Major General Eugene Vincent "Michael" Strickland, (25 August 1913 – 19 December 1982) was a British Army officer who served as a military adviser to the King of Jordan.

Military career

Strickland, who was born in India and lived there until after his father, a military officer, was killed during the First World WarReport by Toby Neal. Story covering publication of biography by his son who lived in Shropshire. was educated in England at

Mayfield College Mayfield College is a defunct Roman Catholic boys' boarding school founded as thin 1865–1866 by the American-born Dowager Duchess of Leeds one mile from Mayfield, East Sussex. The main building and attached chapel were built in the Gothic sty ...

and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. On 1 February 1934 he was commissioned a second lieutenant onto the Unattached List for the Indian Army and served in India between March 1934 and May 1935 on attachment to the 1st Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry, a British Army regiment, at Delhi. Following financial difficulties, he resigned his commission on 8 May 1935, never having joined an Indian Army unit, and then enlisted in the ranks in the

Royal Tank Regiment The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as th ...

(RTR). Strickland first saw action in the Second World War in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

with the 4th Battalion RTR, during which he held the rank of sergeant and was awarded the Military Medal for his part in the counter-attack at

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

when he took about 80 German soldiers prisoner. His tank was disabled in friendly fire by a British anti-tank crew who mistook his for being German and although he later evacuated from Dunkirk he was erroneously reported missing presumed killed; he received the notification to his wife after arriving at home. He received a commission for the second time on 26 December 1940, becoming a lieutenant in the RTR. Strickland served with the

145th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps The 145th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (8th Duke of Wellington's Regiment) (145 RAC) was an armoured regiment of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps that served in North Africa, Tunisia and Italy during World War II. The Duke of Wellington's ...

in the North African campaign between 1942 and 1943. During 1943 he fought as part of the HQ Squadron of the

25th Army Tank Brigade The 25th Army Tank Brigade was an armoured brigade formation of the British Army that was active before and during the Second World War. It served with the British First Army and the British Eighth Army during the battles in North Africa and Ita ...

and the

51st (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment The 51st (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment (51 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Territorial Army that fought in the Tunisian and Italian campaigns during World War II and continued to serve during the 1950s. Origin In April 1938, ...

, before becoming second-in-command of the North Irish Horse in January 1944. Strickland was promoted to

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

major in June 1944. He fought in the Italian campaign as Commanding Officer of the 145th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps and the North Irish Horse. In December 1944 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. In January 1945 he became Commandant of the Royal Armoured Corps School, a position he held until June that year. Strickland served in Greece with the British Military Mission there from June 1945 until July 1946, holding the rank of temporary lieutenant colonel. On 22 February 1947 he transferred to the

16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers The 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 16th The Queen's Lancers and the 5th Royal Irish Lancers in 1922. The reason for the uniquely atypical regimental title (wit ...

with a permanent commission, with seniority from August 1939. In 1948 Strickland commanded the 40th Battalion RTR in Egypt. He subsequently held various positions in the War Office until 1955, and was promoted to full lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1955. He was invested as an

Officer 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 ...

in January 1955. Strickland worked as an adviser in the Arab Legion until 1956 and was the Senior British Officer in Jordan between 1956 and 1957. From August 1958 to December 1959 he was Senior Army Liaison Officer in

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

, in which position he served as Military Adviser to King Hussein of Jordan. He became a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

in January 1960. From 1961 to 1962 he was Director of Plans at the War Office and was promoted to brigadier on 6 February 1961. Strickland retired in 1969, having been promoted to major general in 1966, and ended his career as Chief of Joint Services Liaison Organisation, British Army of the Rhine.

Personal life

Strickland married Barbara Mary Farquharson Meares Lamb in 1939, and together they had four sons and one daughter.Kelly's Handbook 1967 One of his sons, Tim, later an archaeologist and historian, published his biography, ''Strick - Tank Hero of Arras'' in 2021.

References

Bibliography

External links

British Army Officers 1939−1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strickland, Michael 1913 births 1982 deaths 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers officers British Army major generals British Army personnel of World War II Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Medal Royal Tank Regiment officers Military personnel of British India Royal Tank Regiment soldiers King's Shropshire Light Infantry officers British people in colonial India