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 colone ...

John Darwin Maling DSO MC (2 February 1915 – 16 March 2009) was a New Zealand born

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

officer during the Second World War.

Early life

Maling was born in Timaru, New Zealand and educated at

Christ's College, Christchurch Christ's College, Canterbury is an independent Anglican secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. Founded in 1850 by Reverend Henry Jacobs in Lyttelton as a school for early settlers, ...

.Lt-Col John Maling.
'' The Telegraph'', 6 April 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2015. He then attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned in 1935.

Military career

He served for a year with 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment in India, before transferring to the 1st Battalion, (King George V's Own)

11th Sikh Regiment The 11th Sikh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.S ...

of the Indian Army.Maling, John Darwin - DSO MC.
The Royal Leicestershire Regiment. Retrieved 27 May 2015. He served in the

Waziristan campaign (1936–39) Waziristan campaign or Waziristan expedition may refer to: *Waziristan campaign (1919–20) *Waziristan campaign (1921–24) Waziristan campaign or Waziristan expedition may refer to: *Waziristan campaign (1919–20) Waziristan campaign or Waziris ...

and was awarded the Military Cross in 1937. In 1941 he became adjutant of a new regiment, the Sikh Light Infantry, and saw active service with the unit during the Burma Campaign. He became acting Commanding Officer of the Sikh Light Infantry in April 1945, but was wounded shortly thereafter. He retook command of the regiment in June 1945, holding the position in 1947. On 20 September 1945 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his actions in Burma. In 1948, he transferred to the Royal Artillery. Maling was a brigade major with the

53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought in both the First and Second World Wars. Originally raised in 1908 as the Welsh Division, part of the Territorial Force (TF), the division saw service in ...

, before serving with the 33rd Airborne Light Regiment in Egypt. In 1956 he became Commanding Officer of the 16th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, garrisoned in Cyprus. He retired from the army in 1959 and returned to New Zealand.

Later career

He worked for the

New Zealand Security Intelligence Service The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS or SIS; mi, Te Pā Whakamarumaru) is New Zealand's primary national intelligence agency. It is responsible for providing information and advising on matters including national security (incl ...

from 1959 to 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maling, John Darwin 1915 births 2009 deaths British Indian Army officers New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Indian Army personnel of World War II New Zealand public servants New Zealand recipients of the Military Cross People from Timaru Royal Leicestershire Regiment officers Royal Artillery officers 20th-century British Army personnel Harper family