William Cubitt (British Army officer)
Sir William Cubitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 (age 65–66) Kensington, London |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Service years | 1977–2011 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | London District Household Division |
| Conflicts | Kosovo War Operation Banner |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Major General Sir William George Cubitt, KCVO, CBE, DL (born 19 February 1959)[1] is a former senior British Army officer who served as General Officer Commanding London District and Major-General commanding the Household Division from 2007 until his retirement in 2011.
Early life
The second of the three sons of Thomas Randall Cubitt and his wife Rachel Edith Capron, daughter of Lt.-Colonel G. T. H. Capron,[2] Cubitt was educated at Beechwood Park, Hertfordshire, Stowe School, and the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated BSc in Agriculture.[1]
He is a member of a Norfolk landed gentry family, of Honing Hall, which was inherited by his father. The Cubitts are descended from Captain Thomas Cubitt of Honing (1760–1829).[3]
Career
Cubitt was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1977.[4] He transferred to the Irish Guards in 1998.[5] In 1999 he served in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services during the Kosovo War.[6] In 2004 he served in Northern Ireland and was advanced to Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services in the final stages of Operation Banner.[7]
Cubitt was promoted to major general and appointed Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District in 2007.[8] He relinquished this appointment on 29 June 2011 and was invested as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.[9]
Cubitt was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk for 2016–2017,[10] and in 2018 Sir Richard Jewson, Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, made him one of his Deputy Lieutenants.[11]
He is a farmer and landowner.[1]
Family
In 1990, Cubitt married Lucy Jane Pym, daughter of a fellow Irish Guards officer, Martin Hugh Pym, and a grand-daughter of Alexander Ruthven Pym; they have a daughter, Charlotte Mary Cubitt, and two sons, James William Cubitt and Edward George Cubitt.[2]
Honours
- 2000: Officer of the Order of the British Empire[1]
- 2005: Commander of the Order of the British Empire[1]
- 2008: Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Irish Guards (an honorary position), succeeding Major-General Sir Sebastian Roberts[12]
- 2011: Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Cubitt, Maj. Gen. Sir William (George)", Who's Who, online edition by Oxford University Press, updated 1 December 2022, accessed 22 November 2025 (subscription required)
- ^ a b Burke's Peerage, vol. 3, 2003, p. 3232
- ^ L. G. Pine, ed., Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 17th edition, (London: Burke's, 1952), p. 576
- ^ "No. 47364". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 October 1977. p. 13730.
- ^ "No. 55563". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 July 1999. p. 8070.
- ^ "No. 55819". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 April 2000. p. 4252.
- ^ "No. 57588". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 March 2005. p. 3371.
- ^ "No. 58387". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 July 2007. p. 9905.
- ^ The Court Circular 29 June 2011
- ^ "Norfolk 2016/2017". The High Sheriffs Association of England and Wales. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ "New Deputy Lieutenants announced". Norfolk County Council. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "No. 58642". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 March 2008. p. 4200.