Oliver Leese

Sir Oliver Leese, 3rd Baronet
Sir Oliver Leese, 3rd Baronet
	Leese in Italy on 30 April 1944
Nickname(s)	"Baron Leese"
Born	27 October 1894; Westminster, London, England
Died	22 January 1978 (aged 83); Llanrhaeadr, Wales
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1914–1947
Rank	Lieutenant General
Service number	1722
Unit	Coldstream Guards
Commands held	Eastern Command (1945–47); Allied Land Forces South-East Asia (1944–45); Eighth Army (1943–44); XXX Corps (1942–43); Guards Armoured Division (1941–42); 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division (1941); West Sussex County Division (1940–41); 29th Infantry Brigade (1940); 20th Independent Infantry Brigade (Guards) (1940); 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards (1936–38)
Battles/wars	First World War; Second World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath; Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Distinguished Service Order; Mentioned in Despatches (2); Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States); Légion d'Honneur (France); Croix de Guerre (France); Virtuti Militari (Poland)

Lieutenant General Sir Oliver William Hargreaves Leese, 3rd Baronet, KCB, CBE, DSO (27 October 1894 – 22 January 1978) was a senior British Army officer who saw distinguished active service during both the world wars. He commanded XXX Corps in North Africa and Sicily, serving under General Sir Bernard Montgomery, before going on to command the Eighth Army in the Italian Campaign throughout most of 1944.

^ "No. 36209". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 October 1943. p. 4539.
^ "No. 37027". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 April 1945. p. 1947.
^ "ODNB Leese, Sir Oliver William Hargreaves". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31346. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)