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 ...

Desmond Spencer Gordon CB

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

DSO JP DL (25 December 1911 – 4 November 1997) was a

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 who commanded 4th Division.

Military career

Educated at Haileybury and the

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 ...

, Gordon was commissioned 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 ...

into the

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

on 28 January 1932.Desmond Spencer Gordon
Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives He served in 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 ...

as Commanding Officer of 1/7th

Queen's Regiment The Queen's Regiment (QUEENS) was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Brigade. Then, until 1971 the regiment remained one of the largest regiments in the arm ...

from 1943 and then as Commander of the 151st (Durham) Infantry Brigade from 1944 and as Commander of 146th Infantry Brigade from later that year in North West Europe. After the War he was made Commander of 131st Lorried Infantry Brigade. He became Deputy Director of Infantry at the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

in 1951, Commander of 16th Independent Parachute Brigade Group in 1952 and Assistant Commandant of the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

in 1956. He went on to be Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General at Headquarters 1st Corps in 1959, General Officer Commanding 4th Division in 1959 and Chief Army Instructor at the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

in 1962. His last appointment was as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff in 1964 before retiring in 1966. In retirement he became Commander-in-Chief of the

St John's Ambulance Brigade St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...

. Carlos Luis Sancha was commissioned to paint his portrait in 1976.Major-General Desmond Spencer Gordon, CB, CBE, DSO, Colonel of the Regiment (1965–1975) by Carlos Luis Sancha
/ref>

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Desmond 1911 births 1997 deaths Academics of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army major generals British Army brigadiers of World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Deputy Lieutenants of Hampshire English justices of the peace Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Green Howards officers People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College