Douglas Darling

Douglas Darling
Born (1914-10-03)3 October 1914
Died 28 December 1978(1978-12-28) (aged 64)
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1934–1968
Rank Major General
Commands held 7th Battalion, Rifle Brigade
Battles/wars Second World War
Awards Companion of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order & Bar
Military Cross & Bar
Relations General Sir Kenneth Darling (brother)

Major General Douglas Lyall Darling CB, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar (3 October 1914 – 28 December 1978) was a British Army officer who was highly decorated for gallantry and leadership during the Second World War.

Early life

Darling was born in India, the younger son of George Kenneth Darling (1879–1964) of the Indian Civil Service and his wife Mabel Eleanor, née Burgess (d. 1952). His elder brother was General Sir Kenneth Darling. He was educated at Eton College and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[1]

Military career

He commissioned into the Rifle Brigade on 30 August 1934.[2] He was awarded the Military Cross on 8 July 1941.[3] Between January and May 1942 he attended the 6th War Course at the Middle East Staff School in Haifa. Darling then took command of the 7th Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. While in command of the battalion he was awarded a Bar to his MC in August 1942,[4] and he was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order on 19 August 1943. Darling was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel on 7 March 1943. On 19 August 1943 he was awarded a Bar to his DSO.[5]

On 9 December 1963 Darling was promoted to major-general. He retired from the army in May 1968 and was invested as a Companion of the Order of the Bath.[6]

Personal life

He married Cynthia Labouchere, the daughter of Arthur Labouchere and Dorothy Timson, on 28 April 1939 in Westminster.[7] They had a daughter and two sons.

References

  1. ↑ 'Darling, Douglas Lyall' in at unithistories.com, accessed 8 July 2015
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34083. p. 5524. 31 August 1934. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35209. p. 3884. 8 July 1941. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35665. p. 3543. 13 August 1942. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37235. p. 4267. 23 August 1945. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44484. p. 3. 1 January 1968. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  7. ↑ 'Darling, Douglas Lyall' in at unithistories.com, accessed 8 July 2015
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.