Major General William Donovan Stamer CB, CBE, DSO, MC (14 June 1895 – 21 September 1963) was a British Army officer who was commissioned into the North Staffordshire Regiment at the outbreak of the First World War and served in the Army until retirement in 1948, finishing his career with the temporary rank of major-general and serving as General Officer Commanding Sudan and Eritrea.

[3] Stamer joined the 1st Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment on the Western Front, then serving as part of the 17th Brigade of the 6th Division, in November 1914[4] and was promoted to lieutenant in December 1914.

[6] In November 1917 he was mentioned in despatches by Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front,[7] and about the same time was appointed the battalion adjutant.

He showed fine courage and energy, and was of the utmost assistance to his commanding officer in a very desperate situation.It was July before he returned to duty[12] and in September he was appointed as second-in-command of the battalion[12] with the rank of acting major.

At a critical moment, when his advanced guard, composed of young soldiers recently arrived from England, was pinned to the ground by frontal and enfilade fire, losing one officer and one N.C.O., Major Stamer organized and led in person an attack on that portion of the enemy's position which was causing him most trouble.

[24] Stamer was promoted to Lt-Col in December 1938 and appointed to command 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment, then stationed in India as part of the Poona Independent Brigade.

[34] Following the end of the war, Stamer was appointed to the post of General Officer Commanding British Troops in Sudan and Eritrea,[35] with the acting rank of Major-General.