Patrick Palmer (British Army officer)
General Sir Charles Patrick Ralph Palmer, KCVO, KBE (29 April 1933 – 23 November 1999) was a senior British Army officer. He served as Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle 1992 to 1999. He had been Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Northern Europe.
Sir Patrick Palmer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 April 1933 |
| Died | 23 November 1999 (aged 66) |
| Allegiance |  |
| Service/ |  |
| Years of service | 1950–1992 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 7th Armoured Brigade North East District 2nd Infantry Division Staff College, Camberley Allied Forces Northern Europe |
| Battles/wars | Aden Emergency |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
| Other work | Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle |
Military career
Educated at Marlborough College and Sandhurst, Palmer was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1953.[1] He went on to serve in British Guiana, Suez and Cyprus.[1] He returned to Sandhurst as an instructor in 1961 and then served with his regiment in Borneo and then Aden.[1] After a spell in Whitehall, he returned to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders as commanding officer of the 1st Battalion from 1972 to 1974.[1] In 1977 he became Commander 7th Armoured Brigade.[2]
In 1980 he was given command of the British Army Advisory Training Team in Zimbabwe, advising President Mugabe.[1] In 1982 he was appointed General Officer Commanding North East District, in 1983 he was dual-hatted as General Officer Commanding North East District and Commander 2nd Infantry Division and in 1984 he was made Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley.[2] In 1986 he became Military Secretary and in 1989 he was promoted to full general and became Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe before retiring in 1992.[3]
From 1982 to 1992 he was also Colonel of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.[4]
Later life
He was the Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle from 1992 to 1999. After the great fire in 1992 he co-ordinated much of the re-building work. He retired from this position due to ill health in 1999 and was succeeded by Air Marshal Sir Richard Johns.
Family
In 1960 he married Sonia Wigglesworth; they had one son.[1] Following the death of his first wife, he married Joanna Baines in 1966; they had two daughters.[1]
References
- Obituary: General Sir Patrick Palmer Glasgow Herald, 30 November 1999
- Army commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- Supreme Allied Commander Europe
- "Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2005. Retrieved 4 June 2016.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ian Baker |
General Officer Commanding North East District 1982–1984 |
Succeeded by Peter Inge |
| Preceded by Martin Farndale (as GOC 2nd Armoured Division) |
GOC 2nd Infantry Division 1983–1984 | |
| Preceded by John Akehurst |
Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley 1984–1986 |
Succeeded by John Waters |
| Preceded by Sir David Mostyn |
Military Secretary 1986–1989 |
Succeeded by Sir John Learmont |
| Preceded by Sir Geoffrey Howlett |
C-in-C Allied Forces Northern Europe 1989–1992 |
Succeeded by Sir Garry Johnson |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Sir David Hallifax |
Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle 1992–1999 |
Succeeded by Sir Richard Johns |