Brian Robertson, 1st Baron Robertson of Oakridge
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General Brian Hubert Robertson, 1st Baron Robertson of Oakridge, GCB, GBE, KCMG, KCVO, DSO, MC (22 July 1896–29 April 1974), known as Sir Brian Robertson, 2nd Baronet, from 1933 to 1961, was a British Army General.
Robertson was the eldest son of Field Marshal Sir William Robertson, 1st Baronet, and his wife Mildred Adelaide (née Palin), and was educated at Charterhouse and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He served with the Royal Engineers in France and Italy during World War I and was mentioned in despatches. After the war he served with the Bengal Sappers and Miners from 1920 to 1925 and took part in the Waziristan expedition of 1923 to 1924. After further training, Robertson joined the War Office in Military Intelligence. He retired from the military as a Major in 1934 and became the Managing Director of Dunlop South Africa Ltd in 1935. With the outbreak of World War II he re-entered military service in 1940 and served in East and North Africa, and Italy until the end of the war, notably as Harold Alexander's Chief Administration Officer in Italy from 1944 to 45. He was restored to the Active List in 1945 as a Major General and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a Lieutenant General later that year and a General in 1946.
From 1945 to 1949 Robertson was the British member and Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Control Council and was based at the High Commission in Berlin from 1949 to 1950, before serving as Commander-in-Chief of Middle East Land Forces and Colonel Commandant of the Royal Engineers from 1950 to 1953. Between 1950 and 1953 he was also Governor of the Suez Canal Zone. In 1953 he retired from military service for the second time and on his return to Britain he became Chairman of the British Transport Commission, a post he held until until 1961 (and was succeeded by Dr Richard Beeching). Robertson was also an aide-de-camp to King George VI from 1949 to 1952. In 1961 he was raised to the Peerage as Baron Robertson of Oakridge, of Oakridge in the County of Gloucester.
Lord Robertson of Oakridge married Edith Christina, daughter of James Black Macindoe, in 1926. He died in April 1974, aged 77, and was succeeded in his titles by his son William. Lady Robertson of Oakridge died in 1984.
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Robertson |
Baronet (of Beaconsfield) 1933–1974 |
Succeeded by William Robertson |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by New creation |
Baron Robertson of Oakridge 1961–1974 |
Succeeded by William Robertson |
[edit] Honours
- Commander, Legion of Merit (U.S.A.)
- Commander, Legion of Honour (France)
[edit] Source
- Burke's Peerage & Gentry
- WW2 service record
- Brief Biography
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
