Lieutenant-General Vernon Forbes Erskine-Crum, CIE, MC (11 December 1918 – 17 March 1971) 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 briefly served as general officer commanding in

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 ...

during the early period of

the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an " ...

Regimental career

He was born in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, the younger son of Sir William Erskine Crum, and educated at Eton and New College, Oxford. In 1940 he 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 E ...

, and served with the regiment for the remainder of the war. He won a

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

(MC) during the North-West European campaign in 1944.Obituary, p. 22. ''The Times'', 19 March 1971.

Indian service

After training at the

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 1945, he was promoted to temporary Lieutenant-Colonel and posted to the staff in South-East Asia, arriving just after the Japanese surrender. He served as the Conference Secretary to Lord Mountbatten, a position he held for just over a year before returning to regimental duty in England, commanding a company of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards. After six weeks, he was recalled by Mountbatten, who had been appointed Viceroy of India, and again served as his Conference Secretary until he left India in 1948. For his services, he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

on 30 December 1947.

Senior Command

On returning from India, he was appointed as the regimental adjutant of the Scots Guards, and then a succession of other administrative posts; adjutant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,

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 ...

of the Household Brigade, Commandant of the Guards Depot, and

Assistant Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the London District. On 9 February 1962, he was promoted

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 ...

, and from 1962 to 1963 was Secretary of the Joint Planning Staff. In 1963 he was appointed to command 4th Guards Brigade Group, promoted to Brigadier on 9 February 1966, and appointed to command 4th Division in 1967. He was appointed co-ordinator of the

Imperial Defence College 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 level ...

on 15 October 1969, and Chief Army Instructor there on 1 February 1970. Following this position, he was appointed GOC and Director of Operations in Northern Ireland on 4 February 1971, to replace Lieutenant-General

Ian Freeland Lieutenant General Sir Ian Henry Freeland (14 September 1912 – 2 July 1979) was a senior British Army officer, who served with distinction during World War II and most notably served as General Officer Commanding (GOC) and Director of Operat ...

, but he suffered a heart attack on the 16th and was relieved by Lieutenant-General Harry Tuzo on 2 March.

Death

He died a month after his heart attack, in hospital, on 17 March 1971, aged 52.Chronology of the Conflict 1971
CAIN His brief spell in Northern Ireland witnessed the escalation of tensions, as well as the first death of a British soldier, Gunner Robert Curtis, on 6 February.

Family

He married Rosemary Douglas, the daughter of Brigadier Sir Douglas Dawson and Lady Aimée Dawson (GBE) in 1948. They had one son, Brigadier Douglas Erskine Crum.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Erskine-Crum, Vernon 1918 births 1971 deaths Alumni of New College, Oxford British Army lieutenant generals British Army personnel of World War II Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire People educated at Eton College British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Recipients of the Military Cross Scots Guards officers Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Academics of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Military personnel of British India