Field Marshal Sir Nigel Thomas Bagnall, (10 February 1927 – 8 April 2002) was
Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff.
List
* Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States)
* Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia)
* Chief of General Staff (Af ...
(CGS), the professional head of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, from 1985 to 1988. Early in his military career he saw action during the
Palestine Emergency
A successful paramilitary campaign was carried out by Zionist underground groups against British rule in Mandatory Palestine from 1944 to 1948. The tensions between the Zionist underground and the British mandatory authorities rose from 1938 an ...
, the
Malayan Emergency, the
Cyprus Emergency
The Cyprus Emergency ( gr, Απελευθερωτικός Αγώνας της Κύπρου 1955–59), also known as the Greek Cypriot War of Independence or Cypriot War of Independence, was a conflict fought in British Cyprus between November 1 ...
and the
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, and later in his career he provided advice to the British Government on the future role of Britain's
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
s.
Army career
Born the son of Lieutenant Colonel Harry Stephen Bagnall and Marjory May Bagnall and educated at
Wellington College,
[Debrett's People of Today 1994] Bagnall undertook
National Service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The ...
for a year before being commissioned into the
Green Howards
The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...
on 5 January 1946. Shortly afterwards, however, on 13 February 1946 he transferred to the
Parachute Regiment and was deployed to
Palestine where the
British Mandate was about to end. Promoted to
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
on 24 September 1949, he served in
Malaya, where as a platoon commander, he was awarded the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC ...
in 1950, and a
bar to the Military Cross in 1952.
Promoted to
captain on 10 February 1954, he returned to the Green Howards in summer 1954 and then took part in counter-insurgency operations against
EOKA units in
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
in 1955. He transferred to the
4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards on 24 April 1956. He was promoted to
major on 10 February 1961 and appointed Military Assistant to the Vice-Chief of Defence Staff in May 1964 and then became the Senior Staff Officer dealing with intelligence activities for operations in
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...
in March 1966.
Promoted to
lieutenant colonel on 31 December 1966, he became the
Commanding Officer of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards in 1967 and served in that capacity in
Omagh
Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. Northern Ireland's capital city Belfast is 68 m ...
in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
and
Sennelager
Sennelager is a village in Germany that forms part of the City of Paderborn. It is notable for its association with the military since the 19th century.
Location
Sennelager lies around 5 km north of Paderborn city centre in the west of the ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Promoted to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
on 31 December 1969, he became Commander
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the ...
in
1st (British) Corps in December 1970, before receiving further promotion to
brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...
on 31 December 1970. He went on to be Secretary of the Chiefs of Staff Committee at the
Ministry of Defence in September 1973. He was appointed
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the
4th Division on 21 September 1975 with the substantive rank of
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
from 1 November 1975 and Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy) at the
Ministry of Defence on 7 January 1978.
He became commander of
1st (British) Corps on 1 November 1980 with the rank of
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
and, having been appointed a
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...
in the
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
1981, went on to be
Commander-in-Chief of the
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...
and Commander of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
's
Northern Army Group
The Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) was a NATO military formation comprising four Western European Army Corps, during the Cold War as part of NATO's forward defence in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Army Group headquarters was established on ...
with the rank of
general
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
on 1 July 1983. As Commander of the Northern Army Group he grappled with NATO's strategy of forward defence, when he persuaded the Germans that some ground would have to be surrendered to withstand a massive
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
attack.
[ and see also ]
After being advanced to a
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the
Queen's Birthday Honours 1985 and also becoming
ADC to
the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
on 30 July 1985, he was appointed
Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff.
List
* Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States)
* Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia)
* Chief of General Staff (Af ...
in August 1985 in which capacity he was closely involved in the debate about the future role of Britain's
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
s.
He was promoted to
field marshal on 9 September 1988 on his retirement from the British Army.
He was also appointed Colonel Commandant of the
Army Physical Training Corps on 5 February 1981 and Colonel Commandant of the
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the ...
on 1 August 1985.
In retirement he became a military historian and fellow of
Balliol College
Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...
,
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. He wrote a history of the
Punic wars published in 1990 and, two years after his death, he had a history of the
Peloponnesian War published.
He died on 8 April 2002.
Family
In 1959 he married Anna Caroline Church; they had two daughters.
[
]
Historiographical works
* Bagnall, Nigel, ''The Punic Wars: Rome, Carthage and the Struggle for the Mediterranean'', London: Hutchinson, 1990, .
* Bagnall, Nigel, ''The Peloponnesian War: Athens, Sparta and the Struggle for Greece'', London: Pimlico, 2004, .
References
Further reading
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagnall, Nigel
British field marshals
People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order
Recipients of the Military Cross
1927 births
2002 deaths
Green Howards officers
4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards officers
British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency
British Army personnel of the Malayan Emergency
Chiefs of the General Staff (United Kingdom)
British Parachute Regiment officers
Military personnel of British India
British Army personnel of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
British military personnel of the Cyprus Emergency