General Sir Augustus Francis Andrew Nicol Thorne, KCB, CMG, DSO & Two Bars, DL (20 September 1885 – 25 September 1970) was a senior British Army officer who served in the First and Second World Wars, where he commanded the 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division during the Battle of France in mid-1940.

[8][9] Educated at Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Thorne was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Grenadier Guards on 2 March 1904.

[15] The citation for his first Bar, appearing in The London Gazette in July 1918, reads: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty.

When his battalion had captured its objective in an attack he organised the consolidation of the position and supervised the placing of strong points under very heavy fire.

[16]Thorne was also awarded the Legion of Honour by the President of France in 1917,[17] and was promoted to acting lieutenant colonel in July that year as well.

[12][21][2] In 1939, at the start of the Second World War, Thorne became GOC 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division, which played an important role in the defence of the Dunkirk perimeter in 1940.

[24] Whilst in Scotland, he was involved in the creation of War Office Selection Boards and responsible for the Fortitude North deception plan, as well as preparation for the liberation of Norway.

[25] After the end of the war in Europe, German prisoners in Norway were reportedly forced to clear minefields under British supervision.