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Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Basil Aubrey Coad, (27 September 1906 – 26 March 1980) was a senior
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
officer. He held
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
,
brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...
and divisional commands during 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 ...
and immediately after, but is best known as the commander of the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade during the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. After his involvement in Korea, he held a further divisional command, and then a senior administrative position in the army before retiring. In retirement, he continued his connection with the army, serving as Colonel of his former regiment, and assisting in writing the British
official history An official history is a work of history which is sponsored, authorised or endorsed by its subject. The term is most commonly used for histories which are produced for a government. The term also applies to commissions from non-state bodies includin ...
of the Korean War. He was also appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
.


Early life and military career

Coad was born on 27 September 1906 at
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
,
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
. He was educated at
Felsted School (Keep your Faith) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Chris Townsend , r_head_l ...
and
Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...
. From Sandhurst he was commissioned into the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
as a
second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the
Wiltshire Regiment The Wiltshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot. The ...
on 4 February 1926. He was soon bound for
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
to join the 1st Battalion. After a few years' service there he was posted to
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
, then one of the
treaty ports Treaty ports (; ja, 条約港) were the port cities in China and Japan that were opened to foreign trade mainly by the unequal treaties forced upon them by Western powers, as well as cities in Korea opened up similarly by the Japanese Empire. ...
, in January 1929, promoted to
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
on 4 February, and appointed as Deputy Assistant Provost Marshal from December that year. Coad returned to the United Kingdom in 1934 and was appointed
adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
of the 2nd Battalion, Wiltshires. He served with the battalion in
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
during the
Arab revolt The Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية, ) or the Great Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية الكبرى, ) was a military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On t ...
. On 22 January 1937 he was seconded to the 4th Battalion, a Territorial Army (TA) unit, to serve as its adjutant, at the same time he was granted temporary rank as a
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the TA. He was promoted to substantive captain on 18 March 1938.


Second World War

With the outbreak 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 ...
, Coad was promoted to
acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
for service as an instructor in the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, he became a temporary major on 1 February 1940. In January 1941 he was appointed
second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...
of the 2nd Battalion, Wiltshires. By August 1942 he was an acting
lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
in command of the Battle School of the 43rd Division, now commanded by Major General Ivor Thomas, in
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. He was then appointed
commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...
of the 5th Battalion,
Dorset Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 1 ...
at the beginning of 1943. He was promoted substantive major on 4 February 1943. The 5th Dorsets participated in
Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...
(the Normandy Campaign) as part of the 130th Infantry Brigade, 43rd Division. On 10 July 1944, during the opening of Operation Jupiter, the unit was ordered to capture Chateau de Fontaine, near
Fontaine-Étoupefour Fontaine-Étoupefour () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of over ...
. They successfully captured the chateau, and were then ordered to take a further objective. Coad personally reconnoitred the route across open country, despite heavy machine gun and mortar fire. The attack was launched and the objective taken, but it could not be held. Coad withdrew his two furthest forward companies and prepared the chateau as a defensive position. As a result of his leadership on this occasion Coad 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 ...
(DSO) on 19 October 1944. The citation concluded: The brigade participated in the continued
Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine The Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine, also known as the Siegfried Line campaign, was a phase in the Western European campaign of World War II. This phase spans from the end of the Battle of Normandy, or Operation Overlord, (25 August 194 ...
, and in September 1944 was involved in the ill-fated
Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...
. On 7 October 1944, Coad was promoted acting
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 ...
and given command of the 130th Brigade. A year later he was awarded a
Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...
to his DSO on 11 October 1945 for his leadership in the intervening period, which covered the
Western Allied invasion of Germany The Western Allied invasion of Germany was coordinated by the Allies of World War II, Western Allies during the final months of hostilities in the European theatre of World War II, European theatre of World War II. In preparation for the Allied ...
. The citation remarked: After this Coad was promoted war substantive lieutenant colonel (and retained the temporary rank of brigadier). Then, on 28 January 1946 he was given command of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, now part of the
British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located a ...
, as an acting
major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
. He relinquished the command, and reverted to temporary brigadier on 10 March 1946. He returned to 130th Brigade, and then reverted to lieutenant colonel and returned to his own regiment, commanding the 2nd Wiltshires. He was then again made a brigadier and commanded 30th Infantry Brigade, before returning to 2nd Wiltshires again. He was promoted substantive lieutenant colonel on 8 February 1948.


