Michael Strickland (British Army officer)

Major General Eugene Vincent "Michael" Strickland, CMG, DSO, OBE, MM (25 August 1913 – 19 December 1982) was a British Army officer who served as a military adviser to the King of Jordan.

Michael Strickland
Born(1913-08-25)25 August 1913
Died19 December 1982(1982-12-19) (aged 69)
Winchester, Hampshire
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1934–1969
RankMajor General
Commands held145th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps
North Irish Horse
Royal Armoured Corps School
40th Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Military Medal
Order of the Star of Jordan

Military career

Strickland was educated at Mayfield College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. On 1 February 1934 he was commissioned a second lieutenant onto the Unattached List for the Indian Army and served in India between March 1934 and May 1935 on attachment to the 1st Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry, a British Army regiment, at Delhi.[1] On 8 May 1935 he resigned his commission, never having joined an Indian Army unit, and then enlisted in the ranks in the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR).[2]

Strickland first saw action in the Second World War in the Battle of France with the 4th Battalion RTR, during which he held the rank of sergeant and was awarded the Military Medal.[3] He received a commission for the second time on 26 December 1940, becoming an lieutenant in the RTR. Strickland served with the 145th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps in the North African Campaign between 1942 and 1943. During 1943 he fought as part of the HQ Squadron of the 25th Army Tank Brigade and the 51st (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment, before becoming second-in-command of the North Irish Horse in January 1944. Strickland was promoted to war substantive major in June 1944. He fought in the Italian Campaign as Commanding Officer of the 145th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps and the North Irish Horse. In December 1944 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.[4] In January 1945 he became Commandant of the Royal Armoured Corps School, a position he held until June that year.

Strickland served in Greece with the British Military Mission there from June 1945 until July 1946, holding the rank of temporary lieutenant colonel. On 22 February 1947 he transferred to the 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers with a permanent commission, with seniority from August 1939.[5] In 1948 Strickland commanded the 40th Battalion RTR in Egypt. He subsequently held various positions in the War Office until 1955, and was promoted to full lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1955. He was invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in January 1955.[6]

Strickland worked as an adviser in the Arab Legion until 1956 and was the Senior British Officer in Jordan between 1956 and 1957. From August 1958 to December 1959 he was Senior Army Liaison Officer in Amman, in which position he served as Military Adviser to King Hussein of Jordan. He became a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in January 1960.[7] From 1961 to 1962 he was Director of Plans at the War Office and was promoted to brigadier on 6 February 1961. Strickland retired in 1969, having been promoted to major general in 1966, and ended his career as Chief of Joint Services Liaison Organisation, British Army of the Rhine.

Personal life

Strickland married Barbara Mary Farquharson Meares Lamb in 1939, and together they had four sons and one daughter.[8]

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References
  1. Indian Army List January 1935
  2. London Gazette 7 May 1935
  3. The London Gazette (27 August 1940) https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34931/supplement/5202/data.pdf
  4. London Gazette 7 December 1944, page 5609
  5. The London Gazette (21 February 1947) https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37886/supplement/850/data.pdf
  6. The London Gazette (1 January 1955) https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/40366/supplement/7/data.pdf
  7. The London Gazette (1 January 1960) https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/41909/supplement/5/data.pdf
  8. Kelly's Handbook 1967
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