Sir Roland Gibbs | |
|---|---|
 Field Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs | |
| Born | (1921-06-22)22 June 1921 Flax Bourton,Somerset, England |
| Died | 31 October 2004(2004-10-31) (aged 83) Wiltshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1979 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Service number | 114083 |
| Unit | King's Royal Rifle Corps Parachute Regiment |
| Commands | Chief of the General Staff UK Land Forces 1st (British) Corps 16 Parachute Brigade 3rd Battalion,Parachute Regiment |
| Battles / wars | Second World War Palestine Emergency Aden Emergency |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John |
| Other work | Constable of the Tower of London (1985–1990) |
Field MarshalSir Roland Christopher Gibbs,GCB, CBE, DSO, MC, KStJ, DL (22 June 1921 – 31 October 2004) wasChief of the General Staff, the professional head of theBritish Army, from 1976 to 1979, andLord Lieutenant of Wiltshire from 1989 to 1996. He saw active service in theSecond World War and acted as chief of staff to the commander of the operation to evacuate all British troops and civilians fromAden during theAden Emergency.
Gibbs was born on 22 June 1921, the son of Major Guy Melvil Gibbs and Margaret Gibbs (née St John).[1] He was educated atEton College, an all-boysindependentboarding school in Berkshire, and trained at theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst.[2]
Gibbs wascommissioned as asecond lieutenant into theKing's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) on 31 December 1939, almost four months after the British entry into theSecond World War.[3] He was not immediately involved in action, however, as he was deemed to be too young, and remained in the United Kingdom until he was posted to the 2nd Battalion, KRRC, then commanded byLieutenant ColonelGeorge Erskine and in the process of reforming after sustaining severe casualties during thesiege of Calais. Gibbs, promoted tolieutenant on 1 July 1941,[4] was to serve with the battalion for the rest of the war and was deployed toNorth Africa with his battalion in late 1941,[5] he was awarded theMilitary Cross (MC) on 15 October 1942.[6] After participating in theSecond Battle of El Alamein, he took command of 'C Company' of his battalion in March 1943 and remained in that role for the rest of the war. Commanding his company throughout the final stages of theTunisian campaign, he later took part in theAllied invasion of Italy and in the first few weeks of theItalian campaign. This was followed by action during theNormandy landings and the subsequentfighting in North West Europe untilVictory in Europe Day (VE Day) in May 1945.[5] Throughout this time, from D-Day to VE Day, one of his fellow officers wasEdwin Bramall. Like Gibbs himself, Bramall was destined to reach the very highest ranks. He was awarded theDistinguished Service Order (DSO) on 2 August 1945.[7]
With theend of World War II in Europe, Gibbs was posted to theSouth-East Asian theatre where he served, briefly, as aGeneral Staff Officer Grade 2 (GSO2) at the HQ ofAllied Land Forces South-East Asia (ALFSEA). After thesurrender of Japan, he was posted to the5th Parachute Brigade as itsbrigade major. However, he returned to the 2nd KRRC after the 5th Para Brigade was disbanded. Gibbs was promoted tocaptain on 1 July 1946[8] and deployed toPalestine during thePalestine Emergency, serving with the7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion, part of the6th Airborne Division (see the6th Airborne Division in Palestine).[5] He then became an instructor at theRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst in December 1948.[2] Promoted tomajor on 31 December 1952,[9] he was posted as Brigade Major of5th Infantry Brigade atIserlohn in Germany[2] and in 1957 he became a staff officer inWhitehall dealing with inter-service planning.[5] In 1960 he was appointedCommanding Officer of 3rd Battalion,Parachute Regiment[10] and in 1963, as a temporary brigadier, went on to command16 Parachute Brigade[10] which deployed that year toCyprus in a peace keeping role.[5] Promoted tocolonel on 4 July 1964,[11] he was posted toAden in 1966 as chief of staff toAdmiral Sir Michael Le Fanu who was commander of the operation to evacuate all British troops and civilians during theAden Emergency.[5] He was promoted to the substantive rank ofbrigadier on 6 December 1966[12] and appointed aCommander of the Order of the British Empire in theNew Year Honours 1968.[13]
He was appointed Commander of British Land Forces in the Persian Gulf on 30 April 1969[14] in which role he re-organised the Trucial Oman Scouts and laid the foundations for what is now theSultan of Oman's Land Forces.[5] Appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath in theNew Year Honours 1972,[15] he became Commander of1st (British) Corps with the rank oflieutenant general on 14 January 1972[16] andCommander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces with the rank of fullgeneral on 1 April 1974.[17] Advanced toKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in theQueen's Birthday Honours 1976[18] and having becomeADC General tothe Queen on 25 June 1976,[19] he becameChief of the General Staff on 15 July 1976.[20] In this capacity he had to deal with the challenges of recruitment and retention in the army at a time of high inflation.[10] He was promoted tofield marshal on 13 July 1979 on his retirement from the British Army.[10]
He was alsocolonel commandant of the 2nd Battalion theRoyal Green Jackets from 1971[21] and colonel commandant of theParachute Regiment from 1972.[5]
Gibbs retired to a formerrectory inWiltshire, where his pastimes were shooting,hunting withthe Beaufort, and painting.[5] He was theConstable of the Tower of London from 1985 to 1990 and served asLord Lieutenant of Wiltshire from 1989 to 1996.[5]
His interests includedshooting andhunting: he used to follow theBeaufort Hunt until a medical operation on hisknee halted further participation.[5] He was also a keen amateurartist.[5] He died on 31 October 2004.[5]
In 1955, Gibbs married Davina Merry, the artist; they had two sons, and a daughter.[1]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | GOC 1st (British) Corps 1972–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | C-in-C, UK Land Forces 1974–1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of the General Staff 1976–1979 | |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire 1989–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Constable of the Tower of London 1985–1990 | Succeeded by |
