Hugo De Pree

Major-General Hugo Douglas de Pree, (25 December 1870 – 30 March 1943) was a British Army officer who served as Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.

Military career Educated at Eton College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, de Pree was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on 25 July 1890. He was promoted to lieutenant on 25 July 1893, and served on the North West Frontier of India in 1897. Promotion to captain followed on 3 February 1900, when he was divisional adjutant at Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich. After the outbreak of the Second Boer War in South Africa, he volunteered for service with the Imperial Yeomanry. He served originally with the 17th Battalion, but was on 3 May 1902 appointed second-in-command of the 7th Battalion, with the temporary rank of major. He relinquished his appointment with the Imperial Yeomanry on 5 September 1902, and returned to the Royal Horse Artillery to be stationed at Secunderabad.

De Pree later served in the First World War, being made a General Staff Officer (Grade 1) in January 1915.

He was appointed commander of the 13th Indian Infantry Brigade in 1920, promoted on 1 January 1924 to major general, and made general officer commanding (GOC) of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division, Territorial Army (TA), in April 1925, in succession to Major General Sir Cecil Nicholson. He was commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, in 1926, before retiring in 1931.

Family Pree married firstly Diones Thornhill; they had three sons and one daughter. He later married Mary Fisher.