Henry Everard
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Breedon Everard DSO
(21 February 1897 – 7 August 1980) was a railway engineer and executive who became for a brief time the Acting President of Rhodesia
during the U.D.I.
period.
Everard was born in Barnet
and educated at Marlborough College
and Cambridge University. During the First World War he served in France with the Rifle Brigade, where he was wounded in combat and reached the rank of Captain
. He worked as a railway engineer from 1922, but was commissioned again on the outbreak of the Second World War, this time in the Sherwood Foresters
; he was taken prisoner by German forces, awarded the Distinguished Service Order
, and reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. When repatriated after the war he became an executive of British Railways.
In 1953 Everard moved to Bulawayo
, Southern Rhodesia
to become General Manager of Rhodesia Railways, which he remained for five years before retiring. He supported the Rhodesian Front
and stood in for Clifford Dupont
(who had been made "Officer Administering the Government") in 1968-69. Following the proclamation of a Republic, Everard was Acting President on several occasions.
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...
(21 February 1897 – 7 August 1980) was a railway engineer and executive who became for a brief time the Acting President of Rhodesia
President of Rhodesia
The position of President of Rhodesia was the nominal head of state of Rhodesia from 1970 to 1979. As with Rhodesia itself, the position lacked international recognition for the entire period. The position of president, however, was mostly symbolic, and Rhodesia never had a presidential system of...
during the U.D.I.
Unilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia)
The Unilateral Declaration of Independence of Rhodesia from the United Kingdom was signed on November 11, 1965, by the administration of Ian Smith, whose Rhodesian Front party opposed black majority rule in the then British colony. Although it declared independence from the United Kingdom it...
period.
Everard was born in Barnet
Barnet
High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
and educated at Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
and Cambridge University. During the First World War he served in France with the Rifle Brigade, where he was wounded in combat and reached the rank of Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
. He worked as a railway engineer from 1922, but was commissioned again on the outbreak of the Second World War, this time in the Sherwood Foresters
Sherwood Foresters
The Sherwood Foresters was formed during the Childers Reforms in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 45th Regiment of Foot and the 95th Regiment of Foot...
; he was taken prisoner by German forces, 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...
, and reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. When repatriated after the war he became an executive of British Railways.
In 1953 Everard moved to Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
, Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
to become General Manager of Rhodesia Railways, which he remained for five years before retiring. He supported the Rhodesian Front
Rhodesian Front
The Rhodesian Front was a political party in Southern Rhodesia when the country was under white minority rule. Led first by Winston Field, and, from 1964, by Ian Smith, the Rhodesian Front was the successor to the Dominion Party, which was the main opposition party in Southern Rhodesia during the...
and stood in for Clifford Dupont
Clifford Dupont
Clifford Walter Dupont, GCLM ID was a British-born Rhodesian politician who served in the internationally unrecognised positions of Officer Administrating the Government and President...
(who had been made "Officer Administering the Government") in 1968-69. Following the proclamation of a Republic, Everard was Acting President on several occasions.