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 Robert Edward Laycock, (18 April 1907 – 10 March 1968) was a 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 best known for his influential role in the establishment and command of
British Commandos
The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. Initially drawn ...
during the Second World War.
Early life
![Combined Operations in England, 1943 TR1425](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Combined_Operations_in_England%2C_1943_TR1425.jpg)
Laycock was born in
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
on 18 April 1907, the eldest son of Brigadier General
Sir Joseph Frederick Laycock (died 1952)—an officer of the
Royal Regiment of Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
knighted for his services during the First World War—by his marriage on 14 November 1902 to Katherine Mary (Kitty) Hare (1872–1959), who was previously married to and divorced by the
6th Marquess of Downshire (died 1918),
[Anand, Sushila (2008), ''Daisy: The Life and Loves of the Countess of Warwick,'' ]Piatkus
Little, Brown Book Group is a UK publishing company created in 1992, with multiple predecessors. Since 2006 Little, Brown Book Group has been owned by Hachette UK, a subsidiary of Hachette Livre. It was acquired in 2006 from Time Warner of New ...
. and herself a granddaughter of
William Hare, 2nd Earl of Listowel
William Hare, 2nd Earl of Listowel (22 September 1801 – 4 February 1856), known as Viscount Ennismore from 1827 to 1837, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Member of Parliament (MP).
Life
Listowel was the eldest son of Richard Hare, Viscount Ennismor ...
. Laycock was thus a half-brother of the 7th
Marquess of Downshire
Marquess of Downshire is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1789 for Wills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough, a former Secretary of State.
Hill had already been created Earl of Hillsborough and Viscount Kilwarlin of County Down ...
; their sister Josephine (died 1958) married Edward Greenall, 2nd
Lord Daresbury, and is grandmother of the present Baron. Through his father's relationship with the married
Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick
Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Greville, Countess of Warwick (''née'' Maynard; 10 December 1861 – 26 July 1938) was a British socialite and philanthropist. Although embedded in late- Victorian British high society, she was also a campaigning sociali ...
, issue occurring before and during his marriage with Kitty, Robert Laycock was half-brother to the Countess of Warwick's son Maynard Greville (1898–1960), and daughter, Mercy Greville (1904–1968).
[
Laycock was educated at ]Lockers Park School
Lockers Park School is a day and boarding preparatory and pre-preparatory school for boys, situated in 23 acres of countryside in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire. Its headmaster is Gavin Taylor.
History
Lockers Park was founded in 1874 by Henry Montagu ...
and Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
, followed by officer 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 infantry a ...
, from which he emerged as a well-read young man with a scientific bent. He also briefly worked in a factory.
Military career
In 1927, Laycock was commissioned into the Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.
Raised in August 1650 at Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham by Sir Arthur Haselrigge on the orders of Oliver Cr ...
.[Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives]
/ref> After 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 ...
broke out he raised and trained the commando
Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured
A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
unit No. 8 (Guards) Commando
No. 8 (Guards) Commando was a unit of the British Commandos and part of the British Army during the Second World War. The Commando was formed in June 1940 primarily from members of the Brigade of Guards. It was one of the units selected to be sen ...
(8 Commando). This unit of 500 officers and men was to prove influential: one its sections, encouraged by Laycock, was an experimental marine section, known as the "Folboat Section", which ultimately developed into the Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Roya ...
; and one of its officers, David Stirling
Sir Archibald David Stirling (15 November 1915 – 4 November 1990) was a Scottish officer in the British army, a mountaineer, and the founder and creator of the Special Air Service (SAS). He saw active service during the Second World War.
...
, would go on to found the Special Air Service
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...
.
Laycock was promoted to lieutenant-colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, and appointed leader of the eastern Mediterranean commando
Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured
A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
force "Layforce", named after him. This combined commando
Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured
A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
force, which included 8 Commando and four other commando
Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured
A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
units, operated from February to August 1941, and saw action in Libya (Bardia
Bardia, also El Burdi or Barydiyah ( ar, البردية, lit=, translit=al-Bardiyya or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''.
...
and Tobruk
Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near th ...
), Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
, and Vichy Syria. It had mixed results, but developed commando warfare. In the Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...
Laycock was one of the last officers to leave the island (along with his intelligence officer Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...
), when it was evacuated by British forces at the conclusion of the battle in May 1941. The main role of the commando force on Crete had been (atypically) to cover the evacuation of the rest of the British army, and much of the Layforce unit of 800 men was itself unable to get away: 600 of them were captured by the German army. Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...
was an admirer of Laycock, and later dedicated his novel Officers and Gentlemen
''Officers and Gentlemen'' is a 1955 novel by the British novelist Evelyn Waugh.
''Sword of Honour'' trilogy
''Officers and Gentlemen'' is the second novel in Waugh's ''Sword of Honour'' trilogy, the author's look at the Second World War. The no ...
, which is set in this period and theatre, to him.
Laycock commanded the Middle East Commando from August 1941 to August 1942, in North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
, Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
and Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. He then returned to the United Kingdom, 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. In ...
, and from 1942 to 1943 commanded the Special Service Brigade
The Special Service Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the Second World War.
It was formed in 1940, after the call for volunteers for Special Service who eventually became the British Commandos.
Background
In 1940, volunteers wer ...
, which organised and trained all commandos in the United Kingdom. In 1943 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 became Chief of Combined Operations, succeeding Louis Mountbatten
Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...
.[ He held that position until 1947.][
]
Governor of Malta
In 1954, his old friend, Anthony Head
Anthony Stewart Head (born 20 February 1954) is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, w ...
