John Dill
Field Marshal Sir John Greer Dill,
GCB,
CMG,
DSO (
25 December 1881 -
4 November 1944) was a
British commander in
World War I and
World War II who played a significant role in the formation of the "
special relationship" between the
United Kingdom and the
United States.
Born in
Lurgan,
County Armagh,
Ireland in
1881, his father was the local bank manager. Always intended for a career in the services Dill attended
Cheltenham College and the
Royal Military College at Sandhurst. In 1901 he joined the 1st battalion of the Leinster regiment and was posted to
South Africa to see out the
Second Boer War.
Promoted captain in
1911 he was studying at the
Staff College, Camberley on the outbreak of the First World War when he became brigade-major of the 25th brigade (8th division) in France where he was present at
Neuve Chapelle, Alvers Ridge and Bois Grenier. By the end of the war he was a brigadier general, had been wounded in action and
mentioned in despatches eight times. Dill's entry in the
Dictionary of National Biography makes clear that he was a typically excellent British officer of the period: handsome, charming, inspiring, noble and just a bit dim.
After the war he gained a reputation as a gifted army instructor. In
1929 he was posted to
India and in
1930 was promoted to major general before returning to appointments at the Staff College (for in fact the third time) and then to the
War Office.
Dill commanded British forces in
Palestine (1936 - 1937) but at the outbreak of World War II he initially had to watch younger, junior officers be promoted over him. Seen as something of a dinosaur and poorly regarded by both
Winston Churchill and
Leslie Hore-Belisha, Minister for War, Dill was eventually posted as commander of
I Corps in France (1939-40). On returning to the UK in April 1940, Dill was appointed Vice
Chief of the Imperial General Staff, under CIGS William Ironside, by the then
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. On 26th May, 1940, after Chamberlain had been replaced by Churchill, Dill replaced Ironside as CIGS. Later in 1940, Dill became ADC General to
King George VI.
By the time Churchill worked with Dill as Chief of the Imperial General Staff it was clear how poorly the two men got on. Dill gained a reputation as obstructive, unimaginative and overanxious and indeed the stress made him ill. Keen to get him out of the way, Churchill posted him to Washington as his personal representative in 1941 where he became Chief of the British Joint Staff Mission, then Senior British Representative on the Combined Chiefs of Staff. This turned out to be the point at which Dill found his feet.
He showed a great flair as a diplomatic military presence. In 1943 alone he attended the
Quebec Conference, the
Casablanca Conference, the
Tehran Conference and meetings in
India,
China and
Brazil. He also served briefly on the combined policy committee set up by the British and United States governments under the
Quebec Agreement to oversee the construction of the
atomic bomb.
In the United States he was immensely important in making the Chiefs of Staff committee - which included members from both countries - function, often smoothing ruffled feathers in the clash of cultures which followed. He was particularly friendly with General
George Marshall (the man with a
plan) and the two exercised a great deal of influence on
President Roosevelt who described Dill as "the most important figure in the remarkable accord which has been developed in the combined operations of our two countries". He was also friendly with the famously unpleasant
Admiral King who was initially very suspicious of cooperation with the British but who was presumably won over by Dill's charm and impressive military record.
Dill died in
Washington in November
1944 and was posthumously awarded an American Distinguished Service Medal in
1945 as well as receiving an unprecedented joint resolution of Congress appreciating his services. He is buried in
Arlington National Cemetery.
*
Letter Roosevelt to Churchill on the announcement of the posthumous honours to Dill*
Text of the joint resolution of Congress
