Richard Goodbody
General Sir Richard Wakefield Goodbody GCB, KBE, DSO (12 April 1903 – 29 April 1981) was a senior British Army officer and a former Adjutant-General to the Forces.
Sir Richard Goodbody | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 April 1903 |
| Died | 29 April 1981 (aged 78) |
| Allegiance |  |
| Service/ |  |
| Years of service | 1923–1963 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | 2nd Armoured Brigade 15 Infantry Brigade Royal School of Artillery 56th (London) Armoured Division Royal Artillery Northern Command |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order |
Military career
Educated at Rugby School and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Richard Goodbody was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1923.[1] He was posted to the Royal Horse Artillery in 1927.[1] He served in the Second World War commanding 2nd Armoured Brigade from 1943 to 1946 and being awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1943.[1]
After the war, he became Commander, Royal Artillery for 7th Armoured Division in March 1946, Commander of 15 Infantry Brigade in June 1947 and Commandant on the Royal School of Artillery in December 1949.[2] He went on to become General Officer Commanding 56th (London) Armoured Division in April 1951, Director of the Royal Artillery in April 1954 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command in May 1957.[2] His last appointment was as Adjutant General in July 1960 before he retired in June 1963.[2]
In the late 1950s Goodbody chaired a Committee investigating a shortage of entrants to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[3]
He was also Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery from 1957 to 1968 and Colonel Commandant of the Royal Horse Artillery from 1960 to 1968.[1]
He was ADC General to the Queen from 1961 to 1963.[1] He lived in Blandford Forum, Dorset.[1]
He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1953 and upgraded to a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1963.[1] He was also appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1958.[1]
References
- Who Was Who Volume V111 1981–1990 (1991)
- "Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst Hansard, 6 May 1959
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Harold Pyman |
GOC 56th (London) Armoured Division 1951–1954 |
Succeeded by David Dawnay |
| Preceded by Sir Geoffrey Evans |
GOC-in-C Northern Command 1957–1960 |
Succeeded by Sir Michael West |
| Preceded by Sir Hugh Stockwell |
Adjutant General 1960–1963 |
Succeeded by Sir James Cassels |
| Preceded by Sir Julian Gascoigne |
Colonel Commandant and President, Honourable Artillery Company 1959–1966 |
Succeeded by Sir Rodney Moore |
| Heraldic offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir James Robb |
King of Arms of the Order of the Bath 1965–1976 |
Succeeded by Sir Michael Pollock |