, now Secretary of State for War
The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...
appointed Laycock to the position of Commander-in-Chief and Governor of Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.[ This was during a period of tensions surrounding a drive for independence, with Prime Minister ]Dom Mintoff
Dominic Mintoff, ( mt, Duminku Mintoff, ; often called ''il-Perit'', "the Architect"; 6 August 1916 – 20 August 2012) was a Maltese Socialist politician, architect, and civil engineer who was leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 198 ...
leading a campaign for "Integration (with Britain) or Self-Determination", and the Nationalist Party looking for a "Quasi-Dominion Status. Prior to his assuming the position of Governor, Queen Elizabeth knighted Laycock in the drawing room of Sledmere House, Yorkshire whilst staying as fellow house guests of Sir Richard Sykes, Baronet. Laycock served until 1959, having had his term extended twice.
Later years
From 1960 Laycock held the honorary positions of Colonel Commandant of the Special Air Service
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...
and Colonel of the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry
The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (SRY) was a British Yeomanry regiment. In 1967 it was amalgamated with other units to form the Royal Yeomanry (RY), a light cavalry regiment of the Army Reserve. Originally raised as the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Cav ...
.
He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire. Since 1694, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Nottinghamshire.
*Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland 1552–1563?
*Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of R ...
in 1962.
A noted horseman, yachtsman and historical book collector, his interests made him a man who could enjoy life. It was said by many he had no enemies. He suffered from severe circulatory problems, which meant constant pain in one leg. While walking back from Sunday church services on 10 March 1968, Laycock suffered a massive heart attack and died. His estate was probate
Probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased, or whereby the estate is settled according to the laws of intestacy in the sta ...
d at £279,910.
Family
Laycock married Claire Angela Louise Dudley Ward (1916–1999) on 24 January 1935 at St Margaret's, Westminster
The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster a ...
. Dudley Ward was the younger daughter of William Dudley Ward
William Dudley Ward PC (14 October 1877 – 11 November 1946) was an English sportsman and Liberal politician.
Early life
Dudley Ward was born in London, the son of William Humble Dudley Ward and the great-grandson of William Humble Wa ...
, Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
MP for Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
by his wife Freda Dudley Ward
Winifred May, Marquesa de Casa Maury (''née'' Birkin; 28 July 1894 – 16 March 1983), universally known by her first married name as Freda Dudley Ward, was an English socialite best known for being a married paramour of the Prince of Wales, w ...
, granddaughter of Sir Thomas Isaac Birkin, 1st Baronet. Laycock and Dudley Ward had two sons and three daughters.
Children
#Edwina Ottilie Jane Laycock (born 1936) has been twice married, and has children from both marriages.
#Joseph William Peter Laycock (1938 – bef. 16 December 1980), accidentally drowned with his eight-year-old daughter Flora in a boating accident on the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
, and was survived by two children. He married 1971 Eve Lucinda Fleming (born 15 May 1947), better known as the actress Lucy Fleming
Eve Lucinda "Lucy" Fleming (born 15 May 1947) is a British actress.
Biography
Early life and ancestry
Fleming was born in Nettlebed, England. She is the second daughter of actress Celia Johnson and writer Peter Fleming (brother of James Bo ...
, younger daughter of Peter Fleming, otherwise Lt. Col. (Robert) Peter Fleming, OBE (1907–1971) by his wife Dame Celia Johnson, actress (1908–1982). Lucy Fleming is a niece of Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...
, creator of "James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
", and has remarried.
# Benjamin Richard Laycock (born 1947); married 1971, and has issue 1 son and 2 daughters.
#Emma Rose Laycock, now Lady Temple (born 1943), married 1964 Sir Richard Chartier Carnac Temple, 5th Bt. (born 1937), elder son and heir of Sir Richard Antony Purbeck Temple, 4th Bt., of The Nash, MC (1913 – 5 December 2007) by his first wife Lucy Geils de Lotbinière, dau of Alain Joly de Lotbinière, of Montreal; they have issue, three daughters.
# Katherine Martha Laycock (born 1949); married 1969 David Mlinaric
David Mlinaric (born 12 March 1939) is a British interior decorator.
Early life
Mlinaric is the son of an English mother and an Austro-Hungarian father, a furrier who had emigrated to England in 1912 from modern-day Slovenia.
He was educated at ...
(born 1939), interior designer and decorator,Portrait of David Mlinaric
National Portrait Gallery. Mlinaric notably redecorated Spencer House Spencer House may refer to:
* Spencer House, Westminster, Greater London, England
United States
* Spencer House (Hartford, Connecticut), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in Hartford County
* Spencer House in Columbus, ...
( Princess Diana's ancestral home in London) as well as all of Lord Rothschild's private residences. See Christopher Bagley
"The Rothschilds
photographs by Derry Moore, W Magazine, January 2008, p. 2 has three children.
References
Bibliography
*Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
*
*
*
*
External links
*Leo Van Der Pas
Robert Laycock's Descendants
for an incomplete version of Laycock's descendants. Last accessed 18 January 2008.
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laycock, Robert
1907 births
1968 deaths
People from Westminster
People educated at Eton College
People educated at Lockers Park School
Royal Horse Guards officers
Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley
British Army Commandos officers
British Army generals of World War II
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knights of the Order of St John
Lord-Lieutenants of Nottinghamshire
Commanders of the Legion of Merit
Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur
Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Governors and Governors-General of Malta
British Army major generals
Military personnel from London