Sir Robert MacGowan Chapman, 2nd Baronet, (12 February 1911 – 2 August 1987) was a Territorial Army officer who served as

High Sheriff of Durham This is a list of the high sheriffs of County Durham, England. In most counties the high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. In the Palatinate of Durham the officeholder was appointed by and was accountable to the Bishop of ...

from 1960 to 1961, Deputy Lieutenant of Durham from 1952 to 1974, and later Vice-Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear.

Early life

He was the son of

Sir Robert Chapman, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Chapman, 1st Baronet (3 March 1880 – 31 July 1963) was a British soldier and Conservative Party politician. Early life Chapman was the son of Henry Chapman, a Chartered Accountant and prominent businessman in South Shields, and Do ...

and Hélène Paris MacGowan. He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

, Marlborough, Wiltshire, England and Corpus Christi College,

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, graduating in 1933 with a BA degree, and in 1936 with an MA. He was commissioned into the

Royal 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 ...

on 10 February 1934. He was registered as a Member, Institute of Chartered Accountants (A.C.A.) in 1938. He married Barbara May Tonks, daughter o
Hubert Tonks
on 18 January 1941.

Wartime

He gained the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1940 in the GSO(3), AA Command. Later gaining the rank of

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 1940 in the GSO(2), 1st AA Corps. He became commanding officer of the 124th HAA Regiment,

in 1942.

Later life

He was appointed Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants (F.C.A.) in 1945. He held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for County Durham in 1946. He gained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1948 in the 325th Regiment, Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, the same regiment which his father had served in. He was awarded the

Efficiency Decoration The Efficiency Decoration, post-nominal letters TD for recipients serving in the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army of the United Kingdom or ED for those serving in the British Colonial Auxiliary Forces, Auxiliary Military Forces, ...

in 1948 and bar. He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

in 1952. He held the office of High Sheriff of County Durham in 1960. He was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1961 for 'political and public services in the North of England'. He was appointed the Honorary Colonel in 1963 of the 463 (Durham Light Infantry) Light Air Defence Regiment RA (TA). He succeeded as the 2nd Baronet Chapman, on 31 July 1963, after the death of his father. Sir Robert held the office of Vice-Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear in 1974. He died on 2 August 1987 at age 76 at South Shields, County Durham, England. and was succeeded to the baronetcy by his son Sir David Robert Macgowan Chapman, 3rd Baronet (born 1941).

Honours

*31 July 1963:

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, 2nd Baronet Chapman of Cleadon *2 June 1961:

*1944:

(Second award in 1948)

Honorary Military Appointments

*21 March 1963: Honorary Colonel, 463 (Durham Light Infantry) Light Air Defence Regiment RA (TA)

Arms

References

www.thepeerage.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Robert MacGowan 1911 births 1987 deaths High sheriffs of Durham Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Royal Artillery officers Deputy lieutenants of Durham Commanders of the Order of the British Empire British Army personnel of World War II Chapman baronets Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge People educated at Marlborough College