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 a ...

Mark Jeremy Strudwick (19 April 1945 – 26 September 2021) was a

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 ...

officer, who served as General Officer Commanding Scotland from 1997 to 2000.

Military career

Educated at

St Edmund's School St Edmund's School Canterbury is an independent day and boarding school located in Canterbury, Kent, England and established in 1749. The extensive school grounds were acquired in 1855. The school currently caters for girls and boys aged 3–18, ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

and the

Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

, Strudwick was commissioned into the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...

in 1966. He was twice

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

for his service 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 ...

. He was appointed

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of 1st Bn the Royal Scots in 1984 and then became an instructor at the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which i ...

, in 1987.Debrett's People of Today
/ref> In 1990, Strudwick was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, and later that same year was appointed

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

3rd Infantry Brigade The 3rd Infantry Brigade was a Regular Army infantry brigade of the British Army, part of the 1st Infantry Division. Originally formed in 1809, during the Peninsular War, the brigade had a long history, seeing action in the Second Anglo-Afg ...

. In 1992, Strudwick was appointed to the office of the Deputy Military Secretary at the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. He was made Director of Infantry in 1996 and then General Officer Commanding Scotland in 1997; in that role he was simultaneously Governor of Edinburgh Castle. He retired in 2000.Major change of direction: Mark Strudwick
Glasgow Herald, 24 June 2006 He was also Aide-de-Camp 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), ...

. From 2000 to 2012, he was Chief Executive of the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust. He was Chairman of Trustees of the

Royal Scots Club Edinburgh The Royal Scots Club Edinburgh is a private members' Club (organization), club located at 29-31 Abercromby Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6QE Scotland. History Originally formed in 1921 by Lord Henry Scott after World War I for all ranks of the Royal Sc ...

Personal life

In 1970, Strudwick married Janet Elizabeth Coleridge Vivers; they went on to have one son and one daughter, all of whom survived him. Strudwick died on 26 September 2021, at the age of 76.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strudwick, Mark 1945 births 2021 deaths Academics of the Staff College, Camberley British Army major generals Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Royal Scots officers People educated at St Edmund's School Canterbury Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland)