John Wilsey was born in 1904 and was educated at
Haileybury and Imperial Service College and later attended the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He
passed out from the latter on 27 August 1924, and was
commissioned as a
second lieutenant into the
Dorset Regiment, a
line infantry regiment of the
British Army. However, due to a lack of promotion in the Dorsets, he transferred to the
Worcestershire Regiment on 27 February 1936, and was promoted to
captain in that regiment. Wilsey served in the
Second World War, as
commanding officer of the 9th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment in
Northern Ireland and
Southeast England from January to October 1943. The battalion formed part of the
182nd Brigade of the
61st Division and, although initially selected to take part in the
Allied invasion of Normandy, it fid not materialise. He then served as commanding officer of the 7th Battalion,
Duke of Wellington's Regiment, which formed part of the
147th Brigade of the
49th (West Riding) Infantry Division. He led the battalion during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and throughout the
Battle of Normandy, and through most of the
Northwest Europe Campaign until, in early January 1945, Wilsey was promoted to command the
158th Brigade, part of the
53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, which he commanded for rest of the campaign in North West Europe until
Victory in Europe Day in May 1945. In retirement Wilsey lived at Maufant Manor in
St. Saviour on
Jersey. ==References==