Norman Tailyour

Sir Norman Tailyour
Born	1914
Died	1979 (aged 64–65)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Marines
Years of service	1933–1968
Rank	General
Commands held	27 RM Battalion 45 Commando 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines
Battles/wars	World War II Cyprus Suez Crisis
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order
Relations	Ewen Southby-Tailyour (son)

General Sir Norman Hastings Tailyour KCB DSO and Bar (1914-1979) was a Royal Marines officer who became Commandant General Royal Marines.

Military career

Tailyour was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1933.^[1] He served in World War II as Commander of the Royal Marines on the Landing Craft Base HMS Robertson from 1943, as Executive Officer on the Land Craft Base HMS St Mathew from later that year and then as Commander of 27th Battalion Royal Marines in North West Europe from 1945.^[1]

He was appointed Commanding Officer of 45 Commando in 1954.^[1] As Lieutenant-Colonel, he was the commanding officer of 45 Commando, flown off HMS Theseus by helicopter to land at the Port Said during the Suez Crisis in 1956^[1] when he was also wounded by a Fleet Air Arm Wyvern - friendly fire. This was the first helicopter-borne, opposed assault from the sea in history. He became Commander of the Royal Marine Barracks at Plymouth in 1957, Chief of Staff to the Amphibious Warfare Representative in Washington D. C. in 1958 and Commander 3 Commando Brigade in 1960.^[1] He went on to be Commander Plymouth Group of the Royal Marines in 1962.^[1] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1963.^[2] He became Commandant General Royal Marines in 1965 before retiring in 1968.^[1]

In retirement he was Captain of Deal Castle from 1972 to 1980. He was an Honorary Admiral in the Texan Navy and an Honorary Lance Corporal in the French Zuaves. He was the Commodore of the Royal Marines Sailing Club and the first Honorary Flag Officer. He was also a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron, the Royal Naval Sailing Association (Rear Commodore) and the Royal Cruising Club. His son Ewen Southby-Tailyour was also a Royal Marines officer, who served with distinction in Dhofar and the Falklands War: Norman Tailyour was also a yachtsman. His brother-in-law was a Royal Marines Major, one nephew was a Royal Marines Brigadier, a step son was a Royal Marines Captain and another nephew was a Captain in the Royal Marines Reserve. His wife June (nee Southby) whom he married in 1941 and who predeceased him in 1971, had trained as a doctor at Gottingen University (Germany) before the Second World War.

He was twice mentioned in despatches (NW Europe 1945 and Suez 1956) and was awarded his first DSO when in command of 27 Battalion Royal Marines in 1945 and a bar to the DSO when commanding 45 Commando in Cyprus in 1956.

References