William Dobbie
Sir
William Dobbie, during
World War II, was a
Lieutenant General, of the
British Army, who served as the
military governor of
Malta. Dobbie was a member of the
Protestant Plymouth Brethren and was a veteran of the
Boer War and
World War I. He was also the former Commandant of the British School of Military Engineering. He has been criticized for his
religious approach to leadership and for what critics argue to have been an unacceptable delay in the creation of bomb shelters; as well as in implementing efficient
food-
rationing and creating an effective
civil-defense system.
Quotes
- Prime Minister Churchill
- "[Dobbie is] a Governor of outstanding character who inspired all ranks and classes, military and civil, with his...determination...a soldier who...in...leadership and religious zeal...recalled memories of General Gordon and...the Ironsides and Convenanters."
- Lord Mountbatten
- "[Dobbie] prays aloud after dinner, invoking the aid of God in destroying our enemies. This is highly approved of by the Maltese, who have the same idea about God, but I would prefer an efficient Air Force here."
- Mabel Strickland
- "At San Anton, every night about seven, everyone would be summoned for prayer...Dobbie would stand...and...pray...and....ask the Almighty to bless the convoy...but he never prayed to stop the bombing...that was God's will...God helps those that help themselves..."