Korean War

After returning to the UK from Germany in August 1948, he was again made a temporary brigadier, and given command of 27th Infantry Brigade. In June 1949, the brigade arrived in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
as part of
Far East Land Forces The Far East Command was a British military command which had 2 distinct periods. These were firstly, 18 November 1940 – 7 January 1942 succeeded by the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command ( ABDACOM), and secondly, 1963–1971 succeeded ...
(FARELF), and was designated United Kingdom Strategic Reserve, theoretically able to deploy anywhere in the world at ten days notice. On 6 April 1950 he was made a substantive
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
. A year after the brigade's arrival in Hong Kong,
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n forces crossed the ''
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' border with
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, the 38th parallel, triggering the outbreak of the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. On 6 July the
British Cabinet The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the senior decision-making body of His Majesty's Government. A committee of the Privy Council, it is chaired by the prime minister and its members include secretaries of state and other senior ministers. ...
decided not to send land forces to Korea. British forces were already heavily committed in Malaya in the developing
Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...
, aid had been promised to the French in
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, and there were fears that the escalating tensions could lead to China threatening Hong Kong. However, as July wore on the South Koreans and Americans suffered further reverses, and with the
Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...
pointing out that the UK's standing as a world power, and its relationship with the US, was in danger of being jeopardised, on 25 July the Cabinet resolved to send land forces to Korea. The decision was announced in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
the following day by the
Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...
,
Manny Shinwell Emanuel Shinwell, Baron Shinwell, (18 October 1884 – 8 May 1986) was a British politician who served as a government minister under Ramsay MacDonald and Clement Attlee. A member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) ...
who said: It was initially envisaged that the British contribution would consist of 29th Infantry Brigade. This was based in the UK, and reservists had to be recalled to bring it up to strength. As the situation Korea continued to worsen, it was decided to send other British forces from closer at hand, and this decision was announced in the Commons on 20 August 1950. Coad's brigade, then consisting of the first battalions of the
Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...
,
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
and
Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...
, plus some supporting services, was selected to form this force. The Leicesters were left in Hong Kong due to the ongoing concern over China's attitude. The brigade had no artillery, and little transport, Coad was told he would have to rely on US support and supplies, including rations. Compounding the difficulties of organising the move to Korea, most of the men had just been given leave after a hard exercise, and were on their way into Hong Kong City for a Friday night out, and would prove hard to retrieve over the weekend. Both battalions were somewhat under strength, and this problem was exacerbated by a government decision that those under 19 should not serve in combat, volunteers were hurriedly drawn from other units in Hong Kong to try to get the battalions up to establishment. Coad flew into
Pusan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
on 27 August 1950, ahead of the rest of the brigade which travelled on the aircraft carrier and cruiser and arrived in Korea on 29 August, just nine days after the decision to deploy them was officially announced. They joined the defence of the
Pusan Perimeter The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter ( ko, 부산 교두보 전투) was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the ...
. One battalion went into action on 3 September, with the brigade as a whole being given its own section of the front line along the
Naktong River The Nakdonggang River or Nakdonggang () is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the Gaya confederacy during Korea's Three Kingdoms E ...
, south-west of
Taegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
on 5 September. The brigade's first casualties came on 6 September, Private Reginald Streeter of the Middlesexes and Captain Neil Buchanan and his
batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
, Private Tam Taylor, of the Argylls. With the pressure somewhat relieved following the amphibious landings at Inchon on 15 September, the brigade joined the subsequent breakout from Pusan, and then covered the flank of the main US advance aimed at retaking
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
. On 22 September the brigade crossed the Naktong by a hurriedly constructed bridge that could only be walked over in single file. To secure the road on the other side, the brigade, now attached to 24th Infantry Division (United States), was ordered to take high ground on either side. To the right of the road were "Plum Pudding Hill" (their name for it), three miles south of Songju, and a 900-foot high feature which later became known as Middlesex Hill. The Middlesexes, supported by two American tanks, took Plum Pudding at the point of the bayonet, and then took Middlesex Hill. Total casualties were one officer and six other ranks killed and seven wounded. Now the brigade had to take the high ground on the left of the road. Early on 23 September the Argylls began the
Battle of Hill 282 The Battle of Hill 282 took place on 23 September 1950 during the Korean War, and involved the 1st Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in an assault on this position as part an operation by 27th British Commonwealth Brigade on the Nakton ...
, suffering the heaviest casualties so far as a result of both heavy fighting with North Korean force and a communications failure which led to an attack by US aircraft in a " friendly-fire" incident. The Argylls' second in command, Major Kenneth Muir was awarded a posthumous
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
for his efforts (ultimately unsuccessful) to hold the position. In total the Argylls suffered two officers and eleven other ranks dead, four officers and seventy OR wounded, and two missing, about forty percent of these casualties being from the US airstrike. Despite this setback the brigade participated in the capture of Songju on 24 September, working with 1st Battalion,
19th Infantry Regiment (United States) The 19th Infantry Regiment ("Rock of Chickamauga") is a United States Army infantry regiment which is assigned to the US Army Training and Doctrine Command, with the assignment of conducting Basic and Advanced Infantry Training. Lineage 1st Ba ...
. The brigade was then detached from 24th Division, and placed under the command of
Eighth United States Army The Eighth Army is a U.S. field army which is the commanding formation of all United States Army United States Forces Korea, forces in South Korea. It commands U.S. and South Korean units and is headquartered at the Camp Humphreys,
. On 28 September
3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Kapyong Lines, Townsville as part of the 3rd Brigade. 3 RAR traces its lineage to 1945 and has seen operational serv ...
arrived in Korea and they were attached to the brigade to bring it back up to strength. The Australians had been on occupation duties in Japan, and with just two weeks training were thrown into the fighting in Korea. The brigade was now retitled 27th
British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
Brigade. With the '' status quo ante bellum'' now restored, the Commander-in-Chief of UN Forces,
Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
offered surrender terms, but these were rejected, so the UN forces began their advance into
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
.


Later career and retirement

He commanded 2nd Division from 1951 to his retirement in 1954.Army Commands


References


External links

*
British troops in Korea, 1950
British reinforcements arriving in Korea,
Pathé News Pathé News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 to 1970 in the United Kingdom. Its founder, Charles Pathé, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as British Pathé. Its coll ...
footage including images of Coad
British troops in Korea, 1950
outtakes from previous footage, unreleased
Pathé News Pathé News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 to 1970 in the United Kingdom. Its founder, Charles Pathé, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as British Pathé. Its coll ...
footage including images of Coad (no soundtrack)
British troops in Korea, 1950
General Sir John Harding and Air Vice Marshal CA Bouchier visit British troops in Korea, unreleased
Pathé News Pathé News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 to 1970 in the United Kingdom. Its founder, Charles Pathé, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as British Pathé. Its coll ...
footage including images of Coad (no soundtrack)
Generals of World War II
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Coad, Basil 1906 births 1980 deaths British Army major generals British Army personnel of the Korean War British Army brigadiers of World War II British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Deputy Lieutenants of Wiltshire Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Military personnel from Portsmouth People educated at Felsted School Wiltshire Regiment officers