British Army" />
==Postwar== Franklyn retired from the army on 15 October 1945.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37306|page=5053|date=12 October 1945|supp=y}}</ref> In May 1946, he was appointed chairman of the Battles Nomenclature Committee for the Second World War.<ref name="Mead146">Mead, p. 146</ref><ref>Battles Nomenclature Committee (1956) ''The Official names of the Battles, Actions and Engagements fought by the Land Forces of the Commonwealth during the Second World War, 1939–1945: Report of the Battles Nomenclature Committee as approved by the Army Council'', London: [[HMSO]], pp. 7–9</ref><ref>Battles Nomenclature Committee (1958) ''The Official names of the Battles, Actions and Engagements fought by the Land Forces of the Commonwealth during the Australian Campaign in the South-west Pacific 1942–1945 and the New Zealand Campaign in the South Pacific 1942–1944 and the Korean Campaign 1950–1953: Final report of the Battles Nomenclature Committee as approved by the Army Council'', London: HMSO, p. 5</ref><ref name="Officers of the British Army" /> Franklyn relinquished the colonelcy of his old regiment, the Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) on 21 October 1949.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=38754|page=5301|date=8 November 1949|supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.generals.dk/general/Franklyn/Sir_Harold_Edmund/Great_Britain.html|title=Franklyn, Sir Harold Edmund |publisher= generals.dk|access-date= 31 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="Officers of the British Army" /> He retired to [[Newbury, Berkshire]], where he died on 31 March 1963, four years after the death of his wife, at the age of 77, from a heart attack.<ref name="Smart107"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Bibliography== *Harman, Nicholas. (1980) ''Dunkirk; the necessary myth''. London: Hodder and Stoughton. {{ISBN|0-340-24299-X}} *{{cite book| first=Richard| last=Mead| title=Churchill's Lions: A Biographical Guide to the Key British Generals of World War II| location=Stroud| publisher=Spellmount| year=2007|isbn=978-1-86227-431-0}} *{{cite book| first=Nick| last=Smart| title=Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War| isbn=1844150496| year=2005| location=Barnesley| publisher=Pen & Sword}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Harold Franklyn}} *[http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_F01.html#Franklyn_HE British Army Officers 1939−1945] *[https://www.generals.dk/general/Franklyn/Harold_Edmund/Great_Britain.html Generals of World War II]
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=[[Stephen Butler (British Army officer)|Stephen Butler]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Sudan Defence Force|Commandant of the Sudan Defence Force]]|years=1935–1938}} {{s-aft|after=[[William Platt]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Guy Williams (British Army officer)|Guy Williams]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[5th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|GOC 5th Infantry Division]]|years=1938–1940}} {{s-aft|after=[[Horatio Berney-Ficklin]]}} |- {{s-new|command}} {{s-ttl|title=[[VIII Corps (United Kingdom)|GOC VIII Corps]]|years=1940–1941}} {{s-aft|after=[[Kenneth Anderson (British Army officer)|Kenneth Anderson]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Bernard Paget|Sir Bernard Paget]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces|C-in-C Home Forces]]|years=1943–1945}} {{s-non|reason=Post disbanded}} |- {{s-hon}} {{s-bef|before=[[Edward Bulfin|Sir Edward Bulfin]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Green Howards|Colonel of the Green Howards (Alexandria, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment)]]|years=1939–1949}} {{s-aft|after=[[Alfred Robinson (British Army officer)|Alfred Robinson]]}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklyn, Harold}} [[Category:1885 births]] [[Category:1963 deaths]] [[Category:Military personnel from Cork (city)]] [[Category:British Army generals of World War II]] [[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]] [[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]] [[Category:East Lancashire Regiment officers]] [[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]] [[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]] [[Category:Green Howards officers]] [[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]] [[Category:People educated at Rugby School]] [[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]] [[Category:Sudan Defence Force officers]] [[Category:West Yorkshire Regiment officers]] [[Category:Academics of the Staff College, Camberley]] [[Category:Burials in Berkshire]]