Cedric Wallis

Cedric Wallis (7 March 1896 – 20 October 1982) was a British military officer who served as commander of the Mainland Brigade and East Brigade during the Battle of Hong Kong. Wallis was born on 7 March 1896 in Nottingham, England to Arthur Wallis. In 1914, Wallis enlisted as a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards, and was later given commission with the Sherwood Foresters. Wallis then served in France with the East Lancashire Regiment, where he lost his left eye. Wallis thus wore a black patch or a dark monocle over the eye in his later life. In 1917, Wallis joined the Indian Army and served in Iraq. At the end of the First World War, Wallis was made Chief Political Officer in Mosul, before being transferred to southwest Persia, and then to south India and Burma. At the beginning of the Second World War, Wallis commanded an internal security force in Bombay. In 1940, Wallis was moved to Hong Kong, promoted to Brigadier and was given command of 5th Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment. After Major General Christopher Maltby's arrival in July 1941 as the Commander British Forces in Hong Kong and the arrival of C Force in November, the defensive plans for Hong Kong were redrawn, and Wallis was given command of the "Mainland Brigade" (also known as the "Kowloon Infantry Brigade") consisting of the 5th Battalion 7th Rajput Regiment, the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots and the 2nd Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment.