Charles Leslie Richardson
| Sir Charles Richardson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 August 1908 |
| Died | 7 February 1994 (aged 85) |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| Years of service | 1928–1971 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Royal Engineers |
| Commands held |
Singapore District Northern Command |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order |
General Sir Charles Leslie Richardson GCB CBE DSO (11 August 1908 – 7 February 1994) was a senior British Army officer who saw service in World War II and later reached high office in the 1950s.
Military career
Educated at St. Ronan's School[1] and Clare College, Cambridge, Richardson was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Engineers in 1928.[2] He served in World War II as a General Staff Officer for the Plans Headquarters of the British Eighth Army from 1942.
Richardson played a significant role in the Battle of El Alamein and was responsible for planning the deception operation codenamed Operation Bertram in particular. He was Deputy Chief of Staff for Mark Clark's U.S. Fifth Army from 1943 and as a brigadier for 21st Army Group from 1944.[2]
After the War he was with the British Control Commission in Berlin from 1945 to 1946 and then with the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) from 1947 to 1948.[2] He held various staff appointments in the UK and Egypt between 1949 and 1952.[2]
He was appointed Commandant of the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham in 1955 and then General Officer Commanding for Singapore District in 1958.[2] He went on to be Director of Combat Development at the War Office in 1960 and Director General of Military Training in 1961.[2] In this latter role he was credited with recognising the significance of the Special Air Service which hitherto had been treated as little more than a 'private army of ill-disciplined mavericks'.[3]
In 1963 he became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command and in 1965 he became Quartermaster-General to the Forces.[2] His final appointment was as Master-General of the Ordnance in 1966: he retired in 1971.[2]
He was Chief Royal Engineer from 1972 to 1977.[2]
His banner as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath hangs in St Michael's Church at Betchworth in Surrey.[4]
References
- ↑ St. Ronan's School
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ↑ U. S. Counter-Terrorist Forces By Fred J. Pushies, Terry Griswold, D. M. Giangreco, S. F. Tomajczyk, Page 153 Motorbooks, 2002, ISBN 978-0-7603-1363-3
- ↑ St Michael's Church, Betchworth Archived 23 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
Bibliography
- Flashback: a soldier's story by Sir Charles Richardson GCB CBE DSO, Kimber, 1985, ISBN 978-0-7183-0567-3
- Send for Freddie: Story of Montgomery's Chief of Staff Major-General Sir Francis De Guingand by Sir Charles Richardson GCB CBE DSO, Kimber, 1987, ISBN 978-0-7183-0641-0
- From Churchill's secret circle to the BBC: the biography of Lieutenant General Sir Ian Jacob GBE CB DL by Sir Charles Richardson GCB CBE DSO, Elsevier, 1991, ISBN 978-0-08-037692-9
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Charles Jones |
GOC-in-C Northern Command 1963–1964 |
Succeeded by Sir Geoffrey Musson |
| Preceded by Sir Gerald Lathbury |
Quartermaster-General to the Forces 1965–1966 |
Succeeded by Sir Alan Jolly |
| Preceded by Sir Charles Jones |
Master-General of the Ordnance 1966–1971 |
Succeeded by Sir Noel Thomas |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Sir Charles Jones |
Chief Royal Engineer 1972–1977 |
Succeeded by Sir David Willison |