Richard Anderson (British Army officer)

Sir Richard Neville Anderson
Born (1907-09-28)28 September 1907
London
Died 4 September 1979(1979-09-04) (aged 71)
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1927–1965
Rank Lieutenant-General
Unit King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
Commands held 1st Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
2nd Infantry Brigade
17th Gurkha Division
British Forces in Malaya
Middle East Land Forces
Northern Ireland Command
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order
Other work Director, Civil Defence for Wales, 1965–1968

Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Neville Anderson KCB CBE DSO (28 September 1907 – 4 September 1979) was a senior officer of the British Army who achieved high office in the 1960s.

Military career

Born the son of Colonel Sir Neville Anderson CBE, Richard Anderson was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) in 1927.[1] He was deployed to Palestine between 1938 and 1939.[1]

He served in World War II as Deputy Assistant Military Secretary at the War Office[2] and then as Commanding Officer (CO) of the 1st Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), commanding it in the Italian Campaign where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for leading an attack on the village of Montone, which was successfully taken with only 28 casualties (including 5 KIA) compared to 105 Germans (20 KIA, the rest taken prisoner).[3] Later, he was promoted to brigadier and became commander of 2nd Infantry Brigade, part of the British 1st Infantry Division, in the Italian Campaign.[2]

After the Second World War he returned to Palestine and then became General Officer Commanding (GOC) 17th Gurkha Division in 1955.[1] He was General Officer Commanding Overseas Forces in Malaya in 1957 and then Vice Adjutant General at the War Office from 1958.[1] He was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Middle East Land Forces in 1960 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Ireland Command in 1963; he retired in 1965.[1]

He lived at Tarrant Keynston House near Blandford in Dorset.[4]

In 1942, he married Dorrie Norah Wybergh. The couple had two sons.[2]

Honours and awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "King's Collections : Archive Catalogues : Military Archives". kcl.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "World War II unit histories & officers". unithistories.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  3. "King's Own Royal Regiment Museum". plus.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  4. Decision under the Commons Registration Act 1965.
Military offices
Preceded by
Lancelot Perowne
General Officer Commanding 17th Gurkha Division
19551958
Succeeded by
Jim Robertson
Preceded by
Sir Roger Bower
C-in-C Middle East Land Forces
19601963
Succeeded by
Sir Charles Harington
Preceded by
John Hackett
General Officer Commanding the British Army in Northern Ireland
19631965
Succeeded by
Desmond Fitzpatrick
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