Major-General Desmond Spencer Gordon CB

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

DSO JP DL (25 December 1911 – 4 November 1997) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who commanded

4th Division In military terms, 4th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *4th (Quetta) Division, British Indian Army * 4th Alpine Division Cuneense, Italy * 4th Blackshirt Division (3 January), Italy *4th Canadian Division *4th Division (Australia) * 4th ...

Military career

Educated at Haileybury and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

, Gordon was commissioned as a second lieutenant 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 variou ...

on 28 January 1932.Desmond Spencer Gordon
Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives He served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as Commanding Officer of 1/7th

Queen's Regiment The Queen's Regiment (QUEENS) was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Brigade. Then, until 1971 the regiment remained one of the largest regiments in the ar ...

from 1943 and then as Commander of the 151st (Durham) Infantry Brigade from 1944 and as Commander of 146th Infantry Brigade from later that year in North West Europe. After the War he was made Commander of 131st Lorried Infantry Brigade. He became Deputy Director of Infantry at the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

in 1951, Commander of 16th Independent Parachute Brigade Group in 1952 and Assistant Commandant of the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

in 1956. He went on to be Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General at Headquarters 1st Corps in 1959,

General Officer Commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

in 1959 and Chief Army Instructor at the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

in 1962. His last appointment was as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff in 1964 before retiring in 1966. In retirement he became Commander-in-Chief of the St John's Ambulance Brigade. Carlos Luis Sancha was commissioned to paint his portrait in 1976.Major-General Desmond Spencer Gordon, CB, CBE, DSO, Colonel of the Regiment (1965–1975) by Carlos Luis Sancha
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References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Desmond 1911 births 1997 deaths Academics of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army major generals British Army brigadiers of World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Deputy lieutenants of Hampshire English justices of the peace Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Green Howards officers People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College