Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Alan Robert Barker (29 October 1898 – August 1984) was a senior

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

officer of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. On 27 October 1916 Barker was commissioned into the Indian Army on the unattached list, and between January and August 1917 he served with the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

in France. He was promoted to lieutenant on 27 October 1917, and received a commission in the

7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles The 7th Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army, following India's independence in 1947 and after 1959 designated as the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles. History F ...

. Barker then joined the

124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry The 124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1820 as the 2nd (Marine) Battalion 12th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. It was designated as the 124th Duchess of Connaught' ...

serving in India. In 1919 he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

for his actions in the

Third Anglo-Afghan War The Third Anglo-Afghan War; fa, جنگ سوم افغان-انگلیس), also known as the Third Afghan War, the British-Afghan War of 1919, or in Afghanistan as the War of Independence, began on 6 May 1919 when the Emirate of Afghanistan inv ...

. Between 1937 and 1940 he was Brigade Major of the

Peshawar Brigade The Peshawar Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in December 1907, for service on the North West Frontier. During World War II it was normal practice for newly formed battalions to be po ...

, and he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1942. At some point during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

he attended the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which i ...

. In July 1942 Barker became the commander of the 27th Indian Infantry Brigade, and led the brigade during operations in the Middle East. In 1944, he became commander of the

43rd Independent Gurkha Infantry Brigade The 43rd Independent Gurkha Infantry Brigade, also called the 43rd Indian Infantry Brigade or the 43rd Gurkha Lorried Infantry Brigade, was an infantry brigade of the Indian Army during World War II. It was created in 1943, by the renaming of th ...

, engaged in the Italian Campaign. On 18 October 1945 he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

for his leadership during heavy fighting on the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German Defense line, defensive line of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Generalfeldmarschall, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's la ...

. On 23 May 1948 he retired from the Indian Army, but was retained on the Army Emergency Reserve of Officers. He was Honorary Colonel of the 10th (Wiltshire) Battalion, Mobile Defence Corps.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Alan 1898 births 1984 deaths British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Afghan War Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley People from Canterbury Military personnel from Kent Indian Army personnel of World War I Indian Army personnel of World War II British Indian Army officers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Flying Corps officers