Richard Hull

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Richard Hull
May 7, 1907 - September 17, 1989 (aged 82)
Field Marshal Sir Richard Hull Crown Copyright
Place of birth	Cosham, Hampshire
Place of death	Pinhoe, Devon
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1926 - 1967
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands held	1st Armoured Division 5th Infantry Division British troops in Egypt Far East Command
Awards	KG (21 Apr 1980) GCB (2 Jun 1961) KCB (2 Jan 1956) CB (5 Jul 1945) DSO (9 Feb 1943)
Other work	Constable of the Tower of London (1970 - 1975) Honorary Colonel, Cambridge University Officers Training Corps (Territorial Army) Sheriff of the County of Devonshire (13 Nov 1972) Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Devonshire (3 May 1973) High Sheriff of Devonshire (13 Nov 1974) Lord Lieutenant of Devonshire (5 Oct 1978)

Field Marshal Sir Richard Amyatt Hull, KG, GCB, DSO (7 May 1907 - 17 September 1989) was the last Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1961 – 1964) and the first Chief of the General Staff (1964 – 1965), and as such the professional head of the British Army. From 1965 – 1967 he was Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of all British Armed Forces.

Contents 1 Army career 2 World War II 3 After the War 4 Later career 5 References 6 Further reading

[edit] Army career

Educated at Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Cambridge, Hull was commissioned into the 17th/21st Lancers in 1928^[1].

[edit] World War II

In 1941 he was appointed commanding Officer of the 17th/21st Lancers moving on in 1942 to become General Staff Officer 1st Canadian Armoured Division. In 1943 he became successively brigade commander of 12th Infantry Brigade and then 26th Armoured Brigade in North Africa. From 1943 to 1944 he served as Deputy Director of Staff Duties at the War Office^[2].

In 1944 he became General Officer Commanding of the 1st Armoured Division in Italy, leading it through the fierce battles of Operation Olive on the Gothic Line. Following the division's disbandment at the end of September, he became in November 1944 the commander of the 5th Infantry Division, leading it through the final phases of the war in northern Europe - a post he held until 1946^[3]. He was one of the youngest divisional commanders in the British Army.

[edit] After the War

From 1946 to 1948 he served as Commandant of Staff College Camberley. In 1948 he was appointed Director of Staff Duties at the War Office and in 1950 went on to become Chief Army Instructor at the Imperial Defence College. From 1953 to 1954 he was Chief of Staff for the Middle East Command^[2].

In 1954 he became General Officer Commanding British troops in Egypt and then in 1956 Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff. In 1958 he was appointed Commander in Chief Far East Command. In 1961 he became Chief of the Imperial General Staff and in 1964 Chief of the General Staff. He was Chief of the Defence Staff from 1965 to 1967^[4].

[edit] Later career

In retirement he became Constable of the Tower of London.

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Heathcote, T.A. (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736-1997. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-696-5

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Francis Festing	Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1961–1964	Succeeded by Post abolished
Preceded by New post	Chief of the General Staff 1964–1965	Succeeded by Sir James Cassels
Preceded by The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma	Chief of the Defence Staff 1965–1967	Succeeded by The Lord Elworthy
Honorary titles
Preceded by Sir Gerald Templer	Constable of the Tower of London 1970 – 1975	Succeeded by Sir Geoffrey Baker
Preceded by The Lord Roborough	Lord Lieutenant of Devon 1978–1982	Succeeded by The Earl of Morley

v • d • e Chiefs of the General Staff of the British Army Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff Sir William Nicholson • Sir John French • Sir Charles Douglas • Sir James Murray • Sir Archibald Murray • Sir William Robertson • Sir Henry Wilson • Lord Cavan • Sir George Milne • Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd • Sir Cyril Deverell • Viscount Gort • Sir Edmund Ironside • Sir John Dill • Sir Alan Brooke • Viscount Montgomery • Sir William Slim • Sir John Harding • Sir Gerald Templer • Sir Francis Festing • Sir Richard Hull Chiefs of the General Staff Sir Richard Hull • Sir James Cassels • Sir Geoffrey Baker • Sir Michael Carver • Sir Peter Hunt • Sir Roland Gibbs • Sir Edwin Bramall • Sir John Stanier • Sir Nigel Bagnall • Sir John Chapple • Sir Peter Inge • Sir Charles Guthrie • Sir Roger Wheeler • Sir Michael Walker • Sir Mike Jackson • Sir Richard Dannatt