Field MarshalSir Richard Amyatt Hull (7 May 1907 – 17 September 1989) was a seniorBritish Army officer. He was the lastChief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), holding the post from 1961 to 1964, and the firstChief of the General Staff (CGS), holding that post until 1965, and, as such, was the professional head of the British Army. He later becameChief of the Defence Staff (CDS) from 1965 to 1967, the professional head of the entireBritish Armed Forces. He served with distinction during theSecond World War, fighting from 1942 to 1945 inNorth Africa,Italy andWestern Europe, became the youngest divisional commander in the British Army,[1] and, after the war was over, he advised theBritish government on the response to theIndonesia–Malaysia confrontation in the 1960s.
Richard Amyatt Hull was born inCosham,Hampshire on 7 May 1907, the son of Major-GeneralSir Charles Hull, and Muriel Helen Hull (née Dobell),[2] and was educated atCharterhouse School andTrinity College, Cambridge.[3] Hull entered theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst and wascommissioned as asecond lieutenant into the17th/21st Lancers, a cavalry regiment of theBritish Army, on 1 November 1926.[4] Posted with his regiment to Egypt in October 1928, he was promoted tolieutenant on 7 May 1931 and tocaptain on 1 June 1933[5] before going on toIndia in October of that year. He served asadjutant of his regiment when it was converted into amechanised role and, from 1938 to 1939, he attended theStaff College, Quetta.[1]
By the time of the outbreak of theSecond World War in September 1939, Hull had just returned from India.[6] After serving in the Directorate of Staff Duties at theWar Office from February 1940, Hull was appointedOfficer Commanding (OC) 'C' Squadron of his regiment, which had also by now returned from India to the United Kingdom, in March 1941 and then, five months later, became the regiment'sCommanding Officer (CO). He remained in this capacity until June 1942 when he became GSO1 of the1st Canadian Armoured Division, which was soon redesignated the 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division.[7] The regiment had been serving as part of the26th Armoured Brigade of the6th Armoured Division since the division's formation in September 1940. The division's firstGeneral Officer Commanding (GOC) was Major-GeneralJohn Crocker, passing briefly to Major-GeneralHerbert Lumsden and thenCharles Gairdner, before, in May 1942, finally passing to Major-GeneralCharles Keightley, who, like Hull, was a fellow cavalryman.[6]
In the days leading up toOperation Torch, theAllied invasion ofNorth Africa, for which the 6th Armoured Division was to take part in as part of theBritish First Army, Hull was promoted tocolonel and becamesecond-in-command (2IC) of the 26th Armoured Brigade.[6][1] Elements of the First Army landed in North Africa on 8 November 1942, with Hull's regiment being among them. A week later, shortly after landing, Hull was ordered to formBlade Force, based around the 17th/21st Lancers, along with part of the1st Derbyshire Yeomanry (the 6th Armoured Division's reconnaissance regiment) and anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, and to captureTunis as soon as possible (see therun for Tunis).[6] Sending his units by train toConstantine, he arrived there on the evening of 16 November, and, the following day, was on the border ofTunisia. Hull then headed towardsMedjez el Bab, which was held by the French against theGermans. The armoured cars of the 1st Derbyshire Yeomanry arrived on 18 November, with the rest ofBlade Force arriving soon after, but, lacking infantry support, were unable to capture the bridge.[6]
Hull, with the36th Infantry Brigade on his left flank, and the11th Infantry Brigade (both from Major-GeneralVyvyan Evelegh's78th "Battleaxe" Division) on his right flank, now decided to turn west, hoping to get to Tunis by a more northern route, with the aid of elements of theU.S. 1st Armored Division.[8] However, this attempt also failed as the Germans had received reinforcements and, by the end of the month, the Allies were on the defensive and forced to withdraw from their positions. In DecemberBlade Force was reabsorbed into the 6th Armoured Division, Hull returning to the 2IC of the 26th Armoured Brigade.[8] For his services in the early stages of theTunisian campaign Hull was appointed a Companion of theDistinguished Service Order on 11 February 1943.[9][1]
By February 1943, the brigade was atThala. In the middle of the month the Germanslaunched their attack at Kasserine Pass againstUS troops, forcing them to retreat.Lieutenant-GeneralKenneth Anderson, GOC of the British First Army, appointedBrigadierCameron Nicholson, 2IC of the 6th Armoured Division, gave him command ofNickforce, an improvised formation. Nickforce held on until further reinforcements and fought the Germans to a standstill.[8]
