George Philip Bradley Roberts

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Major-General George Philip Bradley Roberts CB, DSO, MC, (1906 - 1997), better known as "Pip" Roberts, was a British commander of an armoured division during World War II.

Roberts is considered to be possibly the best British armoured commander in the Second World War and achieved the distinction of being promoted from captain at the start of the war, to major-general by the end. At 37 he was also the youngest British major-general, and commanded the famous 11th Armoured Division (the "Black Bull") in North West Europe in 1944 and 45.

Roberts was born in Quetta, India, in 1906 and was educated at Marlborough College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Royal Tank Corps in 1926. He was posted to Egypt with the Royal Tanks Corps from 1928 to 1931.

Roberts was an instructor at the Tank Driving and Maintenance School at Bovington, Dorset, from 1933 to 1937. He was again posted to Egypt for 1938 and 1939.

Roberts commanded the "Desert Rats" immediately after the war's end until their disbandment in January 1948. He then became Director of the Royal Armoured Corps and retired from the Army in September 1949. His book From the Desert to the Baltic is an account of all his wartime battles.