Field Marshal Sir Roland Christopher Gibbs, (22 June 1921 – 31 October 2004) 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 ...

, the professional head of the

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 ...

, from 1976 to 1979, and Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire from 1989 to 1996. He saw active service in 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 ...

and acted as chief of staff to the commander of the operation to evacuate all British troops and civilians from Aden during the

Aden Emergency The Aden Emergency, also known as the Radfan Uprising (), was an armed rebellion by NLF and FLOSY during the Cold War against the Federation of South Arabia, a protectorate of the United Kingdom, which now forms part of Yemen. Partly inspire ...

Military career

Born the son of Major Guy Melvil Gibbs and Margaret Gibbs (née St John)Debrett's People of Today 1994 and educated at

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, ...

and 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 infant ...

, Gibbs was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) on 31 December 1939, almost four months after the British entry into the

. He was not immediately involved in action, however, as he was deemed to be too young, and remained in the United Kingdom until he was posted to the 2nd Battalion, KRRC, then commanded by Lieutenant Colonel

George Erskine General Sir George Watkin Eben James Erskine (23 August 1899 – 29 August 1965) was a senior British Army officer who is most notable for having commanded the 7th Armoured Division from 1943 to 1944 during World War II, and leading major cou ...

and in the process of reforming after sustaining severe casualties during the siege of Calais. Gibbs, 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 1 July 1941, was to serve with the battalion for the rest of the war and was deployed to

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 ...

with his battalion in late 1941, he was awarded the

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) on 15 October 1942. After participating in the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...

, he took command of 'C Company' of his battalion in March 1943 and remained in that role for the rest of the war. Commanding his company throughout the final stages of the

Tunisian campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...

, he later took part in the

Allied invasion of Italy The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place from 3 September 1943, during the Italian campaign of World War II. The operation was undertaken by General Sir Harold Alexander's 15th Army ...

and in the first few weeks of the Italian campaign. This was followed by action during the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

and the subsequent fighting in North West Europe until

Victory in Europe Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...

(VE Day) in May 1945. Throughout this time, from D-Day to VE Day, one of his fellow officers was Edwin Bramall. Like Gibbs himself, Bramall was destined to reach the very highest ranks. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

(DSO) on 2 August 1945. ItalySalernoInvasion1943

With the end of World War II in Europe, Gibbs was posted to the South-East Asian theatre where he served, briefly, as a General Staff Officer Grade 2 (GSO2) at the HQ of Allied Land Forces South-East Asia (ALFSEA). After the surrender of Japan, he was posted to the 5th Parachute Brigade as its

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 ...

. However, he returned to the 2nd KRRC after the 5th Para Brigade was disbanded. Gibbs was promoted to captain on 1 July 1946 and deployed to Palestine during the

Palestine Emergency A successful paramilitary campaign was carried out by Zionist underground groups against British rule in Mandatory Palestine from 1944 to 1948. The tensions between the Zionist underground and the British mandatory authorities rose from 1938 an ...

, serving with the

7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion The 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, formed by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was raised in November 1942 by the conversion of the 10th Battalion, ...

, part of the 6th Airborne Division (see the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine). He then became an instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in December 1948. Promoted to major on 31 December 1952, he was posted as Brigade Major of 5th Infantry Brigade at

Iserlohn Iserlohn (; Westphalian: ''Iserlaun'') is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city by population and area within the district and the Sauerland region. Geography Iserlohn is locat ...

in Germany and in 1957 he became a staff officer in

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...

dealing with inter-service planning. In 1960 he was appointed Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment and in 1963, as a temporary brigadier, went on to command 16 Parachute Brigade which deployed that year to

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 ...

in a peace keeping role. Promoted to

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 ...

on 4 July 1964, he was posted to Aden in 1966 as chief of staff to Admiral Sir Michael Le Fanu who was commander of the operation to evacuate all British troops and civilians during the

. He was promoted to the substantive rank of

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 6 December 1966 and appointed a

Commander 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 ...

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 ...

1968.

He was appointed Commander of British Land Forces in the Persian Gulf on 30 April 1969 in which role he re-organised the Trucial Oman Scouts and laid the foundations for what is now the Sultan of Oman's Land Forces. 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

1972, he became Commander of 1st (British) Corps 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 14 January 1972 and Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces with the rank of 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 April 1974. Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1976 and having become 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), ...

on 25 June 1976, he became

on 15 July 1976. In this capacity he had to deal with the challenges of recruitment and retention in the army at a time of high inflation. He was promoted to field marshal on 13 July 1979 on his retirement from the British Army. He was also colonel commandant of the 2nd Battalion the

Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). History The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...

from 1971 and colonel commandant of the Parachute Regiment from 1972. Gibbs retired to a former rectory in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, where his pastimes were shooting,

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

with the Beaufort, and painting. He was the

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 1985 to 1990 and served as Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire from 1989 to 1996. His interests included

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...

and

: he used to follow the Beaufort Hunt until a medical operation on his knee halted further participation. He was also a keen amateur artist. He died on 31 October 2004.

Family

In 1955, Gibbs married Davina Merry, the artist; they had two sons, and a daughter.

References

Bibliography

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbs, Roland 1921 births 2004 deaths Academics of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies British Army personnel of World War II British field marshals British military personnel of the Aden Emergency British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency British Parachute Regiment officers Chiefs of the General Staff (United Kingdom) Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Constables of the Tower of London Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley King's Royal Rifle Corps officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights of the Order of St John Lord-Lieutenants of Wiltshire People educated at Eton College People from Somerset Military personnel from Somerset