Born in
Oakhill,
Mendip District,
Somerset, Firbank entered the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned into the
Somerset Light Infantry on 30 January 1924.
Eric Bols and
Robert King were among his fellow graduates, both also future major-generals. During the
Second World War, he commanded the 2nd Battalion, the
Lincolnshire Regiment in North West Europe in 1944 and then commanded the
71st Infantry Brigade also in North West Europe from April 1945 during the
Second World War for which he was appointed a Companion of the
Distinguished Service Order & Bar. After the war he became Commandant, School of Infantry in September 1948, General Officer Commanding
43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division in September 1951 and Director of Infantry in October 1955 before retiring in December 1958 . He was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the
1951 Birthday Honours and a
Companion of the Order of the Bath in the
1953 Coronation Honours. He was honorary colonel of the
Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry from 1963 to 1968. ==References==