Biography.guide
Home › People › Military personnel › Philip Balfour
Portrait of Philip Balfour

Philip Balfour

1898 – 1977

British Army general

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Philip Balfour

Lived 1898 – 1977 (aged 78). Philip Balfour was a British military personnel.

Lieutenant-General Sir Philip Maxwell Balfour, (10 March 1898 – 4 February 1977) was a senior British Army officer who achieved high office in the 1950s.

Military career Philip Balfour was born on 10 March 1898 and educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Artillery on 28 July 1915, alongside Cameron Nicholson and John Kennedy of the Royal Garrison Artillery. He served in the First World War, being deployed to France and Belgium,

The war over due to the Armistice of 11 November 1918, he attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1929 to 1930.

Balfour also served in the Second World War, initially as a GSO2 before being made Commander, Royal Artillery of the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division. From 1944 he was serving as Brigadier General Staff of John Crocker's I Corps throughout the North West Europe campaign, and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for "gallant and distinguished services in Normandy" as a temporary brigadier.

After the war Balfour joined the Control Commission in Germany in 1945 and then became Director of Civil Affairs for the Military Government, British Army of the Rhine in 1946. He retired in 1953.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Education
Wellington College
Awards
Military Cross; Companion of the Order of the Bath; Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Order of the Bath; Order of the British Empire
Also known as
Sir Philip Maxwell Balfour, Philip Maxwell Balfour, Sir Philip Balfour

People in Philip Balfour's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Philip Balfour's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Philip Balfour?

British Army general (1898-1977)

When was Philip Balfour born?

Philip Balfour was born on 10 March 1898.

When did Philip Balfour die?

Philip Balfour died on 4 February 1977.

What was Philip Balfour's occupation?

Philip Balfour was a military personnel.

What nationality was Philip Balfour?

Philip Balfour was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Philip Balfour

· Wikidata: Q7183171

· DBpedia: Philip Balfour

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Philip Balfour. https://biography.guide/philip-balfour/

MLA: "Philip Balfour." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/philip-balfour/.

Chicago: "Philip Balfour." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/philip-balfour/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:13 UTC