Dare Wilson

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Dare Wilson
Birth nameRonald Dare Wilson
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branch
Major General
Service number96170
Unit
Battles/wars
Awards

Exmoor National Park.[1][2]

Early life

Wilson was born on 3 August 1919 in Burnopfield, County Durham, England.[1] He was the eldest son of four children, two girls and two boys, born to Sydney Wilson.[2] His father was the chairman of a coal company and an unsuccessful Conservative Party candidate for Parliament.[3][4] He was educated at Shrewsbury School[1] and St John's College, Cambridge to study economics. However, he did not complete his degree as his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II.[2]

Military career

Second World War

At the outbreak of the

platoon commander.[1] In March 1940, he was posted to France with the 8th (Motorcycle) Battalion.[2] He was involved in the unsuccessful fight against the German blitzkrieg and was evacuated from Dunkirk. Based in the United Kingdom, he served as an instructor at the 3rd Division Battle School.[1] On 14 January 1941, he transferred to the Reconnaissance Corps.[6]

He attended the Middle East Staff College in

staff officer.[1] During August 1944, he was served as a liaison officer in Italy during the Italian Campaign. During this posting, and while reporting on enemy movement on the Gothic Line, he came into contact with General Sir Harold Alexander and Winston Churchill who had come up to survey the front.[2]

In September 1944, he returned to regimental duties and was given command of a squadron in the

war substantive captain, he was promoted to lieutenant on 17 January 1945 with seniority from 3 February 1942.[7] This was later changed to seniority from 3 March 1941.[8]

Post-WWII

In October 1945, he was posted to the Palestine and was appointed officer commanding a squadron of the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment.[1] He was promoted to captain on 1 July 1946.[9][10] He then worked in the headquarters of the 6th Airborne Division. Near the end of the British Mandate, he commanded a company of the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment.[2] The Mandate ended in 1948 and he returned to the United Kingdom. He was then commissioned to write a history of 6th Airborne Division in Palestine from 1945 to 1948 which was published under the title Cordon and Search. After completing the book, he was posted to Germany where he once more commanded a company of the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment.[1]

Honours and decorations

On 19 April 1945, Wilson was awarded the

River Maas, near Nijmegen, Netherlands, on the night of 27 January 1945. They had been ordered to take an enemy soldier prisoner and bring him back across the river for interrogation.[2] However, they found themselves under attack and out numbered. Wilson led the defence and after an hour-long skirmish, they had defeated the enemy and taken three prisoners with no casualties on the Allied side.[1]

He was

1939–45 Star, the Italy Star, the France and Germany Star, the Defence Medal, and the War Medal 1939–1945
.

On 7 January 1949, he was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) 'in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Palestine during the period 27 March 1946 and 26 September 1946'.[13] He was also awarded the General Service Medal with Palestine 1945–48 clasp
.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Major-General Dare Wilson – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Major-General Dare Wilson". The Times. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Personal Notes". The Colliery Guardian. 21 September 1934. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Sydney E. D. Wilson". Who's Who. Durham Miners Museum. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  5. ^ "No. 34758". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 December 1939. p. 8538.
  6. ^ "No. 35211". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 July 1941. pp. 3902–3903.
  7. ^ "No. 36892". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 January 1945. p. 393.
  8. ^ "No. 38301". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 May 1948. p. 3183.
  9. ^ "No. 37709". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 August 1946. p. 4395.
  10. ^ "No. 38405". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 September 1948. p. 5040.
  11. ^ "No. 37040". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 April 1945. p. 2078.
  12. ^ "No. 37466". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 February 1946. p. 948.
  13. ^ "No. 38505". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 January 1949. pp. 121–122.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dare_Wilson&oldid=1175790332"