Arnold Wilson

Sir
Arnold Wilson
KCIE CSI CMG DSO MP
Sir Arnold Wilson KCIE CSI CMG DSO MP
	Sir Arnold Wilson
Member of Parliament for Hitchin
	In office; 1933–1940
Preceded by	Viscount Knebworth
Succeeded by	Seymour Berry
Personal details
Born	18 July 1884; United Kingdom
Died	31 May 1940 (aged 55); Near Eringhem, France
Political party	Conservative
Parent	James Wilson (father);
Relatives	Mona Wilson (half-sister); Sir Steuart Wilson (brother)
Education	Clifton College
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army; British Indian Army; Royal Air Force
Years of service	1903–1921 (Army); 1939–1940 (Air Force)
Rank	Lieutenant colonel (Army); Pilot officer (Air Force)
Unit	32nd Sikh Pioneers; No. 37 Squadron RAF
Battles/wars	First World War Middle Eastern theatre; ; Iraqi revolt of 1920; ; Second World War Western Front French and Low Countries campaign Battle of France Battle of Dunkirk †; ; ; ; ;
Awards	DSO

Sir Arnold Talbot Wilson KCIE CSI CMG DSO (18 July 1884 – 31 May 1940) was a British soldier, colonial administrator, Conservative politician, writer and editor.^[1] Wilson served under Percy Cox, the colonial administrator of Mesopotamia (Mandatory Iraq) during and after First World War, including an Iraqi revolt in 1920. Wilson was the first Member of Parliament to die in action in the Second World War.^[2] He was killed while serving as an aircrew member at the advanced age of 55.

In the 1930s, Wilson drew controversy for expressing support for Francisco Franco and sympathy for Nazi Germany, albeit he privately expressed disgust after visiting a concentration camp in 1936. During the war, he volunteered to fight, saying "I have no desire to shelter myself and live in safety behind the ramparts of the bodies of millions of our young men."^[3]^[4]^[5]

^ Robert Pearce, 'Wilson, Sir Arnold Talbot', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) (Oxford University Press, 2004); online edn, Jan 2008. Accessed 13 June 2021.
^ "UK Parliament - British War Medal".
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[1] Robert Pearce, 'Wilson, Sir Arnold Talbot', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) (Oxford University Press, 2004); online edn, Jan 2008. Accessed 13 June 2021.

[2] "UK Parliament - British War Medal".

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[:1-4] Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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Sir Arnold Wilson KCIE CSI CMG DSO MP
Sir Arnold Wilson

Member of Parliament for Hitchin
In office 1933–1940
Preceded by	Viscount Knebworth
Succeeded by	Seymour Berry

Personal details
Born	(1884-07-18)18 July 1884 United Kingdom
Died	31 May 1940(1940-05-31) (aged 55) Near Eringhem, France
Political party	Conservative
Parent	James Wilson (father)
Relatives	Mona Wilson (half-sister) Sir Steuart Wilson (brother)
Education	Clifton College

Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army British Indian Army Royal Air Force
Years of service	1903–1921 (Army) 1939–1940 (Air Force)
Rank	Lieutenant colonel (Army) Pilot officer (Air Force)
Unit	32nd Sikh Pioneers No. 37 Squadron RAF
Battles/wars	First World War Middle Eastern theatre Iraqi revolt of 1920 Second World War Western Front French and Low Countries campaign Battle of France Battle of Dunkirk †
Awards	DSO