Richard Lawson (British Army officer)

Infobox Military Person
name=Richard Lawson


caption=
born=November 24th 1924
died=
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=
placeofburial=
placeofburial_label=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
branch=
serviceyears=1948–1986
rank=General
unit=Royal Tank Regiment
commands=20th Armoured Brigade
1st Armoured Division
GOC Northern Ireland
C-in-C Allied Forces Northern Europe
battles=
awards= Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Knight Commander of the Order of St. Sylvester
Officer of the Order of the Crown of Belgium
relations=
laterwork=

General Sir Richard George Lawson KCB, DSO, OBE (born 24 November 1924) is a former British Army officer, who served as General Officer Commanding in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and later as Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe.

Early career

He was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment as a second lieutenant on 15 July 1948, after leaving the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, [LondonGazette|issue=38383|supp=yes|startpage=4622|date=17 August 1948|accessdate=2008-09-07] and promoted lieutenant on 15 July 1950. [LondonGazette|issue=38967|supp=yes|startpage=3611|date=14 July 1950|accessdate=2008-09-07]

Congo and Yemen

Lawson was promoted to major on 16 July 1961. [LondonGazette|issue=42410|supp=yes|startpage=5165|date=11 July 1961|accessdate=2008-09-07] In December 1961, he volunteered for service with the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Republic of the Congo. At the time he was attached to the Nigerian Army, on secondment from the 1st Royal Tank Regiment. He served in South Kasai and then Katanga, where he became briefly famous for his part in the rescue of several groups of missionaries, and was nicknamed "Dick the Lionheart" by the "Daily Express". [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829044-1,00.html "Dick the Lionheart"] , "Time" magazine, 16 February 1962. Retrieved 8 September 2008.] In 1963 he published a book recounting his time in the Congo, entitled "Strange Soldiering: Major Lawson's own dramatic story of his experiences with the third Nigerian brigade". [ [http://www.trademe.co.nz/Books/Nonfiction/War-military/Other/auction-172410307.htm Review] on trademe.co.nz. Retrieved 8 September 2008.] [cite book|title=Strange Soldiering: Major Lawson's own dramatic story of his experiences with the third Nigerian brigade|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|location=London|year=1963|oclc=185879600] For his actions he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 30 March 1962, and the Nigerian officer, Major Conrad Diba Nwawo, 1st Battalion, The Queen's Own Nigeria Regiment, who accompanied Lawson was awarded the Military Cross, [LondonGazette|issue=42635|supp=yes|startpage=2593|date=27 March 1962|accessdate=2008-09-07] Lawson was also appointed an Officer of the Order of the Crown of Belgium, [LondonGazette|issue=42821|startpage=8463|date=30 October 1962|accessdate=2008-09-07] and a Knight Commander of the Papal Order of St. Sylvester. [LondonGazette|issue=43320|startpage=4113|date=12 May 1964|accessdate=2008-09-07] [ [http://www.papalknights.org.uk/assoc-members.html Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain] ]

From March to November 1967 Lawson undertook another secondment in a British colony on the verge of independence, the Federation of South Arabia (now part of Yemen), acting as GSO1 to the British forces stationed there, training local officers in staff duties, and overseeing the transition to local forces controlling security in Aden; for this he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 8 June 1968, in the Queen's Birthday Honours. [LondonGazette|issue=44600|supp=yes|startpage=6304|date=31 May 1968|accessdate=2008-09-07] [ [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7947048 Recommendations for Honours and Awards (Army)—Image details—"Documents Online"] , The National Archives (fee may be required to view full pdf of original recommendation). Retrieved 7 September 2008.] During this period he was promoted lieutenant-colonel on 30 June 1967. [LondonGazette|issue=44357|supp=yes|startpage=7383|date=30 June 1967|accessdate=2008-09-07] He was promoted colonel on 6 July 1971 [LondonGazette|issue=45417|supp=yes|startpage=7203|date=5 July 1971|accessdate=2008-09-07] and brigadier on 31 December 1971. [LondonGazette|issue=45564|supp=yes|startpage=87|date=23 January 1972|accessdate=2008-09-07]

Promotion to general officer

From 1972 to 1973 he commanded 20th Armoured Brigade. [ [http://www2.army.mod.uk/20bde/bde_comd.htm 20th Armoured Brigade - Brigade Commander] ] On 7 November 1977 he took command of 1st Armoured Division with the acting rank of major-general, [LondonGazette|issue=47390|supp=yes|startpage=14929|date=28 November 1977|accessdate=2008-09-07] and received substantive promotion on 30 June 1978 (with seniority from 1 April 1976). [LondonGazette|issue=47588|supp=yes|startpage=8324|date=11 July 1978|accessdate=2008-09-07] On 3 November 1979, he ceased to command 1st Division. [LondonGazette|issue=48015|supp=yes|startpage=14929|date=26 November 1979|accessdate=2008-09-07]

He succeeded Timothy Creasey as GOC Northern Ireland on 1 December 1979, and was promoted to lieutenant-general after his appointment.cite book
last = Bew
first = Paul
authorlink = Paul Bew, Baron Bew
coauthors = Gordon Gillespie
title = Northern Ireland: A Chronology of the Troubles, 1968-1993
publisher = Gill & Macmillan
date = 1993
pages = pp. 136
isbn = 0-7171-2081-3 ] [ [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch79.htm "A Chronology of the Conflict - 1979"] , CAIN website. Note that the "London Gazette" announced the handover effective 8th January 1980: LondonGazette|issue=48100|supp=yes|startpage=2625|date=18 February 1980|accessdate=2008-09-07] He was himself succeeded by Robert Richardson on 1 June 1982. [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch82.htm Chronology of the Conflict 1982] , CAIN] [LondonGazette|issue=49002|supp=yes|startpage=7562|date=7 June 1982|accessdate=2008-09-07] In the 1980 New Year Honours he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB), [LondonGazette|issue=48041|supp=yes|startpage=2|date=28 December 1979|accessdate=2008-09-07] and on 1 January 1980 he was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Royal Tank Regiment, a post he held until 1 June 1982. [LondonGazette|issue=48080|supp=yes|startpage=1441|date=28 January 1980|accessdate=2008-09-07] [LondonGazette|issue=49028|supp=yes|startpage=8222|date=21 June 1982|accessdate=2008-09-07]

He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe, a NATO post, on 15 November 1982,citation | last = North Atlantic Treaty Organization | title = Senior officials in the NATO military structure, from 1949 to 2001 | url = http://www.nato.int/cv/ace-k-p.pdf ] replacing Anthony Farrar-Hockley, and was promoted to general on his appointment. [LondonGazette|issue=49180|supp=yes|startpage=15621|date=29 November 1982|accessdate=2008-09-07] He was succeeded by Geoffrey Howlett on 10 February 1986. [LondonGazette|issue=50440|supp=yes|startpage=2711|date=24 February 1986|accessdate=2008-09-07] He retired from the army on 28 May 1986. [LondonGazette|issue=50535|supp=yes|startpage=7419|date=2 June 1986|accessdate=2008-09-07]

References

External links

* [http://www.robinpaine.com/oils/oil_lawson.htm Portrait] by Robin Paine, 1985.

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