- Edwin Bramall, Baron Bramall
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"Bramall" redirects here. For the hall in Greater Manchester, see Bramall Hall. For the area containing the hall, see Bramhall.
Field Marshal The Lord Bramall
Lord Bramall in the robes of a Knight Companion of the Order of the GarterBorn 18 December 1923 Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1942-1985 Rank Field Marshal Commands held 2nd Royal Green Jackets
5th (Airportable) Infantry Brigade
1st Division
Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong
UK Land ForcesBattles/wars World War II
Indonesia-Malaysia confrontationAwards Knight of the Order of the Garter
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Military CrossField Marshal Edwin Noel Westby Bramall, Baron Bramall KG, GCB, OBE, MC, DL, JP (born 18 December 1923) is a British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1979 and 1982, and as Chief of the Defence Staff, professional head of the British Armed Forces, from 1982 to 1985.
Contents
Family
Bramall was born in Tonbridge, Kent, the son of Edmund H and Katherine B (née Westby) Bramall. He is known within his family and to his friends as Dwin. His older brother Ashley Bramall became a barrister, Labour politician and Leader of the Inner London Education Authority, but Bramall decided on a military career early in life.
Army career
After attending Eton College he was commissioned into the King's Royal Rifle Corps in 1943.[1] He served with his regiment in Northwest Europe during the later stages of World War II, receiving the Military Cross for valour in 1945. For two years after the war's end, he served in the occupation of Japan, then served as a peacetime instructor at the School of Infantry. From 1953 to 1958, he was stationed in the Middle East.[2]
Continuing his military career, he served two years as an instructor at the Army Staff College, then in 1963 was appointed to serve on Lord Mountbatten's staff.[2]
In 1965 he was appointed Commanding Officer of 2nd Royal Green Jackets which was deployed to Malaysia during the confrontation with Indonesia[2] and in 1967 he was given command of 5th (Airportable) Infantry Brigade.[2]
He was quickly promoted throughout the 1970s to major-general as General Officer Commanding the 1st Division in 1972 and reaching the rank of lieutenant-general in 1973 as Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong and full general in 1976 as Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces. He was Vice Chief of the Defence Staff from 1978 to 1979 and Chief of the General Staff from 1979 to 1982. He was promoted to Field Marshal and appointed Chief of the Defence Staff in 1982, serving in that position for three years. Retirement from this post marked the end of his active military career.[3]
Later career
After his retirement Bramall served as Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London from 1986 to 1998. He was created Baron Bramall, of Bushfield in the County of Hampshire, in 1987, then further invested as a Knight of the Garter (the United Kingdom's highest order of chivalry) in 1990. He was a former President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)[4] and is now an Honorary Life Vice President of the MCC.[5]
Life peer
As a life peer, he spoke out in the House of Lords against the involvement of the United Kingdom in the Second Iraq War warning that 'unlike naked aggression, terrorism cannot be defeated by massive military means' but by 'competent protection and positive diplomacy'.[6]
On the 27 August 2006, the Mail on Sunday reported that Bramall hit Lord Janner, 78, a veteran campaigner for Holocaust victims and a senior member of Britain's Jewish community, after making what witnesses claim were a series of 'anti-Israel' comments during an argument over the Lebanon conflict. The newspaper reported that the incident took place in one of the rooms close to the debating chamber and the peers who witnessed the incident were extremely shocked by Bramall's behavior. The newspaper reported that Bramall later apologised by phone to Lord Janner who accepted his apology. No action was taken by the Lords authorities and Lord Janner has made no complaint.[7]
Following the leak of a purported list of members of the far-right British National Party in October 2009 there was a short-lived claim that Lord Bramall was a member of the party, due to the appearance of a "Lord Bramhall" on the list. There is no such peer in the House of Lords and Lord Bramall swiftly denied being a member, while his naming as such was rapidly acknowledged to be a case of mistaken identity.[8]
Arms
Arms of Edwin Bramall, Baron BramallNotes Escutcheon Per fess embattled Sable and Or between three Stafford knotts a lion rampant all counterchanged.References
- ^ Heathcote, Anthony pg 53
- ^ a b c d Heathcote, Anthony pg 54
- ^ Heathcote, Anthony pg 55
- ^ News story naming Lord Bramall as former President of Marylebone Cricket Club
- ^ Official biography
- ^ "House of Lords Debates". 2004-05-26. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2004-05-26a.1330.0&m=100327. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ "War hero, 82, hits fellow peer in Lords". Mail on Sunday. http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=402473&in_page_id=1770&in_a_source=. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ Weaver, Matthew (20 October 2009). "BNP controversy – live". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2009/oct/20/bnp-controversies-live. "I'm completely apolitical and I've had no involvement with the BNP. [...] I'm the last person who would have anything to do with them. I fought fascism in the second world war. People do have views of every sort in a democracy, but many of the BNP's views are very unattractive."
Wikileaks (20 October 2009). "Twitter / Wikileaks: 'Lord Bramhall' in BNP lis ...". http://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/5017905232.
"Guardian confuse former Chief of Defence Staff with BNP amateur genealogist". Political Scrapbook. 20 October 2009. http://politicalscrapbook.net/tag/edwin-bramall/. - ^ Chesshyre, Hubert (1996), The Friends of St. George's & Descendants of the Knights of the Garter Annual Review 1995/96, VII, pp. 289
Further reading
- Tillotson, Michael (2006), The Fifth Pillar: the life and philosophy of the Lord Bramall K.G., Sutton Publishing, ISBN 0-7509-4239-8
- Heathcote, T.A. (1999), The British Field Marshals 1736-1997, Pen & Sword Books Ltd, ISBN 0-85052-696-5
Military offices Preceded by
Jack HarmanGeneral Officer Commanding the 1st Division
1972–1973Succeeded by
David Alexander-SinclairPreceded by
Sir Richard WardCommander of British Forces in Hong Kong
1973–1976Succeeded by
Sir John ArcherPreceded by
Sir Roland GibbsCommander in Chief, UK Land Forces
1976–1978Succeeded by
Sir John ArcherPreceded by
Sir Anthony MortonVice-Chief of the Defence Staff
1978–1979Succeeded by
Sir Patrick Howard-DobsonPreceded by
Sir Roland GibbsChief of the General Staff
1979–1982Succeeded by
Sir John StanierPreceded by
Sir Terence LewinChief of the Defence Staff
1982–1985Succeeded by
Sir John FieldhouseHonorary titles Preceded by
The Baroness PhillipsLord Lieutenant of Greater London
1986–1998Succeeded by
Peter ImbertChiefs of the Defence Staff of the United KingdomSir William Dickson • Earl Mountbatten • Sir Richard Hull • Sir Charles Elworthy • Sir Peter Hill-Norton • Sir Michael Carver • Sir Andrew Humphrey • Sir Edward Ashmore • Sir Neil Cameron • Sir Terence Lewin • Sir Edwin Bramall • Sir John Fieldhouse • Sir David Craig • Sir Richard Vincent • Sir Peter Harding • Sir Peter Inge • Sir Charles Guthrie • Sir Michael Boyce • Sir Michael Walker • Sir Jock Stirrup • Sir David Richards
Categories:- 1923 births
- Living people
- British Army personnel of World War II
- British Field Marshals
- British military personnel of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
- Chiefs of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
- Chiefs of the General Staff (United Kingdom)
- Crossbench life peers
- King's Royal Rifle Corps officers
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
- Knights of the Garter
- Knights of the Order of St John
- Lord-Lieutenants of Greater London
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Old Etonians
- Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club
- Recipients of the Military Cross
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