Kenneth McLean
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Sir Kenneth Graeme McLean KCB
KBE
(1896 - 5 June 1987) was a senior British Army
officer who became Military Secretary.
and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
in 1918.
After the War he served in Ireland
from 1919 and then with King George's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners
in India
from 1923. He went to the Staff College in Quetta
in 1930 and was then a General Staff Officer at Army Head Quarters in India from 1932. He was appointed Assistant Secretary for the Committee of Imperial Defence
in 1938.
He served in World War II
in France
and Germany
. In 1943 he became Chief Operations Officer for 21st Army Group and, in this capacity, was involved in the planning of Operation Overlord
. After the War he became Deputy Adjutant General at General Headquarters Far East Land Forces and then at General Headquarters Middle East Land Forces. He was made Vice Adjutant General at the War Office
in 1947 and Chief of Staff
at the Control Commission
in Germany
and Deputy Military Governor for the British Zone in Germany in 1949. He was made Military Secretary in 1949 and Chief Staff Officer at the Ministry of Defence
in 1951.
He led the Committee of Inquiry into the conduct of the Army during the campaign against the Mau-Mau in Kenya
and found that the troops had shown "a high sense of responsibility and application to duty" but also reported that "two instances of serious misconduct had occurred." He retired in 1954.
In retirement he was a member of the Central Advisory Council on Education, the authors of the Crowther Report: Fifteen to Eighteen, the publication of which eventually led, in 1972, to the raising of the school leaving age to 16. He also raised money for the repair of St Paul's Cathedral
.
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...
KBE
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...
(1896 - 5 June 1987) was a senior 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...
officer who became Military Secretary.
Military career
McLean served in the ranks during World War IWorld 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 commissioned into 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....
in 1918.
After the War he served in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
from 1919 and then with King George's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners
Bengal Engineer Group
The Bengal Engineer Group or the Bengal Sappers or Bengal Engineers as they are informally known, are remnants of British Indian Army's Bengal Army of the Bengal Presidency in British India; now a regiment of the Corps of Engineers in the Indian Army. The Bengal Sappers have their regimental...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
from 1923. He went to the Staff College in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
in 1930 and was then a General Staff Officer at Army Head Quarters in India from 1932. He was appointed Assistant Secretary for the Committee of Imperial Defence
Committee of Imperial Defence
The Committee of Imperial Defence was an important ad hoc part of the government of the United Kingdom and the British Empire from just after the Second Boer War until the start of World War II...
in 1938.
He served in 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...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and 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...
. In 1943 he became Chief Operations Officer for 21st Army Group and, in this capacity, was involved in the planning of Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
. After the War he became Deputy Adjutant General at General Headquarters Far East Land Forces and then at General Headquarters Middle East Land Forces. He was made Vice Adjutant General 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...
in 1947 and Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
at the Control Commission
Control commission
A control commission is an independent regulatory body. Control commissions are most often found in regulated industries and political organisations...
in 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...
and Deputy Military Governor for the British Zone in Germany in 1949. He was made Military Secretary in 1949 and Chief Staff Officer at the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
in 1951.
He led the Committee of Inquiry into the conduct of the Army during the campaign against the Mau-Mau 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 found that the troops had shown "a high sense of responsibility and application to duty" but also reported that "two instances of serious misconduct had occurred." He retired in 1954.
In retirement he was a member of the Central Advisory Council on Education, the authors of the Crowther Report: Fifteen to Eighteen, the publication of which eventually led, in 1972, to the raising of the school leaving age to 16. He also raised money for the repair of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
.