Hull was then promoted to brigadier and took command of the12th Infantry Brigade, part of the4th Mixed Division (which was composed of the10th and 12th Infantry Brigades and the21st Tank Brigade), then commanded by Major-GeneralJohn Hawkesworth, which had arrived in Tunisia the month before, on 17 April.[8] The brigade was heavy fighting just a week after Hull's assumption of command, where it was involved in taking a key position named Peter's Corner which, despite air andinfantry tank support from the 21st Tank Brigade, failed with some 900 casualties, with the Germans putting up a tenacious resistance. Hull's brigade was relieved by the 78th Division's 11th Brigade soon afterwards and, due to its heavy losses, only managed to play a relatively minor role in the First Army's capture of Tunis, which fell on 6 May 1943, the campaign in Tunisia itself coming to an end a week later with the surrender of almost 250,000 Axis troops.[8]
Over a month later, on 19 June Hull returned to the 6th Armoured Division, still commanded by Keightley, where he took over command of the 26th Armoured Brigade from BrigadierPhilip Roberts, which was then training in North Africa for operations in Italy, before returning to the United Kingdom, becoming Deputy Director of Staff Duties (DDSD) at the War Office, in December 1943.[7][8][8][1] The appointment was an important department within the General Staff and was responsible for staff training and for the organisation of the army in general.[8] Soon after taking up this position, Hull was, in late January 1944,mentioned in despatches for his services in North Africa.[10]
Hull remained in this post until August 1944 when, promoted to major-general, he succeeded Major-GeneralAlexander Galloway as GOC of the1st Armoured Division, then serving on theItalian front, making Hull the youngest divisional commander in the British Army during the Second World War.[1] The division, a pre-warRegular Army formation, was composed of the2nd Armoured and18th Lorried Infantry Brigades along with supporting units, and was a veteran of theBritish Eighth Army that had fought throughout most of theNorth African campaign and briefly with the First Army in the final stages of the campaign in Tunisia but, since then, had seen no action, with tanks being considered unsuitable in the mountains of Italy.[8] The division was assigned toV Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Charles Keightley (who, formerly as Hull's superior as GOC 6th Armoured Division, had been the one to recommend Hull for command of the 1st Armoured Division), withI Canadian Corps andII Polish Corps on its right, next to theAdriatic Sea. The Eighth Army commander, Lieutenant-GeneralSir Oliver Leese (who had taught Hull at the Staff College, Quetta before the war), intended to launch an offensive to breach theGothic Line, believing he could reach thePo Valley. The operation, codenamed Olive, began on the night of 25 August, with the 1st Armoured held in reserve. Keightley, the corps commander, planned for the46th Division, under Major-General John Hawkesworth, to breach the German defences, allowing Hull's division to exploit its success and drive on to the Po Valley.[8]
The 46th Division's progress was initially successful and Keightley decided to bring the 1st Armoured earlier than planned, although the division was, curiously, held back 100 miles from the enemy and, by the time it reached the front, was exhausted.[8] However, on 3 September, the division was committed to battle around the town ofCoriano and suffered heavy losses before it was repelled. Reinforced with the43rd Gurkha Lorried Brigade and a Canadian brigade, the division tried again on 12 September, this time with more success, and the Germans fell back before again halting the division a week later, inflicting heavy losses on Hull's division, particularly in tanks.[11]
On 24 September, however, the division received the news that it was to be disbanded, due to a severe manpower shortage that was afflicting the British Army at this stage of the war, particularly in Italy. As a result of this news, the division ceased to exist by late October, although it was not officially disbanded until 1 January 1945 and the 2nd Armoured Brigade survived as an independent formation, although the 18th Brigade was broken up and the men sent to bring up other units, mainly the 46th Division, which had suffered heavy casualties, up to strength.[11]
Following the 1st Armoured Division's disbandment, in late November, Hull succeeded Major-GeneralPhilip Gregson-Ellis as GOC of the5th Infantry Division, another Regular Army formation, then serving inPalestine.[11][7] Composed of the13th,15th and17th Infantry Brigades, along with supporting divisional troops, the 5th Division, nicknamed "The Globe Trotters" (after having served in nearly everytheatre of war), had fought inSicily and Italy from July 1943 until July 1944 and was resting in Palestine, and was then preparing to return to Italy.[11]
