Richard Worsley
Sir Richard Worsley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 May 1923 Ballywalter, County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 23 February 2013 (aged 89) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1982 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) |
| Commands | 1st (British) Corps 3rd Division 7th Armoured Brigade 1st The Royal Dragoons |
| Battles / wars | Second World War Malayan Emergency |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Anne Mitchell Caroline Carnegie, Duchess of Fife |
| Relations | Henry Worsley (son) |
General Sir Richard Edward Worsley, GCB, OBE (29 May 1923 – 23 February 2013) was a senior British Army officer who fought in the Second World War and later commanded 1st (British) Corps.
Early life
[edit]Worsley was born on 29 May 1923 at Ballywalter, County Down, Northern Ireland, the son of Herbert Henry Knight Worsley, JP (1885–1947) of Lough House, Grey Abbey, County Down,[1] by Rose Austen (died 30 April 1958),[2] only daughter of John Alfred Hives of Upper Plain, Masterton, New Zealand, farmer,[3] and widow of Major Meyrick Myler Magrath, DSO, Royal Field Artillery, of Dorking House, Cosham, Hampshire.[4] He was educated at Radley College.[5][6][7]
His uncles were the first-class cricket batsmen A. E. Worsley and C. E. A. Worsley,[8] who both played for Northamptonshire.[9][10]
Military career
[edit]During the Second World War Worsley was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the British Army's Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) in 1942.[11] He served in the Middle East and Italy.[8]
After the war he then served in the Malayan Emergency in 1948.[12] He became an instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst later in 1948 and then became Commanding Officer (CO) of the 1st The Royal Dragoons in 1962.[12]
He took command of the 7th Armoured Brigade in 1965 and Chief of Staff Far East Land Forces in 1969.[12] He became General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3rd Division in 1972 and GOC 1st (British) Corps in 1976.[12] His final appointment was as Quartermaster-General to the Forces in 1979; he retired in 1982.[12] He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1964 New Year Honours[13] and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1976 Birthday Honours.[14] He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1982 New Year Honours.[15]
He lived at Goring Heath in South Oxfordshire[16] and died on 23 February 2013.[17]
Personal life
[edit]He married on 6 May 1959 at Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, London, to Sarah Anne "Sally", eldest daughter of Brigadier J. A. H. Mitchell of the British Embassy, Paris,[18] and they went on to have a son, Henry,[19] and a daughter, Charlotte.[6] On 7 Nov 1980, he married Caroline Carnegie, Duchess of Fife.[20][12][6]
References
[edit]- ^ The Times 13 Sept 1947, p. 1
- ^ The Times 1 May 1958, p. 1
- ^ Wairarapa Daily Times (New Zealand) 17 Nov 1915, p. 5
- ^ The Times 23 Jan 1922, p. 13
- ^ Robertson-Glasgow, R. W., St. Peter's College Radley Register 1847–1962, pp. 189, 467
- ^ a b c "General Sir Richard Worsley". The Daily Telegraph. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ Radley College Foundation Report 2004
- ^ a b Keleny, Anne (20 March 2013). "General Sir Richard Worsley: Soldier who oversaw the end of Britain's presence in the Far East". The Independent. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ Arthur Worsley at CricketArchive
- ^ "First-Class Matches played by Charles Worsley". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ "No. 35649". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 July 1942. p. 3351.
- ^ a b c d e f Debrett's People of Today 1974
- ^ "No. 43200". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1963. p. 7.
- ^ "No. 46919". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1976. p. 8016.
- ^ "No. 48837". The London Gazette. 30 December 1981. p. 2.
- ^ Cadets help pick grapes Henley Standard, 16 November 2009
- ^ "Richard Worsley obituary", The Times, 27 February 2013
- ^ The Times 7 May 1959, p. 14
- ^ "Explorer Henry Worsley dies attempting Antarctic crossing". BBC. 24 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ The Times 8 Nov 1980, p. 16
- 1923 births
- 2013 deaths
- British Army generals
- British Army personnel of the Malayan Emergency
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- People educated at Radley College
- 1st The Royal Dragoons officers
- Rifle Brigade officers
- Academics of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- Military personnel from County Down