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 ...

Humphrey Mews (1941–1990) was Deputy Private Secretary to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

between 1986 and 1988. Mews joined the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

after Sandhurst. After Sandhurst, he was posted as a 2nd Lieutenant to 22 ( Gibraltar 1779–83) Battery, Royal Artillery as officer in charge of "B" Troop Radar Section, taking over from 2/Lt Grant Paton of Largs. In 1963 he was posted to Malaya as part of 2 Troop RA, an independent locating troop, equipped with the new Green Archer mortar locating radars. The OC of this unit was Captain Shallcross who retired after a short period in Malaysia. Humphrey Mews was promoted to captain and became OC 2 Troop RA. He saw active service in

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

in 1965 when 2 radar sections from 2 Troop were deployed in

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

on the border with

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

during the armed confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia. The unit returned to the UK in 1966. In 1969–1971 he was Troop Captain of the

King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, is a ceremonial unit of the British Army, quartered at Woolwich. It is a mounted unit and all of its soldiers are trained to care for and drive teams of six horses, each team pulling a First World War-er ...

, and from 1978 to 1980 was Commanding Officer of the

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the armoured field artillery role, and is equipped with the AS90 self-propelled gun. The regiment is currently based at La ...

. Colonel Mews was appointed to the

Office of the Prince of Wales The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households. They vary considerably in size, ...

after serving as Colonel

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...

, in the foreign and defence secretariat of the

between 1984 and 1986. He was a keen Huntsman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mews, Humphrey 1941 births 1990 deaths British Army personnel of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Royal Artillery officers Royal Horse Artillery officers Members of the Household of the Prince of Wales