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 ...

Dame Mary Mackenzie Pihl ( Anderson; 3 February 1916 – 18 June 2006) was a British Army officer. Having served in the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

during 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 opposi ...

, she then rose through the ranks of the

Women's Royal Army Corps The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC; sometimes pronounced acronymically as , a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army belonged from 1949 to 1992, except medical, dental and veterinary officers and cha ...

(WRAC) and served as director of WRAC from 1967 to 1970.

Early life

Anderson was the younger child and only daughter of

Sir John Anderson John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, (8 July 1882 – 4 January 1958) was a Scottish civil servant and politician who is best known for his service in the War Cabinet during the Second World War, for which he was nicknamed the "Home Front Pr ...

, later the 1st Viscount Waverley, who was Home Secretary and Minister for Home Security at the outbreak of WWII, and his wife, Christina ( Mackenzie). She was educated at Sutton High School and the Villa Brillantmont in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

Military service

She served with the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, the forerunner of the

during

World War II 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 opposing ...

. She joined the ATS in 1941 and was commissioned the following year. By 1946, she was ATS Group Commander Highland District based in Perth and, discovering she enjoyed service life, decided to make it her career. On leaving Perth in 1946, she undertook her first speciality work within the WRAC as assistant provost marshal (WRAC) responsible for WRAC disciplinary matters for the British Army of the Rhine and in the UK. She was 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 ...

in 1963, and then served as commandant of the WRAC (Training) Centre from 1964 to 1967. In 1967, she was 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 ...

and appointed director of the Women's Royal Army Corps.

Marriage

She married Frithjof Pihl on 8 July 1973. He died in 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Mary 1916 births 2006 deaths Auxiliary Territorial Service officers Place of birth missing Place of death missing Daughters of viscounts British Army brigadiers Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Women's Royal Army Corps officers