Charles Coleman (British Army officer)

Lieutenant-General Sir Cyril Frederick Charles Coleman KCB CMG DSO OBE (16 April 1903 – 17 June 1974) was a senior British Army officer.[2]

Sir Charles Coleman
Birth name	Cyril Frederick Charles Coleman
Born	16 April 1903[1] Stonehouse, Plymouth, Devon, England
Died	17 June 1974(1974-06-17) (aged 71) Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot, Hampshire, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1923–1959
Rank	Lieutenant General
Service number	27168
Unit	Welch Regiment
Commands held	Eastern Command British Forces in Berlin 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division 160th Infantry Brigade 4th Battalion, Welch Regiment
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Knight 4th Class of the Military Order of William (Netherlands)

Early life

Charles Coleman was born in Stonehouse, Plymouth, Devon, in 1903, the son of Albert Edward Coleman of Downderry, Cornwall, and Adelaide Maxwell Moore, of Seaforth, Lancashire.[1][3] He was educated at Plymouth College and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Welch Regiment in 1923.[4][2]

Military career

Coleman served with his regiment in China, Malaya and India during the interwar period, and was appointed adjutant of the 2nd Battalion from 1932 to 1935.[4][2]

During the Second World War, Coleman commanded the 4th Battalion, Welch Regiment from 1941 to 1944 and took over as acting commander of the 160th Infantry Brigade, his battalion's parent formation, in late 1943, before Brigadier Lashmer Whistler arrived in January 1944 to take command, with Coleman returning to commanding the 4th Welch. In June 1944 Coleman succeeded Whistler in command of the brigade, leading it throughout the campaign in North-West Europe from Normandy very nearly to the borders of Denmark by way of Falaise, Antwerp, Nijmegen, 's-Hertogenbosch, Wessem, the Ardennes, the Reichswald, the Rhine, the Weser, and Hamburg. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1945 and the Dutch Knight 4th Class of the Military Order of William in 1947.[5] As his brigade major wrote after his death, the respect the men of the brigade had for him "probably gave him as much pleasure and satisfaction as any of his later achievements".[6] Certainly he wrote very warmly of the achievements of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, of which his brigade formed a part, in his preface to the history of its part in the Second World War, published in 1955, and as its author makes clear, he made a considerable contribution to this account.[7]

In 1945, Coleman briefly served as the acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 53rd Division. In 1946 he attended the Staff College, Camberley before returning to command the 160th Brigade from 1947 to 1948.[4] From 1949 to 1951 he was GOC South-Western District and 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division.[4] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1950. He served as Commandant of the British Sector in Berlin from 1951 to 1954 and was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1954. From 1954 until 1956 he served as Chief of Staff to the Northern Army Group (British Army of the Rhine).[4] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1957. His final appointment was as GOC-in-C Eastern Command from 1956 to 1959.[4] He served as colonel of the Welch Regiment from 1958 to 1965.[8]

Coleman retired from the army in 1959, but he was appointed to serve as the Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Guernsey from 1964 to 1969.[4][2]

Coleman played hockey for Wales and was a keen shot. He married Margaret Mary, daughter of Bruce Petrie of Singapore, in 1935. They had three daughters.[2]

Coleman died on 17 June 1974 in the Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot and was buried at St Mary’s Church, Bentworth. He was survived by his wife.[2]

Footnotes

1. 1911 England Census
2. "Obituary: Lieut-Gen Sir Charles Coleman". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 24 June 1974. p. 12.
3. Liverpool, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754–1932
4. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
5. "No. 38018". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 July 1947. p. 3320.
6. C.N.B. (29 June 1974). "Sir Charles Coleman". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. p. 16.
7. Barclay, History of 53rd (Welsh) Division
8. "The Welch Regiment [UK]". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 4 January 2006. Retrieved 1 November 2015.

External links

• Generals of World War II

Military offices
Preceded by George Symes	GOC 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division 1949–1951	Succeeded by Cecil Firbank
Preceded by Lord Bourne	Commandant, British Sector in Berlin 1951–1954	Succeeded by Sir William Oliver
Preceded by Sir Francis Festing	GOC-in-C Eastern Command 1956–1959	Succeeded by Sir James Cassels
Honorary titles
Preceded by Cyril Lomax	Colonel of the Welch Regiment 1958–1965	Succeeded by Frank Brooke
Government offices
Preceded by Sir Geoffrey Robson	Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey 1964–1969	Succeeded by Sir Charles Mills