John Hemsley
John Hemsley GCStJ | |
---|---|
Born | 1935 (age 88–89) |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1955–1987 |
Rank | Brigadier |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Mentioned in dispatches |
Alma mater | Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |
Brigadier John Hemsley
During his later years in the British Army Hemsley wrote books on the command and control systems of the
Military career
Hemsley was born in 1935.[1] He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and, after passing out, was appointed a second lieutenant in the Somerset Light Infantry on 29 July 1955.[2] Hemsley was promoted to lieutenant on 29 July 1957 and to captain on 29 July 1961, by which point the regiment was known as the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry, following a merger with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.[3][4] At some point in the early 1960s he served on secondment to the 3rd battalion of the King's African Rifles.[5]
On 31 December 1967 Hemsley was promoted to major, the regiment had by then merged again, into
Hemsley was appointed to the ceremonial role of deputy colonel of the Light Infantry (Somerset and Cornwall) on 10 July 1982.[12] He retired from the army on 2 April 1987 and relinquished his appointment as deputy colonel on 1 August.[13][14] In retirement he lives on a farm near Bath, Somerset.[15]
Rallying
Hemsley was a
1983 Cape Town to London driving record
In 1983 Hemsley and his wife Lucy, who had recently gotten married, decided to attempt to break the overland driving record for
Hemsley's route through the Middle East took him via Israel, Jordan, Syria and Turkey.[15] The Hemsleys became the first people to traverse the Allenby Bridge between Israel and Jordan in seven years.[17] In Syria they were detained by border officials, partly because they were suspicious of the lack of visa stamps in the Hemsleys' passports. Detained in prison Hemsley found a cut off telephone cable in their cell and Lucy secured a telephone receiver by bribing local children with chocolate. After two-and-a-half hours of trial and error to connect the seven wires to the five terminals on the phone they were able to make it work and called the British ambassador, Ivor Lucas. Lucas was at dinner but promised to secure their release in the morning. This was achieved and after a short delay while the air filters of their Range Rover, which had sat exposed to the elements, were cleared the rally resumed.[15]
The Hemsleys achieved in excess of 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) across Europe, including refuelling stops, and arrived in London at 5:26 am on 16 February 1983, having set a record time for the journey of 14 days, 19 hours and 26 minutes.
Writing and later life
Hemsley achieved a
In 1996 Hemsley appeared as an interviewee in a film on the history of the King's African Rifles.[21] He has also served as vice president of the King's African Rifles & East African Forces Association.[5] Hemsley organised a conference on the history of Wells Cathedral in September 2006 to mark the 800th anniversary of the election and enthronement of Bishop Jocelin.[22]
Hemsley was active in the
References
- ^ a b c "Hemsley, John 1935-". WorldCat. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ "No. 40593". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 September 1955. p. 5428.
- ^ "No. 41137". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 July 1957. p. 4495.
- ^ "No. 42477". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 September 1961. p. 7131.
- ^ a b "Association Committee". Kings African Rifles & East African Forces Association. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ "No. 44493". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1967. p. 74.
- ^ "No. 46349". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 September 1974. p. 7897.
- ^ "No. 47494". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 March 1978. p. 3572.
- ^ "No. 47494". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 March 1978. p. 3572.
- ^ "No. 48505". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 January 1981. p. 1197.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-916159-15-3.
- ^ "No. 49062". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 July 1982. p. 9811.
- ^ "No. 50897". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 April 1987. p. 5233.
- ^ "No. 51017". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 August 1987. p. 9879.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Africa Motoring Pioneers & Record Breakers". London to Cape Town Rally. Endurance Rally Association. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Cape Town to London record smashed 30 years on". www.classicandsportscar.com. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d "John Hemsley". 365daysofmotoring.com. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ British Business. H.M. Stationery Office. 1983. p. 241.
- ISBN 978-0-08-040981-8.
- ^ Hemsley, John (2017). "Application of Technology to Russian Control Theory". British Army Review: The Soviet Union and Russia. 2: 4.
- ^ "Film about the King's African Rifles". British Empire & Commonwealth Collection. Bristol Archives. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-84383-556-1.
- ^ "Kensington Palace". Court Circular 18 July 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ "The Holy Land Tour 2016" (PDF). St John Ambulance South West Region Newsletter: 6. Spring 2017.
- ^ "No. 54218". The London Gazette. 20 November 1995. p. 15694.
- ^ "No. 56475". The London Gazette. 7 February 2002. p. 1555.
- ^ "No. 57474". The London Gazette. 23 November 2004. p. 14771.
- ^ "No. 59053". The London Gazette. 5 May 2009. p. 7604.
- ^ "No. 58929". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2008. p. 10.