Colin Muir Barber
Colin Muir Barber | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | "Tiny"[1] |
Born | Birkenhead, England | 27 June 1897
Died | 5 May 1964 Sandwich Bay, Kent, England | (aged 66)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1916–1955 |
Rank | Lieutenant-General |
Service number | 6512 |
Unit | King's Regiment (Liverpool) Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders |
Commands held | 4th Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders 46th Infantry Brigade 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division Highland District Scottish Command |
Battles/wars | World War I Arab revolt in Palestine World War II |
Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order & Bar Mentioned in dispatches (5) Commander of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Croix de Guerre (Belgium)[2] |
Early life and military career
Born in Birkenhead, Cheshire on 27 June 1897, the son of John Barber, Colin Barber was educated at Uppingham School.[4][5]
During World War I, he served with the British Army's Liverpool Scottish in France and Belgium. On 29 March 1918, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders,[6] continuing to serve in France and Belgium with the 1st Battalion until the end of the war.[4][5]
Between the wars
Barber continued to serve in the army during the interwar period 1919–1939, serving in India.[1] He was promoted to captain on 31 January 1925[7] and mentioned in dispatches on 13 March for service in Waziristan. He then attended the Staff College, Quetta from 1929 to 1930, where he graduated with distinction.[3] On his return to Britain, he had several staff appointments, mainly within the British Army's Scottish Command. In 1936, after a brief posting to Palestine during the early stages of the Arab revolt, he was promoted to major on 11 March 1937[8] and appointed to the General Staff as a General Staff Officer Grade 2 (GSO2).[5]
Second World War
In 1940, during the Second World War, he was with the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France, where he commanded the 4th Battalion, Cameron Highlanders, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and mentioned in dispatches.[9]
From March 1941 Barber returned to the General Staff as a GSO1, until taking command, in October, of the
On 13 November 1945, while acting as representative for the Commander-in-Chief
Postwar
After the war, Barber commanded
Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Barber died on 5 May 1964.
He was married twice, first, in 1929, to Mary Edith Nixon. The couple had a son and a daughter; Mary died in 1949. His second wife was Mrs Anthony Milburn.[5]
References
- ^ a b Smart 2005, p. 20.
- ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette" (PDF). The London Gazette. 17 October 1946. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ^ a b c Henderson, Dr Diana M (September 2003). "The Elbe Crossing 1945". The Scots at War Trust. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ^ a b Smart 2005, p. 19.
- ^ a b c d e f g "British Army officer histories". Unit Histories. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ "No. 30602". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 March 1918. p. 3906.
- ^ "No. 33135". The London Gazette. 23 February 1926. p. 1340.
- ^ "No. 34379". The London Gazette. 12 March 1937. p. 1643.
- ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette" (PDF). The London Gazette. 11 July 1940. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ^ "No. 36715". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 September 1944. p. 4423.
- ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette" (PDF). The London Gazette. 19 October 1944. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ^ Cf. the translation of the agreement Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine as given by the Archive of the Duchy of Lauenburg District.
- ^ Piehl, Ramona; Stutz, Horst; Parschau, Jens. Insights 4 – History and stories along the inner German border in Northwest Mecklenburg. pp. 28–32.
- ^ Corvé, Philippe (2002). "Panzer blocked the crossing over the river Odon". Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
Bibliography
- Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.