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 ...

Sir John Swinton of Kimmerghame, (21 April 1925 – 4 October 2018) 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 served as

Major-General commanding the Household Division The Major-General commanding the Household Division commands the Household Division#United Kingdom, Household Division of the British Army and is also the General officer commanding, General Officer Commanding London District (British Army), Lon ...

and General Officer Commanding

London District London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''. History In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in ...

from 1976 until his retirement in 1979. He was the father of actress

Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to ...

Early life

Swinton was the son of

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. In ...

Alan Henry Campbell Swinton of Kimmerghame, MC (born 15 March 1896)The Peerage.com
/ref> and wife, Mariora Beatrice Evelyn Rochfort Alers-Hankey (born 1900). A member of the Swinton family, his paternal grandfather was Scottish politician and officer-of-arms

George Swinton Captain George Sitwell Campbell Swinton (10 May 1859 – 17 January 1937) was a long-serving Scottish politician and officer of arms. Life and work Swinton was born at 7 Darnaway Street on the Moray Estate in west Edinburgh, the seco ...

.Tilda Swinton, one of our most unique actors, talks to Gaby Wood , Magazine , The Observer
/ref> He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

, London.

Military career

Swinton was commissioned into the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

on 24 March 1944, and was twice wounded towards the end 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 ...

.Thieves startled by general's roar
The Herald, 9 April 1997 He was 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 sub ...

on 8 November 1947. He served in Malaya during the

Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation The Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation or Borneo confrontation (also known by its Indonesian / Malay name, ''Konfrontasi'') was an armed conflict from 1963 to 1966 that stemmed from Indonesia's opposition to the creation of the Federation of ...

and was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. Swinton was promoted to captain on 21 April 1952. Between 1953 and 1954, he was aide-de-camp to Field-Marshal Sir William Slim,

governor-general of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Black, 1986, p.1695. He was successively promoted to major on 21 April 1959, to lieutenant-colonel on 1 April 1966, commanding the Scots Guards (1970–71), to full colonel on 30 June 1970, and to brigadier on 31 December 1971. He was 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 ...

and appointed

and General Officer Commanding

in 1976. In 1977, he was appointed Brigadier of the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland (The

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a perso ...

). He retired from the Army in 1979. In 1980, he became a deputy lieutenant for

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

: he went on to be

Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire This is a list of people who have served as His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant for the County of Berwick. List of officeholders * Alexander, Earl of Home 17 March 1794 – 20 October 1841 * James, Earl of Lauderdale 2 November 1841 – 22 August 1 ...

from 1989 to 2000 and escorted the

Stone of Scone The Stone of Scone (; gd, An Lia Fàil; sco, Stane o Scuin)—also known as the Stone of Destiny, and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone—is an oblong block of red sandstone that has been used for centuries in the coronati ...

back to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in 1996.

Personal life

He married the Australian-born Judith Balfour Killen (1929–2012) on 26 August 1954; they had three sons – James Christopher Swinton, Alexander Harold Swinton, and Lieutenant Colonel William Henry Swinton – and one daughter, actress

. As the

laird Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...

of Kimmerghame, Swinton lived at

Kimmerghame House Kimmerghame House is a 19th-century mansion in the Scottish Borders, located south-east of Duns by the Blackadder Water. It is the seat of the Swintons of Kimmerghame, a branch of the Lowland Clan Swinton. The house was designed in the Scottis ...

Duns Duns may refer to: * Duns, Scottish Borders, a town in Berwickshire, Scotland ** Duns railway station ** Duns F.C., a football club ** Duns RFC, a rugby football club ** Battle of Duns, an engagement fought in 1372 * Duns Scotus ( 1265/66–1308 ...

. He died there on 4 October 2018 at the age of 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swinton, John 1925 births 2018 deaths People educated at Harrow School British Army generals British Army personnel of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire Scots Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II