Gee Charles Hilton Rodney Major 24874
Personnel Entry
Name Gee Charles Hilton Rodney
Army number 24874
Rank Major
Decorations M.C. 7/11/1918, M.i.D. 14/2/1946, T.D.
Date of birth 18/8/1897, Castletown, Durham.
Age
Unit Joined The Durham Light Infantry - Commissioned as a 2/Lt in the 9th Bn DLI 1/3/1917. Lieutenant in the Clifton College OTC 1/9/1918. Recalled to the Colours. Posted to the 11th Battalion DLI 1/1/1940. With Advance Party to B.E.F. Taken Prisoner of War in France. Retired 23/1/51, retaining the rank of Major.
Company/Battery Battalion HQ.
Platoon or other sub-unit
Task or role Battalion second-in-command.
Joined Brigade 01-Jan-40.
Promotions A/Captain 3/8/1917, Major 14/1/1930 (Clifton College CCF). From General List (OTC) to be Major 1/1/1940. From DLI (TA) to be Major in Clifton College Contingent with Pay and Allowances of Lieutenant 16/10/1948.
Wounded
Prisoner of War Oflag 0.9A/H Spangenburg, Hess, Prisoner No. 555.
Died/Killed in action Died 7/4/1998 aged 100.
Home address Son of Reverend Claude Valentine Gee, Vicar of Castletown, Sunderland and Ada Mary Briggs. Educated Durham School and Cambridge (BA 1922). Lived at Lowick Vicarage, Berwick-upon-Tweed. At the 1911 Census he was a Boarder, together with his older brother, at Durham School. Married Hannah Mary Oppenheim (Osborne) 4/9/1938 at Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershire.
Source table 11DLI
To listen to a lengthy and detailed interview with Lt Col Gee, conducted by Peter M Hart, Oral Historian at the Imperial War Museum © IWM click hereto the link on the Imperial War Museum Collections Website.
Major Gee died at a Nursing Home in Bristol in April 1998, understood to have been the last DLI Officer living to have served in World War One. He entered France and Flanders on 6th April 1917 and earned the Victory and British Service Medals, as well as his gallantry decoration.
