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 ...

Alfred John Chaston (17 December 1916 – 20 July 2010) 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 and recipient of the

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

. Chaston was born at

Bedwellty Bedwellty is a small village in Caerphilly County Borough in south Wales. The village stands on a ridge of high ground between the Rhymney and Sirhowy valleys. The village comprises a parish church, public house and a few houses. The ancient pa ...

, Monmouthshire and educated at Monmouth School. He commissioned into the Monmouthshire Regiment as a territorial on 1 May 1937, and in August 1939 was mobilized following the outbreak of 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 ...

. On 26 June 1944, Chaston landed in France in command of "C" Company, 2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment. On 24 September 1944, Chaston organised and led the defence of the village of Voorheide on the Antwerp-Turnhout canal against a considerable German counter-attack. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions. In February 1945, during fighting in the

Klever Reichswald The Klever Reichswald is an Imperial forest in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) between the rivers Rhine and Meuse at the German–Dutch border. The forest is located in the municipal territory of Kleve, Goch, Kranenburg and Bedburg-Hau. It is ...

, he was wounded and invalided home. He rejoined 2 MONS in 1947 as second-in-command and was appointed commanding officer in 1950, serving in that position until 1953. In 1954 he became a Deputy Lieutenant for Monmouthshire. In 1956 Chaston became Deputy Commander,

160th (Wales) Brigade 160th (Welsh) Brigade or Brigâd 160 (Cymru), is a regional brigade of the British Army that has been in existence since 1908, and saw service during both the First and the Second World Wars, as part of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division. It is ...

and he served as an Aide-de-Camp to

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

in 1968. He was Honorary Colonel of the 2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment from 1959 to 1969, and in December 1980 he was invested as a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire 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 ...

. Chaston served as a member of the Monmouthshire and, subsequently, Wales Territorial, Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Association for more than 30 years, acting as chairman from 1974 until 1981.

References

External links

British Army Officers 1939−1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaston, John 1916 births 2010 deaths Monmouthshire Regiment officers Military personnel from Monmouthshire British Army personnel of World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deputy lieutenants of Monmouthshire People educated at Monmouth School for Boys Recipients of the Military Cross