Richard Morgan Llewellyn, (born 22 August 1937) is a retired senior

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 An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

. He was general officer commanding, Wales District from 1987 to 1990, and chief of staff at HQ Land Forces from 1990 to 1991. Upon retirement the army, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

and is currently Welsh Vice-Patron of the War Memorials Trust.

Early life

Llewellyn was born on 22 August 1937, the son of Griffith Robert Poyntz Llewellyn and Bridget Margaret Lester Llewellyn (née Karslake). He spent his early years in Monmouthshire, Wales. From January 1951 to March 1955, he was educated at

Haileybury and Imperial Service College Haileybury is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) near Hertford in England. It is a member of the Rugby Group and, though originally a major boys' public school in the Victorian era, it is now co-educational, enrol ...

, an independent school in Hertfordshire, England. He was a member of Hailey house.

Military career

For his

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

, Llewellyn was commissioned into the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...

as a second lieutenant on 1 December 1956. He was given the

service number A service number is an identification code used to identify a person within a large group. Service numbers are most often associated with the military; however, they may be used in civilian organizations as well. National identification numbers may ...

450929. He served in Malaya in 1957, the year of its independence from Britain. 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 ...

on 10 August 1958. He moved from the National Service List to the Regular List on 22 August 1958 as a second lieutenant. On the same date he was promoted to lieutenant. He served in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

from late 1958 to early 1959. He was an instructor at the Army Outward Bound School from 1962 to 1963. He was promoted to captain on 22 August 1964, and to major on 31 December 1969. He then attended

Staff College Staff colleges (also command and staff colleges and War colleges) train military officers in the administrative, military staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career. For e ...

in 1970. He was

military assistant A military assistant is sub-specialty of secretarial duties in the British Armed Forces and many of those derived from them, is an officer appointed to the personal office of a general officer. Whilst aides de camp (ADCs) are responsible for adm ...

to the

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

, then General Sir

Michael Carver Field Marshal Richard Michael Power Carver, Baron Carver, (24 April 1915 – 9 December 2001) was a senior British Army officer. Lord Carver served as the Chief of the General Staff (CGS), the professional head of the British Army, and then as t ...

, in 1971 and 1972. From 1974 to 1976, he served as

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section dire ...

, the chief of staff, for 39th Infantry Brigade. He was posted to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

between 1 February and 30 April 1976. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1976. He was then appointed Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers. He commanded the 700 military personnel who replaced firefighters during the 1977

Fire Brigades Union The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is a trade union in the United Kingdom for wholetime firefighters (including officers up to chief fire officer / firemaster), retained firefighters and emergency control room staff. History The first recorded ins ...

nationwide

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

. He was once more posted to Northern Ireland between 1 February and 30 April 1979. He was a member of the directing staff of the

Royal College of Defence Studies 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 lev ...

from late 1979 to 1981. He 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 ...

on 31 December 1981, with seniority from 30 June 1981. Between December 1981 and January 1984, he was commanding officer of the Gurkha Field Force, based in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. He was posted to the Ministry of Defence as Deputy Director of Army Staff Duties from February 1984 to February 1985. He was the last person to hold that appointment. From February 1985 to January 1987, he remained at the MOD as Director of Army Staff Duties. He was the successor of the then Major General Brian Kenny. On 1 December 1987, he was granted the

acting rank An acting rank is a designation that allows a soldier to assume a military rank—usually higher and usually temporary. They may assume that rank either with or without the pay and allowances appropriate to that grade, depending on the nature of t ...

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 ...

and appointed general officer commanding,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

in succession to the then Major General

Peter de la Billière General Sir Peter Edgar de la Cour de la Billière, (born 29 April 1934) is a former British Army officer who was Director SAS during the Iranian Embassy siege, and Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Operation Granby (the Gulf War). ...

. His promotion to major general was confirmed on 23 February 1988, with seniority from 16 October 1986. He relinquished the appointment of GOC Wales on 15 June 1990. From 16 June 1990 to 13 September 1991, he was chief of staff at HQ

United Kingdom Land Forces United Kingdom Land Forces was a command of the British Army responsible for generating and preparing forces for current and contingency operations. The commander of the forces was known as Commander-in-Chief, United Kingdom Land Forces, who in ...

. He held this role during the First Gulf War. He retired from the British Army on 8 November 1991.

Later life

In 1991, Llewellyn entered Sarum & Wells Theological College and spent two years training for ministry in the Church of England. He was

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

in 1993, and as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

in 1994. He was

minor canon A minor canon is a member of staff on the establishment of a cathedral or a collegiate church. In at least one foundation the post may be known as "priest-vicar". Minor canons are clergy and take part in the daily services but are not part of t ...

Brecon Cathedral Brecon Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Aberhonddu), in the town of Brecon, Powys, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon in the Church in Wales and seat of the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon. Previously the church of Brecon Priory ...

, under

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Dewi Bridges Dewi Morris Bridges (18 November 1933 – 18 May 2015) was a Welsh Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon from 1988 until 1998. Bridges was born in Beaufort in Brecknockshire on 18 November 1933. He was educated at the St David ...

, from 1993 to 1995. From 1995 to 2001 or 2014, he was chaplain of the Welsh independent school Christ College, Brecon. From 2001, was director of the ''Christ College Foundation'', the bursaries and school improvements fund of Christ College, Brecon. He retired from the position in 2005. He has been a Vice-Patron of the War Memorials Trust since 2001.

Personal life

Llewellyn married Elizabeth Lamond Sobey in 1964. Together they have had three sons and two daughters. One son, called Glyn, has also served as an officer of the British Army.

Honours and decorations

On 12 October 1976, Llewellyn was appointed

Member 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 ...

(MBE) "in recognition of distinguished services in Northern Ireland during the period 1st February - 30th April 1976". He was promoted to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 9 October 1979 "in recognition of distinguished service in Northern Ireland during the period 1st February 1979 to 30th April 1979". In the 1992

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). He was appointed Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John (OStJ) on 2 February 2011. He was appointed to the honorary position of

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 ...

of the Gurkha Transport Regiment on 1 February 1984. He was succeeded by the then Brigadier Philip Trousdell on 27 October 1993. He was appointed Colonel of

The Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designat ...

on 4 March 1990. His tenure expired on 4 March 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Llewellyn, Morgan People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College Royal Welch Fusiliers officers 1937 births Living people British Army major generals British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley