Major General Aubrey Ellis Williams CBE, DSO & Bar, MC (19 May 1888 – 25 March 1977) was a senior British Army officer who served in both the First World War and Second World War.

The son of a British Army officer, Lieutenant Colonel D. E. Williams, Aubrey Williams was born on 19 May 1888 and was educated at Monmouth School for Boys.^[1] He later entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the South Wales Borderers on 9 October 1907.^[2][1] He was promoted to lieutenant on 9 June 1909.^[3]

Williams fought in the First World War and received a promotion to the rank of captain on 22 October 1914.^[4][1] After seeing action in the Gallipoli campaign,^[5] and after being awarded the Military Cross (MC) in 1916,^[6] he served as a staff officer with the 30th Division on the Western Front, earning recognition with his appointment as a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).^[7] The citation for his DSO reads:^[8]

At Menin, on October 14th, 1918, he made a very bold reconnaissance of the river crossings in face of considerable shell and machine-gun fire and forward of all our infantry posts, thus enabling a bridge to be thrown over at the earliest opportunity. Though badly concussed by a 5-9 inch bursting within a few feet of him, he still continued at duty. His fearlessness at all times was a fine example to all ranks.

He was wounded twice and was also mentioned in despatches five times during his service in the First World War.^[1]

Williams also saw action during the Waziristan campaign in late 1937 earning him a bar to his DSO in August 1938.^[9][5]

He became commander of the 160th Infantry Brigade, part of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, in February 1939^[10] and, in April 1940, seven months after the outbreak of the Second World War, went with his brigade to Northern Ireland where it was mainly involved in anti-invasion duties and exercises training to repel a potential German invasion of Northern Ireland.^[11] After being promoted to the permanent rank of major general on 10 May (with his seniority dating back to 23 July 1938)^[12] he became General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 38th (Welsh) Division in the United Kingdom that same day before retiring from the army in October.^[10]

In retirement he was local President of the Royal British Legion on the Isle of Wight.^[5]