Frederic Newell Westbury

British Army Officer, First World War Veteran, Royal Engineers Postal Section and General Post Office Director

Lieutenant-Colonel Frederic Newell Westbury, CB, OBE, MC (died 26 August 1946), was a decorated British Army officer and senior General Post Office administrator whose career combined military service during the First World War with distinguished leadership in Britain’s postal and communications services. A recipient of the Military Cross and Mention in Despatches, he later became Regional Director of the General Post Office in Scotland and Honorary Colonel of GHQ Signals.

Westbury served in the Royal Engineers Postal Section, an organization responsible for maintaining the military postal communications essential to British forces overseas. During the First World War, the Army Postal Service handled enormous quantities of correspondence between servicemen, their families and military establishments. Its work required careful organization, reliable transportation and the ability to maintain communications under difficult wartime conditions.

Westbury’s surviving military records establish that he entered France on 21 December 1915 as a second lieutenant. He subsequently served as an acting lieutenant and progressed through the officer ranks, eventually attaining lieutenant-colonel. His service with the Royal Engineers Postal Section placed him within an important branch of the British Army’s wartime communications infrastructure.

His military distinctions included the Military Cross (MC), awarded for gallantry or distinguished service in military operations. The decoration is confirmed in official Army List entries and subsequent London Gazette notices, although the original citation detailing the circumstances of his award has not yet been located. Westbury was also Mentioned in Despatches, with the distinction recorded in the honours index dated 1 January 1919.

Following the war, Westbury continued his career in Britain’s General Post Office, an organization responsible not only for postal delivery but also for important telecommunications services. His administrative experience and leadership eventually brought him to the position of Regional Director, Scottish Region, a senior appointment overseeing postal operations across Scotland.

His contributions were recognized through appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). A further distinction followed during the Coronation Honours of King George VI in May 1937, when Westbury was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), Civil Division. The London Gazette of 11 May 1937 explicitly identified him as Lieutenant-Colonel Frederic Newell Westbury, OBE, MC, Regional Director, Scottish Region, General Post Office.

Westbury’s association with military communications continued into the years preceding the Second World War. On 11 May 1938, he was appointed Honorary Colonel of GHQ Signals, under the Supplementary Reserve of Officers, Royal Corps of Signals. The official announcement identified his previous service with the Royal Engineers Postal Section and recorded his full distinctions as CB, OBE and MC. This honorary appointment represented a further recognition of his longstanding military service and professional association with communications.

Westbury’s career illustrates the close relationship between military communications and Britain’s civilian postal administration during the first half of the twentieth century. From wartime service in France to senior responsibility within the General Post Office, his professional life reflected a sustained commitment to public service.

Lieutenant-Colonel Frederic Newell Westbury died on 26 August 1946. His legacy is preserved in official military records, Army Lists and London Gazette announcements documenting his decorations, senior civil appointment and honorary colonelcy.