Brian Robertson, 1st Baron Robertson of Oakridge
Encyclopedia
General
Brian Hubert Robertson, 1st Baron Robertson of Oakridge, GCB
, GBE
, KCMG
, KCVO
, DSO
, MC
(22 July 1896 – 29 April 1974), known as Sir Brian Robertson, 2nd Baronet, from 1933 to 1961, was a British Army
General
.
Between 1953 and 1961 he was Chairman of the British Transport Commission
.
Sir William Robertson, and his wife Mildred Adelaide (née Palin), and was educated at Charterhouse
and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He served with the Royal Engineers in France and Italy during World War I
and was mentioned in despatches. After the war he served with the Bengal Sappers and Miners from 1920 to 1925 and took part in the Waziristan
expedition of 1923 to 1924. After further training, Robertson joined the War Office in Military Intelligence
. He retired from the military as a Major in 1934 and became the Managing Director of Dunlop
South Africa Ltd in 1935. With the outbreak of World War II
he re-entered military service in 1940 and served in East and North Africa, and Italy until the end of the war, notably as Harold Alexander's
Chief Administration Officer in Italy
from 1944 to 1945. He was restored to the Active List in 1945 as a Major General
and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a Lieutenant General
later that year and a General in 1946.
From 1945 Robertson was the Deputy Military Governor and from 1947 the Military Governor and British
member of the Allied Control Council
for Germany
.
He went on to be Commander-in-Chief
of Middle East Land Forces and Governor of the Suez Canal
Zone in 1950; he retired in 1953.
He was also Colonel Commandant
of the Royal Engineers
from 1950 to 1953.
, a post he held until 1961 (and was succeeded by Dr Richard Beeching
). Robertson was also an aide-de-camp
to King George VI
from 1949 to 1952. In 1961 he was raised to the Peerage
as Baron Robertson of Oakridge, of Oakridge in the County of Gloucester.
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Brian Hubert Robertson, 1st Baron Robertson of Oakridge, GCB
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 mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, GBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(22 July 1896 – 29 April 1974), known as Sir Brian Robertson, 2nd Baronet, from 1933 to 1961, was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
.
Between 1953 and 1961 he was Chairman of the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
.
Military career
Robertson was the eldest son of Field MarshalField Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Sir William Robertson, and his wife Mildred Adelaide (née Palin), and was educated at Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He served with the Royal Engineers in France and Italy during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and was mentioned in despatches. After the war he served with the Bengal Sappers and Miners from 1920 to 1925 and took part in the Waziristan
Waziristan
Waziristan is a mountainous region near the Northwest of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . The area is entirely populated by ethnic Pashtuns . The language spoken in the valley is Pashto/Pakhto...
expedition of 1923 to 1924. After further training, Robertson joined the War Office in Military Intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
. He retired from the military as a Major in 1934 and became the Managing Director of Dunlop
Dunlop Rubber
Dunlop Rubber was a company based in the United Kingdom which manufactured tyres and other rubber products for most of the 20th century. It was acquired by BTR plc in 1985. Since then, ownership of the Dunlop trade-names has been fragmented.-Early history:...
South Africa Ltd in 1935. With the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he re-entered military service in 1940 and served in East and North Africa, and Italy until the end of the war, notably as Harold Alexander's
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian...
Chief Administration Officer in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from 1944 to 1945. He was restored to the Active List in 1945 as a Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
later that year and a General in 1946.
From 1945 Robertson was the Deputy Military Governor and from 1947 the Military Governor and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
member of the Allied Control Council
Allied Control Council
The Allied Control Council or Allied Control Authority, known in the German language as the Alliierter Kontrollrat and also referred to as the Four Powers , was a military occupation governing body of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany after the end of World War II in Europe...
for Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
He went on to be Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of Middle East Land Forces and Governor of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
Zone in 1950; he retired in 1953.
He was also Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels...
of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
from 1950 to 1953.
Retirement
In 1953 he retired from military service for the second time and on his return to Britain he became Chairman of the British Transport CommissionBritish Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
, a post he held until 1961 (and was succeeded by Dr Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching , commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer...
). Robertson was also an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
from 1949 to 1952. In 1961 he was raised to the Peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Baron Robertson of Oakridge, of Oakridge in the County of Gloucester.
Family
Lord Robertson of Oakridge married Edith Christina, daughter of James Black Macindoe, in 1926. He died in April 1974, aged 77, and was succeeded in his titles by his son William. Lady Robertson of Oakridge died in 1984.Honours and awards
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
- Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
- Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
- Military CrossMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
- Commander, Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
(U.S.A.) - Commander, Legion of Honour (France)
Reference
- Burke's Peerage & Gentry
- WW2 service record
- Brief Biography
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.