Field Marshal Sir John Wilfred Stanier, (6 October 1925 – 10 November 2007) 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 who was

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 ...

from 1982 to 1985. He was the first person 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 opposi ...

to become the professional head of the British Army without having seen active service in that war or any subsequent campaign.

Early life and education

Stanier was born in

Sawbridgeworth Sawbridgeworth is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, close to the border with Essex. It is east of Hertford and north of Epping. It is the northernmost part of the Greater London Built-up Area. History Prior to the Norman ...

, Hertfordshire, the son of Harold Allan Stanier and Penelope Rose Stanier (née Price). His father was badly wounded in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, but was employed by

John Spedan Lewis John Spedan Lewis (22 September 1885 – 21 February 1963) was an English businessman and the founder of the John Lewis Partnership. Elder son of John Lewis, who owned the John Lewis department store, London, Spedan joined the business at 19 and ...

to manage his farms. He was educated at Marlborough CollegeHeathcote, Anthony pg 269 and took a short wartime course at Merton College, Oxford.

Military career

Stanier volunteered for the Army in 1943, and having trained at Sandhurst and

Bovington Bovington Camp () is a British Army military base in Dorset, England. Together with Lulworth Camp it forms part of Bovington Garrison. The garrison is home to The Armour Centre and contains two barracks complexes and two forest and heathland tr ...

, was commissioned into the 7th Queen's Own Hussars on 19 April 1946. 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 16 October 1948, he served with the intelligence branch in

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 ...

in 1949 before being posted to the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...

in 1950. He was promoted to captain on 6 October 1952 and became an instructor at the

Mons Officer Cadet School Mons Officer Cadet School was a British military training establishment for officer cadets in Aldershot from 1942 to 1972, when it was closed and all officer training concentrated at Sandhurst. Until 1960, it was known as the Mons Officer Cade ...

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

in April 1954, before attending the Staff College, Camberley in 1957. Following the merger of his regiment with the

3rd The King's Own Hussars The 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and the Second World Wars, before being amalgamated with the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, to ...

, he became an officer in the

Queen's Own Hussars The Queen's Own Hussars (QOH), was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed from the amalgamation of the 3rd The King's Own Hussars and the 7th Queen's Own Hussars at Candahar Barracks, Tidworth in 1958. The regiment served in Aden and Nor ...

in 1958 and was posted to the Directorate of Military Operations at the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

, before being appointed military assistant to Sir William Stratton, Vice-Chief of the

Imperial General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board. Prior to 1964, the title was Chief of the Imperial G ...

in July 1959. Promoted to major on 6 October 1959, he was appointed a

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 ...

in the

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 ...

1961. He attended the Joint Services Staff College and, from 1962, commanded the tanks in "C" Squadron of his regiment in Germany, before returning to Camberley as Director of Studies in 1963.

Stainer was not selected to command the Queen's Own Hussars. Disappointed, he considered leaving the Army, but was pleasantly surprised, having transferred to the Royal Scots Greys on 1 January 1966, to be 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 colo ...

on 2 May 1966 and made commanding officer of the Royal Scots Greys. He joined the staff 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 ...

in December 1968, and was then promoted two ranks 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 1969 and took command of 20th Armoured Brigade in the

in January 1970. After serving as the Army's director of public relations in London from 1971, he was appointed General Officer Commanding 1st Division on 3 November 1973 with the substantive rank of

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 ...

from 21 January 1974. He became Commandant at the Staff College, Camberley on 22 December 1975. He was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1978, and became Vice Chief of the General StaffHeathcote, Anthony pg 270 with the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 1 June 1978. The

Challenger tank There have been four tanks named Challenger in British military service. * Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger in service during World War II * Challenger 1 in service from the mid-1980s to early 21st century * Challenger 2 in service from 1998 onwards ...

was brought into service during his period in this post. Promoted to full

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

on 1 January 1981, he was made Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces in April 1981. He became ADC General to

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

from 7 April 1981, was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1982 and became

on 1 August 1982. He was the first person after the

to become the professional head of the

without having seen active service in that war or any subsequent campaign. He was promoted to field marshal on 10 July 1985 on retirement from the British Army. He was also Colonel of the

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest surviving Cavalry Regiment of the Line in the British ...

from 18 January 1979 to 6 May 1984, and Colonel Commandant of the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the ...

from 1 April 1982 to 1 August 1985. In retirement he served as chairman of the

Royal United Service Institution The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI, Rusi), registered as Royal United Service Institute for Defence and Security Studies and formerly the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, is a British defence and security think tank. ...

from 1986 to 1989. He was

Constable of the Tower of London The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

from 1990 to 1996. His book ''War and the Media'', co-authored with Miles Hudson, was published in 1997. He was a Deputy Lieutenant of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

from 1987, and lived near

Hartley Wintney Hartley Wintney is a large village and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It lies about northwest of Fleet and east of Basingstoke. The parish includes the smaller contiguous village of Phoenix Green as well as the ham ...

. His interests included fly fishing,

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

and

horse riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

and he was also President of the Hampshire branch of the

British Red Cross Society The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with mor ...

from 1986 to 1994. He was also a Member of the Council of Marlborough College. He died on 10 November 2007.

Family

In 1955 he married Cicely Constance Lambert; they had four daughters.

References

External links

Obituary
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', 13 November 2007 , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanier, John British field marshals 7th Queen's Own Hussars officers Royal Scots Greys officers British Army personnel of the Falklands War Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst 1925 births 2007 deaths Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Chiefs of the General Staff (United Kingdom) People from Sawbridgeworth Constables of the Tower of London Commandants of the Staff College, Camberley Military personnel from Hertfordshire

Early life and education

Military career

Family

References

Further reading

External links