In 1919, Sir Henry de Beauvoir De Lisle was appointed General Officer Commanding Western Command with headquarters in Chester, where he remained until 1923. He was promoted to the rank of General in January 1926, and retired from the army in October of that year. In 1928, he was appointed Colonel of the Durham Light Infantry, a position which he retained until 1934. He also acted as president of the 29th Division Association from 1919 until his death.
A passionate polo player, De Lisle remained in high demand for his skills during his retirement and spent the years 1929-1930 in India training polo teams for the Maharaja of Kashmir. A prolific writer, polo also featured strongly in the many books and articles he published before and after the First World War. His books include Polo in India (1907), Tournament Polo (1938), and memoirs entitled Reminiscences of Sport and War (1939). The combination of sports and war may at first glance appear strange but in De Lisle’s mind the two were inextricably linked: ‘The man who excels in sport always excels in war. To me both are great games, and the greater is war.’
Reminiscences of Sport and War
During his final years, De Lisle became blind and was more or less confined to his Mayfair mansion in London. He died at home of old age eight days before his 91st birthday on 16 July 1955. His wife Leila had died in her sleep on 11 October 1938, aged 61.