Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Sir David George House (8 August 1922 – 14 July 2012) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who was General Officer Commanding in Northern Ireland during

the Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

, and later held the office of Black Rod (similar to a

serjeant-at-arms A serjeant-at-arms or sergeant-at-arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin , which means "servant". Historically, serjeants-at-ar ...

) at the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

from 1978 to 1985.

Early life

House was born on 8 August 1922 in

Steyning Steyning ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Horsham District, Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, north of the coastal town of Shoreha ...

, Sussex. He was educated at Regent's Park School in London.''Who's Who 2008''. 60th editionA&C Black: London, 2008.

Military career

On leaving school, House entered the

. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps on 23 August 1941. He served in the Italian Campaign, and ended the war as a war substantive

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. On 19 April 1947, House transferred from an emergency to a regular commission and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. He was promoted to captain on 8 August 1949. In 1959, he was appointed, as a major, to the staff of the first Chief of the Defence Staff,

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Marshal of the Royal Air Force (MRAF) is the highest rank in the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF). In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), and to ...

Sir William Dickson (RAF officer). 3 House commanded the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) at

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

from January 1964 to December 1964, and in

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

to September 1965. He served in Borneo during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

on 3 November 1965, with seniority from 1 July 1964. From 1965 to 1967, he commanded 51st Gurkha Brigade in Borneo, during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. He was promoted to

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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

on 31 December 1966. From 1967 to 1969, he was chief of BRIXMIS. From April 1969 to January 1971, he was Deputy Military Secretary. He was promoted to major general on 9 June 1971, with seniority from 1 November 1970. From 1971 to 1973 Deputy Chief of Staff of the British Army of the Rhine. He left the post of Chief of Staff on 13 August 1973. He was appointed Director of Infantry on 21 September 1973, and left the post on 27 May 1975. On 1 August 1975, he succeeded Sir Frank King as GOC Northern Ireland, and was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

with seniority from 1 January 1975. His time in command was marked by the ending of a

Provisional IRA The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

ceasefire in January 1976, and a resulting upsurge of violence. He was replaced by Timothy Creasey on 1 November 1977. House retired from active service on 30 December 1977.

Later life

On 10 January 1978, he was appointed Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, a ceremonial post in the

. He was succeeded by Air Chief Marshal Sir John Gingell on 14 January 1985. He spent his final years living in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

. He died on 14 July 2012, and is buried in Aldborough, a village near Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire.

Personal life

In 1947, House married Sheila Betty Darwin. Together they had two daughters; Jennifer and Elizabeth.

Honours and decorations

House was awarded the

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

on 8 February 1945 "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Italy". On 22 June 1965, he was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

"in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Borneo Territories". He was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the 1964

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

. on 16 May 1967, he was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire "in recognition of Distinguished Services in the Borneo Territories during the period 24 June 1966 to 11 August 1966". In the 1975 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. In celebration of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

's Silver Jubilee and birthday on 11 June 1977, he was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. In the 1985 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. He was appointed

Colonel Commandant Colonel commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive military rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels. Today, the holder often has an honor ...

of The Light Division on 31 December 1973 in succession to General Sir Antony Read. On 1 November 1977, his tenure expired and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Sir Peter Hudson. He was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Small Arms School Corps on 1 December 1974 also in succession to General Sir Antony Read. He was succeeded on 1 September 1977 by the then Major General Timothy Creasey.

References

33. Tribute by Field Marshal Lord Bramall KG GCB OBE MC. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:House, David British Army lieutenant generals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross King's Royal Rifle Corps officers 1922 births British Army personnel of World War II Royal Green Jackets officers 2012 deaths British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland) British Army personnel of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Ushers of the Black Rod Military personnel from West Sussex