Kenneth Darling
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Kenneth Thomas Darling GBE
KCB
DSO
(17 September 1909 – 31 October 1998) was a senior British Army officer who was Commander in Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe
from 1967 to 1969.
and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Darling was commissioned into the 7th Royal Fusiliers in 1929. He served in North West Europe during 1944 and 1945 and was awarded the DSO
in 1945. He became Commander
of the 5th Parachute Brigade in 1946, of the Airborne Forces Depot in 1948 and of 16th Independent Parachute Brigade in 1950. He was Chief of Staff of I (British) Corps from 1955, General Officer Commanding
II Corps from 1956 and then Deputy Director, Staff Duties at the War Office
from 1957. He went on to be General Officer Commanding Cyprus District in 1958, Director of Infantry in 1960 and General Officer Commanding
I (British) Corps in 1962. His last appointments were as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Southern Command
in 1964 and Commander in Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe
from 1967 until his retirement in 1969.
He was appointed GBE
in 1969, KCB
in 1963, CBE
in 1957 and CB
in 1957.
He was ADC General to the Queen
between 1968 and 1969. He was also Colonel Commandant
of the Parachute Regiment from 1965 to 1967. He lived in Bicester
, Oxfordshire
.
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....
Sir Kenneth Thomas Darling 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...
KCB
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...
(17 September 1909 – 31 October 1998) was a senior British Army officer who was Commander in Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe
Allied Forces Northern Europe
Allied Forces Northern Europe was the most northern NATO command located at Kolsås outside Oslo. It was part of Allied Command Europe from around 1952 to 2003...
from 1967 to 1969.
Early life
Darling was born in India, the eldest son of George Kenneth Darling (1879–1964) of the Indian Civil Service and his wife Mabel Eleanor, née Burgess (d. 1952). His younger brother Maj.-Gen. Douglas Lyall Darling (1914–1978) was also a distinguished soldier.Military career
Educated at Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Darling was commissioned into the 7th Royal Fusiliers in 1929. He served in North West Europe during 1944 and 1945 and was awarded the 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...
in 1945. He became Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the 5th Parachute Brigade in 1946, of the Airborne Forces Depot in 1948 and of 16th Independent Parachute Brigade in 1950. He was Chief of Staff of I (British) Corps from 1955, General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
II Corps from 1956 and then Deputy Director, Staff Duties at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
from 1957. He went on to be General Officer Commanding Cyprus District in 1958, Director of Infantry in 1960 and General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
I (British) Corps in 1962. His last appointments were as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Southern Command
Southern Command (United Kingdom)
-History:The Command was established in 1905 from the Second Army Corps and was initially based at Tidworth but in 1949 moved to Fugglestone Farm near Wilton in Wiltshire....
in 1964 and Commander in Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe
Allied Forces Northern Europe
Allied Forces Northern Europe was the most northern NATO command located at Kolsås outside Oslo. It was part of Allied Command Europe from around 1952 to 2003...
from 1967 until his retirement in 1969.
He was appointed 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...
in 1969, KCB
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...
in 1963, CBE
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...
in 1957 and CB
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...
in 1957.
He was ADC General to the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
between 1968 and 1969. 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 Parachute Regiment from 1965 to 1967. He lived in Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.