Roland Gibbs

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Roland Christopher Gibbs , GCB , CBE , DSO , MC , KStJ (born June 22, 1921 in Long Ashton, Flax Bourton, Somerset ; † October 31, 2004 in Wiltshire ) was a British Army officer , most recently as Field Marshal (Field Marshal) was Chief of the General Staff of the British Army between 1976 and 1979 . Later, he served from 1985 to 1990 as Constable of the Tower (Constable of the Tower) and was the highest officer of the Tower of London . He was also Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire from 1989 to 1996 .

Life

Officer training and promotion to general

Roland Christopher Gibbs was the second son and youngest of four children of Major Guy Melvil Gibbs, a North Somerset Yeomanry officer , and Margaret Olivia St. John. His older brother Martin St. John Valentine Gibbs was, among other things, High Sheriff of Gloucestershire . He himself attended the renowned Eton College and then began officer training at the Royal Military College Sandhurst . Once finished, he became 1940 lieutenant (Second Lieutenant) in the infantry rifle regiment King's Royal Rifle Corps and took during World War II in combat operations and battles in North Africa , Italy and other parts of Europe in part. For his military service he was awarded the Military Cross (MC) in 1943 and the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1945 . After the end of the war he found numerous jobs as an officer and staff officer and was, among other things, commander of the 3rd battalion of the Parachute Regiment ( Parachute Regiment ) . In December 1963, he has served as the Brigade General (Brigadier) brigadier Michael Forrester as commander of the 16th Parachute Brigade (16th Parachute Brigade) , and remained in that role until April 1966, after which Brigadier Anthony Farrar-Hockley began his local successor. He was then in May 1966 as the successor to Air Commodore of Staff of the Armed Forces Command at the Edward J. Morris chief Middle East (Chief of Staff, Middle East Command) and had this position until the dissolution of the command in November 1967 held.

Gibbs, the 1968 Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) was was when Major General (Major-General) from April 1969 to January 1972 the commander of the land forces in the Persian Gulf. On January 1, 1972 he was beaten Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB), so that from then on he carried the suffix "Sir". In January 1972 he took over as lieutenant general (Lieutenant General) succeeds Lt. Gen. John Aubrey Taylor Sharp as Commanding General of I Corps (General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, I Corps ) and has held this commander post until his replacement by Lieutenant General Jack Harman in January 1974. He in turn sparked as General in April 1974 General Basil Eugster as supreme commander of the British land forces (Commander-in-Chief, UK land forces) , and remained in this use until May 1976, after General Edwin Bramall its local successor took . On June 12, 1976 he was also raised to the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB).

Chief of General Staff, Constable of the Tower and Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire

Most recently General Roland Gibbs became General Roland Gibbs in July 1976 and succeeded General Peter Mervyn Hunt as Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, which he held until his retirement from active military service in July 1979. His successor was then again General Edwin Bramall. He also served 1976 to 1979 as aide-de-camp of Queen Elizabeth II. , And was with his retirement in July 1979 and to Field Marshal (Field Marshal) transported.

In August 1985 Sir Roland Gibbs succeeded General Peter Mervyn Hunt again as Constable of the Tower of London , making him the highest officer of the Tower of London. He held this office until July 1990 and was then replaced by Field Marshal John Wilfred Stanier . In 1989 he also took over from Colonel Hugh Trefusis Brassey as Lord Lieutenant of the County of Wiltshire and held this position until his replacement by Lieutenant General Maurice Robert Johnston in 1996. In 1990 he was also Knight of Justice of the Order of Saint John (KStJ).

On October 27, 1955, he married Davinia Jean Merry, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Eion James Henry Merry and Jean Trefusis Crichton. From this marriage the two sons Aidan Joseph Merry Gibbs and James Roland Mevil Gibbs and the daughter Melissa Margaret Jean Gibbs emerged.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ SENIOR ARMY APPOINTMENTS: SINCE 1860, p. 279
  2. ↑ MINISTRY OF DEFENSE AND TRI-SERVICE SENIOR APPOINTMENTS, p. 41
  3. ↑ a b KNIGHTS AND DAMES (leighrayment.com)
  4. ↑ SENIOR ARMY APPOINTMENTS: SINCE 1860, p. 122
  5. ↑ SENIOR ARMY APPOINTMENTS: SINCE 1860, p. 73
  6. ↑ SENIOR ARMY APPOINTMENTS: SINCE 1860, p. 6
  7. ↑ SENIOR ARMY APPOINTMENTS: SINCE 1860, p. 122
personal data
SURNAME Gibbs, Roland
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gibbs, Sir Roland Christopher (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Field Marshal General
DATE OF BIRTH June 22, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Long Ashton, Flax Bourton, Somerset
DATE OF DEATH October 31, 2004
Place of death Wiltshire