David Lloyd Owen
Encyclopedia
Major-General David Lanyon Lloyd Owen CB
, DSO
, OBE
, MC
(10 October 1917 – 5 April 2001) was a British soldier and writer. During World War II
he commanded the Long Range Desert Group
.
in 1938 and was commissioned into the Queen's Royal Regiment. He was with the 2nd Battalion
of this regiment in Palestine and the Western Desert
from 1939 to July 1941 when he joined the Long Range Desert Group
(LRDG).
raid on Tobruk
in August/September 1942, which earned him the Military Cross
. He was wounded in an air raid
on the LRDG base at Kufra
in October 1942 and nearly lost an arm. He rejoined the LRDG in February 1943, when they underwent training in Lebanon
before being sent to the Aegean
.
He took command of the LRDG at the end of 1943 after the death of his predecessor Jake Easonsmith during the Battle of Leros
. He based himself at Bari
in southern Italy
from which he mounted a successful raid on Corfu
and staged operations in the Dalmatia
n islands and Yugoslavia
. In September 1944, he was parachuted into Albania
at night. Shortly after landing he fell 30 ft into a ravine and severely damaged his spine.
Despite being in continual pain, Lloyd Owen directed special forces
operations in the mountains for the next three months. Eventually Lloyd Owen was evacuated to Italy, was successfully operated on, and told not to return to his former activities. But he managed to bluff his way past a medical board and returned to Albania, although this time by boat. The LRDG was eventually disbanded in June 1945. For his leadership in the Balkans
, Lloyd Owen was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
that year.
, including a period on the staff at Sandhurst
. In 1952, he was appointed Military Assistant to the High Commissioner in Malaya
. He then commanded the 1st Battalion of the Queen's Royal Regiment from 1957 to 1959. In the early 1960s he led 24 Infantry Brigade Group in Kenya
and was then, from 1966 to 1968, GOC
, Cyprus District. From 1968 to 1969 he was GOC, Near East Land Forces and, from 1969 to 1972, president of the Regular Commissions Board. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1954 and Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1971.
He wrote several book about his experiences – The Desert My Dwelling Place published by Cassell
in 1957 and again by Panther Books
the following year, and more recently Long Range Desert Group 1940-1945: Providence Their Guide, published by Leo Cooper/Pen & Sword Books in 2001.
He married Ursula Barclay (known as Ursie) and had three sons; Michael, Piers and Christopher. By the time of his death, he had seven grandchildren.
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...
, 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...
, OBE
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...
, 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....
(10 October 1917 – 5 April 2001) was a British soldier and writer. During 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 commanded the Long Range Desert Group
Long Range Desert Group
The Long Range Desert Group was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The commander of the German Afrika Corps, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, admitted that the LRDG "caused us more damage than any other British unit of equal strength".Originally called...
.
Early career
He joined the British ArmyBritish 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...
in 1938 and was commissioned into the Queen's Royal Regiment. He was with the 2nd Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of this regiment in Palestine and the Western Desert
Libyan Desert
The Libyan Desert covers an area of approximately 1,100,000 km2, it extends approximately 1100 km from east to west, and 1,000 km from north to south, in about the shape of a rectangle...
from 1939 to July 1941 when he joined the Long Range Desert Group
Long Range Desert Group
The Long Range Desert Group was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The commander of the German Afrika Corps, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, admitted that the LRDG "caused us more damage than any other British unit of equal strength".Originally called...
(LRDG).
Long Range Desert Group
He took part in a number of operations, including the SASSpecial Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
raid on Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
in August/September 1942, which earned him the Military Cross
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....
. He was wounded in an air raid
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
on the LRDG base at Kufra
Kufra
Kufra is a basin and oasis group in Al Kufrah District, southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. Kufra is historically important above all because at the end of nineteenth century it became the center and holy place of the Senussi order...
in October 1942 and nearly lost an arm. He rejoined the LRDG in February 1943, when they underwent training in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
before being sent to the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
.
He took command of the LRDG at the end of 1943 after the death of his predecessor Jake Easonsmith during the Battle of Leros
Battle of Leros
The Battle of Leros was the central event of the Dodecanese Campaign of the Second World War, and is widely used as an alternate name for the whole campaign. Leros was occupied by British forces on 15 September 1943...
. He based himself at Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
in southern 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 which he mounted a successful raid on Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
and staged operations in the Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
n islands and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. In September 1944, he was parachuted into Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
at night. Shortly after landing he fell 30 ft into a ravine and severely damaged his spine.
Despite being in continual pain, Lloyd Owen directed special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
operations in the mountains for the next three months. Eventually Lloyd Owen was evacuated to Italy, was successfully operated on, and told not to return to his former activities. But he managed to bluff his way past a medical board and returned to Albania, although this time by boat. The LRDG was eventually disbanded in June 1945. For his leadership in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, Lloyd Owen was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
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...
that year.
Post-War
After the war, he had various appointments in BritainUnited 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...
, including a period on the staff at Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. In 1952, he was appointed Military Assistant to the High Commissioner in Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
. He then commanded the 1st Battalion of the Queen's Royal Regiment from 1957 to 1959. In the early 1960s he led 24 Infantry Brigade Group in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and was then, from 1966 to 1968, GOC
GOC
GOC may refer to:*Gareth O'Callaghan, Irish author and presenter*General Officer Commanding, a general officer who holds a military command appointment*General Optical Council, an organisation in the United Kingdom that regulates opticians and optometrists...
, Cyprus District. From 1968 to 1969 he was GOC, Near East Land Forces and, from 1969 to 1972, president of the Regular Commissions Board. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1954 and Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1971.
He wrote several book about his experiences – The Desert My Dwelling Place published by Cassell
Orion Publishing Group
Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It is owned by Hachette Livre. In 1998 Orion bought Cassell.-History:Full history of the group can be found on Orion Publishing Group is owned by -Imprints:...
in 1957 and again by Panther Books
Panther (publisher)
Panther Books Ltd was a British publishing house especially active in the 1950s and 1960s, specialising in paperback fiction. It was established in May 1952 by Hamilton's Ltd and titles carried the line "A Panther Book" or "Panther Science Fiction" on the cover...
the following year, and more recently Long Range Desert Group 1940-1945: Providence Their Guide, published by Leo Cooper/Pen & Sword Books in 2001.
He married Ursula Barclay (known as Ursie) and had three sons; Michael, Piers and Christopher. By the time of his death, he had seven grandchildren.