Michael Gow (British Army officer)

Sir Michael Gow
Born	3 June 1924
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	General
Commands held	2nd Bn Scots Guards 4th Guards Brigade 4th Division Scotland British Army of the Rhine
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

General Sir James Michael Gow GCB (born 3 June 1924) is a retired British Army General who reached high office in the 1980s.

Military career

Educated at Winchester College, Gow was commissioned into the Scots Guards during World War II.^[1] He was one of the first British officers into Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945.^[2]

He became Commanding Officer of 2nd Bn Scots Guards in 1964 and Commander of 4th Guards Brigade in 1967 before becoming a Brigadier on the General Staff of Headquarters British Army of the Rhine in 1971.^[1] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 4th Division in 1973 and Director of Army Training in 1975.^[1]

He then moved on to be General Officer Commanding Scotland and Governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1979 and Commander-in-Chief of British Army of the Rhine and Northern Army Group in 1980.^[1] He was appointed Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1984 and retired in 1986.^[1] He was ADC General to the Queen from 1981 to 1984.^[1]

Family

In 1946 he married Jane Emily Scott and together they went on to have one son and four daughters.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Debrett's People of Today 1994
2. ^ "Talk Remembers Horrors of Belsen", The Scotsman, 6 February 2003

Military offices
Preceded by Anthony Farrar-Hockley	General Officer Commanding the 4th Division 1973–1975	Succeeded by Nigel Bagnall
Preceded by Sir David Scott-Barrett	GOC Scotland 1979–1980	Succeeded by Sir David Young
Preceded by Sir William Scotter	Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine 1980–1983	Succeeded by Sir Nigel Bagnall
Preceded by Sir William Pillar	Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies 1984–1986	Succeeded by Sir David Hallifax

Persondata
Name	Gow, Michael
Alternative names	Gow, James Michael
Short description	British Army general
Date of birth	3 June 1924
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death