Originally intending to rejoin the Eighth Army in Italy, the 5th Division, after landing there briefly in February, was instead diverted toNorthwestern Europe as part ofOperation Goldflake to reinforce theBritish Second Army, commanded by Lieutenant-GeneralSir Miles Dempsey, for the final Allied offensive on theWestern Front, theinvasion of Germany itself.[11] The Second Army formed part ofField MarshalSir Bernard Montgomery's21st Army Group. The division arrived inBelgium in early March, and on 17 April was assigned to Lieutenant-GeneralEvelyn Barker'sVIII Corps, then just a few miles from the western bank of theElbe river. The division crossed the river after facing light resistance and was not involved in much fighting thereafter and managed to enter the city ofLübeck inNorthern Germany on 3 May, just a few days before theend of World War II in Europe.[11] Having been promoted to the substantive rank ofmajor on 7 May 1945,[12] Hull was appointed aCompanion of the Order of the Bath on 5 July 1945.[13]
Shortly after thewar in Europe came to an end, it was proposed that Hull would exchange places with Major-GeneralLashmer "Bolo" Whistler, GOC of the3rd Infantry Division, and take the division to theFar East to fight theJapanese, with Whistler becoming GOC of the 5th Division in Hull's place. However, thesurrender of Japan in September 1945 cancelled these plans and Hull remained with the 5th Division on occupation duties inGermany until May 1946.[11]
.jpg)
Promoted tocolonel on 13 April 1946,[14] he again succeeded Major-General Philip Gregson-Ellis, this time as Commandant of theStaff College, Camberley in May 1946, an assignment appointed to only the most promising officers.[11] Having been promoted again tomajor-general on 13 June 1947,[15] he became Director of Staff Duties at the War Office in September 1948 and Chief Army Instructor at theImperial Defence College on 1 January 1951.[16][1] He becamechief of staff at headquartersMiddle East Land Forces on 26 January 1953.[17] He was appointed GOCBritish Troops in Egypt on 15 June 1954[18] and, having been promoted tolieutenant-general on 29 September 1954[19] and advanced to aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath in theNew Year Honours 1956,[20] he becameDeputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff on 5 October 1956.[21][11] He was appointedCommander-in-ChiefFar East Land Forces on 25 June 1958[22] and, having been promoted to fullgeneral on 13 February 1959,[23] and advanced toKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in theQueen's Birthday Honours 1961.[24]
Hull becameChief of the Imperial General Staff on 1 November 1961[25] (restyledChief of the General Staff in April 1964).[7][11][1] In this capacity he advised theBritish government on the response to theIndonesia–Malaysia confrontation.[26] Having been promoted tofield marshal on 8 February 1965,[27] he was appointedChief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of theBritish Armed Forces, on 16 July 1965.[28] He finally retired from the British Army on 5 August 1967.[29][11][1]He was also appointed Colonel of the 17th/21st Lancers from July 1947, Honorary Colonel of the Cambridge University Contingent from 30 May 1958[30] and Colonel Commandant of theRoyal Armoured Corps from April 1968.[26][1]
In retirement he became a Non-Executive Director ofWhitbread.[2] He was appointedConstable of the Tower of London from 1 August 1970,[31]Lord Lieutenant ofDevon from 5 October 1978[32] and aKnight Companion of the Order of the Garter on 23 April 1980.[33]
His interests includedshooting,fly fishing andgardening; he knew every plant in his garden by their English,Latin and local name.[2] He died ofcancer at his home, Beacon Downe inPinhoe on 17 September 1989, at the age of 82.[2]
In 1934 he married Antoinette Labouchére de Rougement; they had a son and two daughters.[3][1]
 |
|
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | GOC 1st Armoured Division August–September 1944 | Division disbanded |
| Preceded by | GOC 5th Infantry Division 1944–1946 | Succeeded by Philip Gregson-Ellis |
| Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley 1946–1948 | Succeeded by | |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Colonel of the 17th/21st Lancers 1947–1957 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Director of Staff Duties, War Office 1948–1950 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GOC British Troops in Egypt 1954–1956 | Troops withdrawn |
| Preceded by | Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1956–1958 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Sir Francis Festing | C-in-C Far East Land Forces 1958–1961 | Succeeded by |
| Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1961–1964 | Position replaced by Chief of the General Staff | |
| New title Position replaced Chief of the Imperial General Staff | Chief of the General Staff 1964–1965 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of the Defence Staff 1965–1967 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Constable of the Tower of London 1970–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Devon 1978–1982 | Succeeded by |
