Major General Mervyn Janes, (1 October 1920 – 7 December 2008) 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 the

5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *5th Division (Australia) * 5th Division (People's Republic of China) * 5th Division (Colombia) * Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) * 5th Light Cavalry Division (France) * 5th ...

from 1970 to 1971.

Military career

Educated at

Sir Walter St John's Grammar School For Boys Sir Walter St John's was a boys' school in Battersea. As the population and the English educational system changed, so did the school. The school was colloquially known as "Sinjuns" and was finally closed in 1986-7. Early history In September 1 ...

, Janes was commissioned into the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in 1942 during 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 ...

. He was appointed Commander, Royal Artillery in 1965, Deputy Military Secretary in 1967 and

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 1970 before becoming Director Royal Artillery in 1971.Army Commands
As Director Royal Artillery he visited

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

during the closing stages of the operation to remove communist forces following the Dhofar Rebellion.Cracker Battery and the Dhofar War
Royal Artillery Historical Society, 11 October 2006 He retired in 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Janes, Mervyn 1920 births 2008 deaths British Army major generals Royal Artillery officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Sir Walter St John's Grammar School For Boys British Army personnel of World War II British military personnel of the Dhofar War