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 ...

Dudley Edwin Thornton,

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 ...

ERD ERD may refer to: * Érd, a city in Hungary * Berdyansk Airport, in Ukraine * Economic Relations Division (Bangladesh), of the Bangladeshi Ministry of Finance * Elastic recoil detection Elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA), also referred ...

(1 May 1919 – 22 April 2009) was a British soldier, who commanded the 18th Battalion of the King's African Rifles during the Burma Campaign, and was chairman of the Welch Regiment Museum, in Cardiff, from 1974 until his death.

Biography

Dudley Edwin Thornton was born in

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earlie ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, on 1 May 1919. His father was Edwin Dudley (1865–1951), an

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

, and his mother was Dorothy Rebecca Bryer (1894–1973). Thornton was educated, and brought up, in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. Shortly before the outbreak of

World War II 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 ...

, Thornton joined the Supplementary Reserve and was commissioned into the

Welch Regiment The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of ...

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 ...

. For the first few years of the war, Thornton served in the anti-invasion forces, on the south coast. In 1943, he was sent to East

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

to join the 18th Battalion of the King's African Rifles. He spent the remainder of the war taking part in the Burma Campaign. When the War ended, he returned to serving with the Welch Regiment overseas, 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 ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

and

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

, before becoming the last Commanding Officer of the regimental depot in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

and then Deputy Commander of the Welsh Brigade at Cwrt-y-Gollen, near

Crickhowell Crickhowell (; cy, Crucywel , non-standard spelling ') is a town and community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near Abergavenny, and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. Location The town lies on the River Usk, on the southern edge ...

. He was appointed a

for his special contribution to the

Malawi Army The Malawian Defence Force is the state military organisation responsible for defending Malawi. It originated from elements of the British King's African Rifles, colonial units formed before independence in 1964. The military is organized under ...

. He greatly enjoyed being back with soldiers he had fought with 20 years earlier, and commanded the army between 1965 and 1967. At the time, colonial rule had just ended, and Dr

Hastings Banda Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1898 – 25 November 1997) was the Prime Minister of Malawi, prime minister and later President of Malawi, president of Malawi from 1964 to 1994 (from 1964 to 1966, Malawi was an independent Dominion / Commonwealth realm) ...

had become the country's first president. His interest in military history was also put to good use in designing many of the emblems for the new republic. He went on to other overseas postings in Europe and the Far East before retiring in 1974 to live in Burton Lazars, Leicestershire, with his wife. Throughout his life he had a strong interest in military history and assembled a small collection of medals, badges and other militaria. He never really parted company with his regiment as almost immediately on retiring from the regular army he became a trustee and chairman of the Welch Regiment Museum in Cardiff Castle and remained deeply involved with it right up to the time of his death on 22 April 2009, 9 days before his 90th birthday.

Personal life

Thornton married Elizabeth Joan England (1917–2010) in 1940. They had 3 children. Joan was a daughter of

Captain John Humphrey England 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 ...

, and a granddaughter of

Edward England Edward England ( –1721) was an Irish pirate. The ships he sailed on included the ''Pearl'' (which he renamed ''The Royal James'') and later the ''Fancy'', for which England exchanged the ''Pearl'' in 1720. His flag was the classic Joll ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Colonel Dudley 1919 births 2009 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Welch Regiment officers King's African Rifles officers British Army personnel of World War II