Richard Anderson (British Army officer)

Sir Richard Neville Anderson
Born	(1907-09-28)28 September 1907 London
Died	4 September 1979(1979-09-04) (aged 71)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1927–1965
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	17th Gurkha Division British Forces in Malaya Middle East Land Forces Northern Ireland Command
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order
Other work	Director, Civil Defence for Wales, 1965–1968

Lieutenant General Sir Richard Neville Anderson, KCB, CBE, DSO (28 September 1907 – 4 September 1979) was a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1960s.

Military career

Born the son of Colonel Sir Neville Anderson CBE, Richard Anderson was commissioned into the King's Own Royal Regiment in 1927.^[1] He was deployed to Palestine between 1938 and 1939.^[1]

He served in World War II as Deputy Assistant Military Secretary at the War Office^[2] and then as Commander of 2nd Infantry Brigade in Italy.^[2]

After the War he returned to Palestine and then became General Officer Commanding 17th Gurkha Division in 1955.^[1] He was General Officer Commanding Overseas Forces in Malaya in 1957 and then Vice Adjutant General at the War Office from 1958.^[1] He was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Middle East Land Forces in 1960 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Ireland Command in 1963; he retired in 1965.^[1]

He lived at Tarrant Keynston House near Blandford in Dorset.^[3]

In 1942, he married Dorrie Norah Wybergh. The couple had two sons.^[2]

Honours and awards

• Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath 10 June 1961 (CB 1 January 1957)
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire 7 January 1949
• Distinguished Service Order 7 December 1944, 28 June 1945
• Mentioned in Despatches 15 September 1939
• Honorary Fellow, Institute of Civil Defence, 1966

References