Cecil Henry Foott

Cecil Henry Foott
Portrait of Brigadier General Cecil Henry Foott
Born	(1876-01-16)16 January 1876 Bourke, New South Wales
Died	27 June 1942(1942-06-27) (aged 66) Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria
Place of burial	Berwick cemetery, Berwick, Victoria
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1895–1936
Rank	Brigadier General
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Mention in Despatches (7)

Major General Cecil Henry Foott CB, CMG (16 January 1876 – 27 June 1942) was an Australian Army general who was Chief Engineer of the Australian Corps in World War I. He was educated as an engineer, and serving with distinction through the great war was seven times mentioned in despatches.

Cecil Henry Foott was born on 16 January 1876 at Bourke, New South Wales, the son of a station owner. He was educated at Brisbane Grammar School and Toowoomba Grammar School, and qualified as a mechanical engineer.

In 1895, Foott was commissioned into the Queensland Militia Garrison Artillery as a second lieutenant. The following September he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Permanent Military Forces, in the Queensland Artillery. In July 1901 he was promoted to captain in the Royal Australian Artillery.

In 1902 Foott transferred to the Royal Australian Engineers. After a year of training in England in 1908, he became Chief Engineer in Victoria in 1909. He was promoted to major on 1 August 1909, served as Director of Works from 1910 to 1911 and then as Director of Engineers from 1911-12. In 1912-13 he attended the Staff College, Camberley in England, and was still on duty in the England on the staff of Southern Command when the war broke out.