Sir Alexander Frank Philip Christison, CBE, CB, DSO, MC - Later Career

After vacating his position as adjutant of the 4th battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers in November 1923, Christison was assistant manager of the British Olympic team in Paris in 1924 which was followed by a further appointment as an adjutant, this time with his regiment. Still a captain, he attended the College, Camberley from January 1927 after which he was appointed as a staff grade 3 (GSO3) at the War Office. Having been made a in January 1930, a sign of approval and likely future promotion at a time when prospects for promotion in the peacetime army were slow, Christison saw service from January 1931 as the brigade major (a brigade's senior staff officer) of the 3rd Infantry Brigade, relinquishing the appointment in January 1933. He was promoted to major in November 1933.

In 1934 Christison was made a brevet lieutenant- and returned to the Staff College as an instructor (GSO2) where he became good friends with a fellow instructor, Bill Slim.

In February, 1937 Lieutenant Colonel AFP Christison MC, was appointed commander of the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment in the Multan area of the Punjab, North-West Frontier Province. In February 1938 he was promoted to Colonel and selected to command a brigade in India.

In 1940 and 1941, Christison was Commandant of the Staff College, Quetta in the former British India (now ). In 1941 he was promoted acting major-general to command 15th (Scottish) Division in the UK (his rank was made permanent in July 1942). Following this, he returned to India and after a short appointment as a military district commander, he was promoted acting lieutenant-general in late 1942 to command Indian XXXIII Corps. He assumed command of the Indian XV Corps in 1943, part of the newly formed British Fourteenth Army, succeeding William Slim, who had been promoted to command the Fourteenth Army. The XV Corps made up the Southern Front of the Burma Campaign in the coastal region known as the Arakan.

During the Second Arakan Offensive in February 1944, XV Corps advanced southwards. A Japanese attempt to outflank and isolate elements of the Corps failed when 7th Indian Infantry Division held off the attacks and the Corps' administrative area - the "Admin Box" - successfully fought off attacks by the Japanese 55th Division (Battle of the Admin Box). This was the first time in World War II that a defeated the Japanese in a land battle. XV Corps was withdrawn on 22 March to assist the allied defence of Imphal. In December 1944 Christison and his fellow corps commanders Stopford and Scoones were knighted and invested as KBE by the viceroy Lord Wavell at a ceremony at Imphal in front of the Scottish, Gurkha and Punjab regiments. Slim was knighted and invested as KCB at the same occasion.

In 1945, Christison assumed temporary command of the Fourteenth Army and also deputised for Slim as Commander of Allied Land Forces, South-East Asia when Slim was on leave, reverting to XV Corps on Slim's return. Christison led XV Corps into Rangoon in May of that year.[11]

In September 1945 Christison deputised for Lord Louis Mountbatten as commander of SEAC and took the surrender of the Japanese Seventh Area Army and Japanese South Sea Fleet at on 3 September.

From 1946, Christison was Allied Commander of forces in the Dutch East Indies. In November, Christison's troops were involved in a full-scale battle to suppress pro- Independence Indonesian soldiers and militia in .

Christison was General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command from 1946 to 1947; he was then GOC-in-C of and Governor of Castle from 1947 to 1949 He was promoted to full general in August 1947. He held the honorary appointments of Aide-de-Camp General to the King (1947 to 1949) and Colonel of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (1947 to ). In 1947 he was appointed Colonel of the 10th Gurkha Rifles and in late 1949 he was also made Colonel of a Territorial Army artillery unit.

He retired from the Army in 1949 and farmed at Melrose in . During the 1950s and 1960s he was Secretary of the Scottish Education Department.

Christison married twice: to Betty Mitchell from 1916 until her death in 1974, with whom he had three daughters and a son; and then to Vida Wallace Smith until her death in 1992. He died in 1993 at the age of 100.