General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Sir Jack Wentworth Harman, (20 July 1920 – 28 December 2009) 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 who became

Adjutant-General to the Forces The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General (AG), was for just over 250 years one of the most senior officers in the British Army. The AG was latterly responsible for developing the Army's personnel polic ...

. He began his military career in 1940, serving in The Queen's Bays for the majority of his early career and saw service with them during

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 opposi ...

in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Following the war Harman held various appointments at

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

al, divisional and

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

level rising to fulfil the role of Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1976. His final position was as

Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is ...

, which he held until retirement in 1981. In later life he served as a director of an insurance brokers and vice-chairman of the

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bo ...

and

The Automobile Association AA Limited, trading as The AA (formerly The Automobile Association), is a British motoring association. Founded in 1905, it provides vehicle insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans, motoring advice, road maps and other services. T ...

before he died in late December 2009, at the age of 89.

Early life

Harman was the son of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir Wentworth Harman KCB, DSO. He was educated at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

, Berkshire.

Military career

Upon completion of training at the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

, Jack Harman was commissioned into the

2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) The 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was first raised in 1685 by the Earl of Peterborough as the Earl of Peterborough's Regiment of Horse by merging four existing troops of horse. Renamed several t ...

on 2 March 1940. Promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 2 September 1941, he served in the

and was awarded 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 ...

in August 1943, "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East."Who's Who 2009 He joined the 24th Lancers for the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

but in the autumn of 1944 he re-joined the Bay's for the Italian Campaign and was involved in the Spring 1945 offensive. During the Second World War, Harman served with the 2nd Armoured Brigade in the Western Desert and the Italian Campaign. Harman was promoted to captain on 1 July 1946 and to major on 2 March 1953. He was appointed Commanding Officer (CO) of

1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is a regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales and the bordering English counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, a ...

in 1960, and, having promoted to

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 o ...

on 22 January 1965 (with seniority from 7 May 1963) he became Commander 11th Infantry Brigade in 1965. Promoted to

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

on 31 December 1966, after attending the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

in 1967 he became Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence and Operations in January 1968. Promoted to

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on 12 February 1970 (with seniority from 25 August 1969) Harman served as General Officer Commanding, 1st Division from 1970 until 1972 and as Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst between 1972 and 1973. During his tenure, and with his assistance, the Army Board cut the commissioning course from two years to one year. Promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 24 January 1974 (with seniority from 24 January 1973), he served as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 1 (British) Corps from 1974, until 1976. On 1 November 1975, Harman was appointed the Colonel, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. Promoted to full

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

on 15 July 1976 (with seniority from 25 March 1976) he was appointed

that same year. Finally he served as

from 1978 to 1981. He retired from the British Army on 7 May 1981. He was also

aide-de-camp general Aide-de-camp general is a senior honorary appointment for generals in the British Army. The recipient is appointed as an aide-de-camp general to the head of state, currently King Charles III. They are entitled to the post-nominals "ADC (Gen.)". T ...

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

from 1977 to 1980. He was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1962, as a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

in 1974 and as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1978.

Later life

Upon retirement from the military, Harman became a Director of Wilsons Hogg Robinson, an insurance brokers; a position he filled from 1982 to 1988. He was vice-chairman of the

from 1980 to 1987. He also held the post of vice-chairman of

between 1986 and 1989.

Family

In 1947, he was married to Gwladys May Murphy; widow of Lieutenant-Colonel RJ Murphy and was the daughter of Sir Idwal Lloyd. In 2001 he married again, this time to Sheila Perkins (née Gurdon), widow of Major Christopher Perkins. He has a daughter from his first marriage and two stepdaughters from his second.Military engagement
Daily Telegraph, 13 March 2001 He died in his sleep the morning of 28 December 2009.

References

External links

– Daily Telegraph obituary

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Harman, Jack 1920 births 2009 deaths 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards officers 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) officers Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies British Army generals British Army personnel of World War II Commandants of Sandhurst Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath NATO military personnel Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire People from Farnham Recipients of the Military Cross Military personnel from Surrey