Grand Old Man of the Army
From Academic Kids
The phrase Grand Old Man of the Army refers to General Sir Anthony Blaxland Stransham, GCB, of the Royal Marines, who served the United Kingdom in a series of colonial wars in the 19th century. Twice knighted by Queen Victoria, he was the oldest living Grand Commander of the Bath when he died, and the senior officer in the Army. See: Order of the Bath.
In the United States, General Winfield Scott was also known as the Grand Old Man of the Army.
