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 colonel. ...

Howard Norman Cole (22 March 1911 – 3 May 1983) OBE TD F.R.Hist.S DL was a serving officer in 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 ...

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 was an author of books on military subjects.

Life

Cole was born in

Peckham Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon p ...

in London in 1911, the son of Howard Norman Cole, a Works Manager for Diatomite, and Mabel Alice Cole. A writer, historian and lecturer, Cole was the Deputy Lieutenant of the County of

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 ...

from 1965 to 1983, the Honorary Remembrancer for the Borough of

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

from 1963 to 1974, and Curator of the Aldershot Local History Collection.Cole, Howard N. ''The Story of Aldershot: a History of the Civil and Military Towns'' Gale & Polden, Aldershot (1951) Cole first visited Aldershot in 1930 while serving in the 11th (Honourable Artillery Company and City of London Yeomanry) Brigade, part of the Territorial Army. A

Lance Bombardier A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike sim ...

, Cole was commissioned 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 Territorials on 20 July 1935. With the outbreak of the Second World War, and after serving time at

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 1942, he was promoted to the rank of Major. He was awarded an OBE in 1945 for services in north west Europe during the Second World War. Cole returned to Aldershot in March 1946 where he was employed by publishers

Gale and Polden Gale and Polden was a British printer and publisher. Founded in Brompton, near Chatham, Kent in 1868, the business subsequently moved to Aldershot, where they were based until closure in November 1981 after the company had been bought by media m ...

as military sales manager for more than thirteen years. There he raised and commanded the 667th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (Hampshire) TA from 1947 to 1951. In 1954 Cole provided the commentary for ''The Military Centenary of Aldershot, part 1 & part 2'', a film produced by Aldershot Borough Council celebrating the Centenary of its association with the

. Cole was appointed an Officer of the

Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

in 1953, and a Commander in 1974.Appointment of Lt. Col. Howard Norman Cole, OBE, TD to Commander of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem
- ''

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

'' 31 January 1974 He lived in The Yayldens on Manor Road in

Tongham Tongham is a village northeast of the town of Farnham in Surrey, England. The village's buildings occupy most of the west of the civil parish, adjoining the A31 and the A331. The boundaries take in Poyle Park in the east and the replacement to ...

in Surrey. 'Howard N. Cole Way', a street on the site of the former South Cavalry Barracks in Aldershot, was named in his honour in 1979. His collection of memorabilia and pictures of early Aldershot Military Town were donated to

Aldershot Military Museum Aldershot Military Museum in Aldershot Military Town in Hampshire, England was conceived by former Aldershot Garrison Commander, Brigadier John Reed (1926–1992). Reed believed that it was essential to preserve the history of the military town ...

on his death in 1983.

Publications

*''Coronation and Commemorative Medals 1887–1953'' Gale & Polden, Aldershot (1953) *''Coronation and Royal Commemorative Medals 1877–1977'' J B Hayward & Son (1977) *''Heraldry in War: Formation Badges, 1939–1945'' The Wellington Press (1946) *''Badges on Battledress: Post-War Formation Signs and Rank and Regimental Badges'' Gale & Polden Aldershot (1953) *''Formation Badges of World War Two: Britain, Commonwealth and Empire'' Arms & Armour (1985) *''The Story of Aldershot: a History of the Civil and Military Towns'' Gale & Polden, Aldershot (1951) *''The Story of Catterick Camp 1915–1972'' Headquarters Catterick Garrison (1972) *''Minden 1759'' (Battles for Wargamers) Charles Knight, London (1972) *''NAAFI in Uniform'' Forces Press (1982) *''The Origins of Military Aldershot'' Aldershot Golden Jubilee Committee (1972) *''The Story of Bisley'' Gale & Polden, Aldershot (1960) *''A Surrey Village and its Church: The Story of Tongham'' *''On Wings of Healing: The Story of the Airborne Medical Services 1940–60'' william Blackwood and Sons, London and Edinburgh (1963)

References

External links

Cole's Publications on Library Thing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Howard N. 1911 births 1983 deaths Military personnel from London English military writers British military historians Officers of the Order of the British Empire British Army personnel of World War II Deputy Lieutenants of Hampshire Fellows of the Royal Historical Society London Regiment officers Royal Artillery officers Royal Engineers officers Commanders of the Order of St John 20th-century British historians