Most decorated · 19 medals and honours, 3 for gallantry
Major General Sir Gentry
William Gentry was an English-born, Wellington-raised regular soldier who graduated from Duntroon in December 1919, a year after the First World War ended, so he has no First World War service of his own. In the Second World War he was Freyberg's chief staff officer, then commanded the 6th and later the 9th Infantry Brigades, winning the DSO and a bar. After the war he rose to Chief of the General Staff and ended with a CB and a knighthood, giving him a career total of 19 medals, orders and honours by the counting rule.
He did not serve in the First World War: he was a cadet at Duntroon from 1916 and was commissioned after the war.
19medals and honours
3of them for gallantry
His medals and honours
Won for gallantry
Foreign gallantry award
Military Cross (Greece) - Greek Military Cross
Awarded for service in Greece, 1941; permission to wear gazetted 1947 · Greece / Crete · Lieutenant Colonel (as styled in 1947 notice), 2nd New Zealand Division staff
Gazetted: London Gazette supplement, issue 37909, 20 March 1947, p. 1316 (Office of the Minister of Defence, Wellington, 20 March 1947)
In March 1947 the King approved the wearing of decorations from the King of the Hellenes by a group of New Zealand officers: Colonels Henrick and Stewart and Lieutenant Colonel William George Gentry, D.S.O., O.B.E. were each listed under 'Military Cross', the Greek decoration. Te Ara says he 'later received the Greek Military Cross' in connection with his work in the Greek and Cretan campaigns of 1941, when he was the division's assistant adjutant and quartermaster general and then acting chief operations staff officer. The gazette notice gives no citation or exact date of the original Greek award, so only the 1947 permission date is certain. Greece's 'Military Cross' (the War Cross) is a gallantry-class decoration, which is why it is counted here with his gallantry awards even though his own duty was staff work.
Not the British Military Cross. Some sources call it the 'Greek Military Cross'; the Greek War Cross 1940 is the likely identity. No citation seen.
Counted in his gallantry totalSource: London Gazette issue 37909 (20 Mar 1947) p. 1316, read as PDF; Te Ara DNZB; Wikipedia
Gallantry award
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
July-September 1942 (First Battle of Alamein); award announced in November 1942 · Alamein line, Egypt · Colonel, GSO1, 2nd New Zealand Division
Gazetted: London Gazette supplement, issue 35771, 3 November 1942 (published 5 November 1942), p. 4795; citation in NZ Gazette 21 September 1944 (per Wikipedia, citing Haigh and Polaschek)
Gentry was chief operations staff officer to Freyberg during the mobile fighting that led up to the stabilising of the Alamein line in mid-1942. He worked out the detailed plans from the General's broad decisions and, in the words of his citation, showed 'conspicuous skill and organising ability' in 'complicated mobile operations'. The citation goes on to say that during a period of great stress and often under heavy fire he displayed 'the greatest coolness, skill and determination', an inspiration to everyone around him. It is rare for a staff officer to win a DSO and the award underlines how close he worked to the fighting. The Gazette entry lists him as 'Colonel William George Gentry, O.B.E. (40002), New Zealand Military Forces'. Te Ara places the award in September 1942, just before he was given the 6th Brigade.
Te Ara says September 1942; the London Gazette notice is dated 3 November 1942 (War Office 11 November header text appears in the PDF).
Counted in his gallantry totalSource: London Gazette issue 35771 p. 4795 (read); Te Ara DNZB; Wikipedia
Bar: a second award
Bar to the Distinguished Service Order
February-May 1945 (final offensive, Italy); gazetted October 1945 · Northern Italy · Brigadier, 9th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
Gazetted: London Gazette supplement, issue 37310, 16 October 1945 (supplement published 18 October 1945), p. 5102
Gentry arrived in Italy in February 1945 to command the newly formed 9th Infantry Brigade, built from the Divisional Cavalry and the Machine Gun Battalion (both converted to infantry) plus the 22nd Battalion. After a period of training he led it in the last offensive of the Italian campaign. The Gazette announced the bar 'in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Italy'. Te Ara credits his 'gallantry and exemplary conduct, often under fire' as a decisive factor in the New Zealand Division's victories and says he received the bar for exceptional services during the offensive. He handed the brigade over to Keith Stewart on 10 November 1945.
Online Cenotaph lists 'DSO and bar' as one entry; counted as DSO plus one bar (two items). I have not read the NZ Gazette citation for the bar.
