William Rous (British Army officer)

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Lieutenant-General Sir William Edward Rous, KCB, OBE (23 February 1939 – 25 May 1999) was a British Army officer who served as Quartermaster-General to the Forces.

Early life
He was born in North Walsham, Norfolk, the son of Hon. Keith Rous and Pamela Kay-Shuttleworth. He was educated at Harrow School and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He joined the Coldstream Guards in 1959.

Military career
Rous rose through the ranks to become General Officer Commanding the 4th Armoured Division in 1987, then commandant of the Staff College, Camberley in 1989. He was Military Secretary in 1991 and, in 1994, Quartermaster-General to the Forces, retiring in 1996. He also served as Colonel of the Coldstream Guards.

Personal life
In 1970 he married Rosemary Persse; they had two sons, James (born 1972) and Richard (born 1975).

Later years and death
After leaving the army, he was appointed Chairman of the British Greyhound Racing Board in 1998, but resigned in 1999 due to ill health. He also served as Chairman of Kingston Hospital. He died of cancer in Chichester, West Sussex, on 25 May 1999. The cancer unit at Kingston Hospital is named after him.