John Harold Owen Wilsey

Major-General John Harold Owen Wilsey  CB CBE DSO (1904 − 20 July 1961) was a senior British Army officer who fought in World War II and later commanded the 2nd Division. 

Military career
John Wilsey was born in 1904 and was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College and later attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, He passed out from the latter on 27 August 1924, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Dorset Regiment, a line infantry regiment of the British Army.  However, due to a lack of promotion in the Dorsets, he transferred to the Worcestershire Regiment on 27 February 1936, and was promoted to captain in that regiment. 

Wilsey served in the Second World War, as Commanding Officer (CO) of the 9th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment in Northern Ireland and Southeast England from January−October 1943.  The battalion formed part of the 182nd Brigade of the 61st Division and, although initially selected to take part in the Allied invasion of Normandy, it fid not materialise.  He then served as CO of the 7th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment, which formed part of the 147th Brigade of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division.  He led the battalion during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and throughout the Battle of Normandy, and through most of the Northwest Europe Campaign until, in early January 1945, Wilsey was promoted to command the 158th Brigade, part of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, which he commanded for rest of the campaign in North West Europe until Victory in Europe Day in May 1945. 

After the war he took command of the 5th Infantry Brigade in 1949, became Director of Infantry in 1951 and Director of Staff Duties at the War Office in 1953.  His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2nd Division from 1954 before retiring from the army in 1956. 

In retirement he lived at Maufant Manor in St. Saviour on Jersey. 

References

External links
Generals of World War II☆

Category:1904 births
Category:1961 deaths
Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies
Category:British Army generals
Category:British Army personnel of World War II
Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath
Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Dorset Regiment officers
Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Category:Operation Overlord people
Category:People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Category:Worcestershire Regiment officers