Counted in his gallantry totalSource: London Gazette issue 37310 p. 5102 (read); Te Ara DNZB; Wikipedia
Every other medal and honour (16)
India General Service Medal 1908 (clasps Waziristan 1919-21 and Malabar 1921-22)1919-1922 · North-West Frontier (Waziristan) and Malabar, IndiaEarned on his secondment to the Indian Army, where he saw active service in Waziristan and in the Moplah (Malabar) rising; the two clasps are one medal.Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE, Military)1942 New Year Honours (for Greece and Crete, 1941) · Greece and CreteGentry went to Greece with the New Zealand Division as its assistant adjutant and quartermaster general, handling the administration and supply of the force through the April 1941 campaign. In the battle for Crete he…1939-45 Star1939-1945 · Middle EastQualifying overseas operational service with the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force from 1940.Africa Star (8th Army clasp)1941-1943 · Libya, Egypt, TunisiaNorth African campaigns with the Eighth Army, from the Libyan campaign of late 1941 to the end of the Tunisian fighting.Italy Star1945 · ItalyService in the Italian campaign from February 1945.Defence Medal1939-1945Qualifying wartime service, including the 1939 posting in the United Kingdom and the war-service period.War Medal 1939-1945 (with oak leaf)1939-1945The general service medal for full-time service in the war; the oak leaf on its ribbon is the Mention in Despatches emblem already counted above.New Zealand War Service Medal1939-1945New Zealand's own medal for war service, issued to members of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force.Legion of Merit (USA), Degree of CommanderAfter 1945 (exact date not found) · Italy (per Te Ara)Te Ara says that after the bar to his DSO he 'was later made a commander in the US Legion of Merit', placing it with his 1945 leadership of the 9th Brigade in Italy. The Legion of Merit is an American…Bronze Star Medal (USA)Announced 19 November 1948The King gave unrestricted permission to wear the Bronze Star Medal, conferred by the President of the United States 'in recognition of distinguished services in the cause of the Allies', on Brigadier William George…Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE, Military)New Year Honours 1950Promoted within the Order of the British Empire to Commander while Adjutant-General and Second Military Member of the Army Board. The Gazette entry reads 'Brigadier William George GENTRY, D.S.O., O.B.E.'.Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 19531953Commemorative medal for the 1953 Coronation, issued to him as New Zealand's Chief of the General Staff.Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB, Military)Queen's Birthday Honours 1954Appointed a Companion of the Bath while Chief of the General Staff, a post he had held since 1 April 1952. In that role he enhanced the efficiency of the Territorial Force, helped to shape New Zealand's growing…New Zealand Long and Efficient Service MedalBefore 1955 (exact date not found)Awarded for long, efficient commissioned service in the New Zealand forces, in his case close to 40 years from 1916 cadet entry to 1955.Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE, Military)Queen's Birthday Honours 1958Gentry was not knighted when he retired in August 1955, against tradition, possibly because of friction with the government over his plans for a Middle East commitment. Nearly three years later, after a change of…Mentioned in Despatches1942-1943 (North Africa) · North AfricaTe Ara says he was twice mentioned in despatches, in the passage covering his command of the 6th Brigade at Second Alamein and the pursuit across North Africa; the Cenotaph's 'oak leaf' on his War Medal is the emblem…
His story
Born in England, raised in Wellington
Born in Walthamstow, Essex. His family emigrated to New Zealand in 1910 and settled in Wellington, where he attended Wellington College from 1913 to 1915.
Source: Te Ara DNZB
Duntroon cadet: no First World War service
He entered the Royal Military College at Duntroon in 1916 as one of the few New Zealanders accepted. He graduated in December 1919, after the war was over, and was commissioned in the New Zealand Staff Corps. He was a cadet throughout the First World War.
Source: Te Ara DNZB; Wikipedia; Online Cenotaph
India: Waziristan and Malabar
Seconded to the Indian Army, he saw active service in Waziristan and in the Moplah rising in Malabar, earning an India General Service Medal with two clasps.
Source: Te Ara DNZB; Online Cenotaph
Slow-promotion staff career
Staff posts in the Wellington area and Masterton, captain in April 1926, engineering courses in England from 1934, then Staff College at Camberley, completed September 1939.
Source: Te Ara DNZB
Greece and Crete
General staff officer with the New Zealand Division from January 1940, then assistant adjutant and quartermaster general in Greece and acting GSO1 on Crete. These brought the OBE and, later, the Greek Military Cross.
Source: Te Ara DNZB; London Gazette 1947
Freyberg's chief staff officer; DSO
From October 1941 he was GSO1 of the New Zealand Division through the Libyan campaign and the fighting at Alamein, winning the DSO for 'coolness, skill and determination'.
Source: Te Ara DNZB; London Gazette 35771
Brigade commander, 6th Infantry Brigade
When the brigade's commander was captured, Freyberg gave Gentry the 6th Brigade and a brigadier's rank. He led it at Second Alamein and in the pursuit across North Africa, and was twice mentioned in despatches.
Source: Te Ara DNZB
9th Infantry Brigade in Italy; bar to the DSO
After two years as deputy chief of the general staff in New Zealand and a spell commanding New Zealand troops in Egypt, he formed and led the 9th Brigade in the final offensive in Italy. He won a bar to his DSO and later American decorations.
Source: Te Ara DNZB; London Gazette 37310
Senior staff posts, CGS, CB and KBE
He served in Australia on the Joint Chiefs of Staff organisation for BCOF Japan, attended the Imperial Defence College, was Adjutant-General from April 1949 (CBE 1950), and Chief of the General Staff from 1 April 1952 to August 1955 (CB 1954). He was knighted KBE in 1958.
Source: Te Ara DNZB; London Gazette 38798, 40190; NZ Gazette 1958
Rank and insignia
The ranks he held, and the badge a soldier of that rank wore. These are simplified illustrations.
Cadet1916-1919 · Royal Military College DuntroonRank badge not drawn for this entryLieutenantDecember 1919 · New Zealand Staff CorpsShoulder strap: two pipsCaptainApril 1926Shoulder strap: three pipsMajorSeptember 1939Shoulder strap: crownLieutenant ColonelOctober 1940 · temporaryShoulder strap: crown and one pipColonelNovember 1941 · temporaryShoulder strap: crown and two pipsBrigadierSeptember 1942 · temporaryShoulder strap: crown and three pipsBrigadierMarch 1948 · substantiveShoulder strap: crown and three pipsMajor General1 April 1952Shoulder strap: crossed sword and baton, one pip
Afterwards
Gentry retired in August 1955 and lived in Lower Hutt. Contrary to custom he was not knighted on leaving the post of Chief of the General Staff; after the change of government he was made a KBE in the 1958 Queen's Birthday Honours. He was honorary colonel of the 1st Battalion, Wellington Regiment, colonel of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment and a member of the Licensing Control Commission.
From 1957 to 1967 he was president of the Boy Scouts Association of New Zealand, and Wikipedia says he was given its Silver Wolf, a Scout award that is not counted in this tally (see flags). He died in Lower Hutt on 13 October 1991, aged 92. His wife Alexandra Nina (Lalla), whom he married in December 1926, died in 1994; they had a son and a daughter.
Later awards, not counted here: OBE (1942 New Year Honours); DSO (Alamein, gazetted November 1942); Mention in Despatches (two); Greek Military Cross (gazetted for wear 20 March 1947); Bar to DSO (Italy, gazetted October 1945); US Legion of Merit (Commander); US Bronze Star Medal (gazetted 19 November 1948); 1939-45 Star, Africa Star (8th Army), Italy Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45, NZ War Service Medal.
This is the Service Record sign as we would make it from his record: his rank, name, regiment, number and date of embarkation. The medals on the sign are worked out automatically, so the medals listed above are the ones to rely on.
The Service Record
Photograph
We haven’t hosted a photograph here
Rather than copy someone else’s image onto our own site, we’d rather send you to see it where it’s properly held: his full record at the Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Online Cenotaph.
DID NOT SERVE IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR. Born 1899, Duntroon cadet 1916 to December 1919, commissioned after the Armistice; first active service was India 1919-22. Te Ara, Wikipedia and the Online Cenotaph (which lists only 'Regular Military Service' and WWII) all agree. He is not a WW1 man and arguably should not appear on a WW1-based 'most decorated' list; he is a New Zealander only by upbringing (born in England, here from age 11).
Duplicate reconciled: the Cenotaph lists the India General Service Medal twice (same two clasps); counted once. 'DSO and bar' counted as DSO plus one bar. Oak leaf on the War Medal is the MiD emblem, not a separate item.
OBE, CBE and KBE are three grades of one order. Counted as three separate honours, each demonstrably gazetted. If counted once per order the total would be 17. The CBE (gazetted 2 January 1950) is missing from the Online Cenotaph list.
Legion of Merit (Commander) rests on Te Ara and the Online Cenotaph only; I found no gazette notice (his name is not under the Legion of Merit in the 20 March 1947 or 19 November 1948 notices I read). Bronze Star is confirmed (London Gazette 38459).
Gallantry count is 3 (DSO, bar, Greek Military Cross). Bronze Star and Legion of Merit are treated as merit awards; if the Bronze Star were counted as gallantry the count would be 4. The Greek Military Cross is counted as foreign gallantry but no citation was seen.
Mentions in Despatches: two (Te Ara, Wikipedia infobox); gazette dates not found; counted once.
NZ Long and Efficient Service Medal, NZ War Service Medal and Defence Medal rest on the Cenotaph alone; Coronation Medal 1953 on Cenotaph and Wikipedia.
Not counted: the Scout Association's Silver Wolf (a voluntary-body award, cited by Wikipedia to Haigh and Polaschek only). If counted the total is 20. Later medals (for example a 1977 Silver Jubilee Medal) were not checked and none is listed.
Dates: Wikipedia files the CBE under the 1950 Birthday Honours, but the Gazette shows 30 Dec 1949/2 Jan 1950. DNZB dates the DSO to September 1942; Gazette is 3-5 November 1942. KBE: NZ Gazette 19 June 1958 read; London Gazette 3 June 1958 p. 3553 is Wikipedia's reference and was not read.
Online Cenotaph and Wikipedia give the DSO bar gazette as 16 October 1945; the PDF header reads 'Supplement to the London Gazette, 18 October 1945'.
Search-engine summaries wrongly placed his name in 1948 Legion of Merit lists; checked against the PDF and rejected.
