Timothy Creasey

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Sir

Timothy Creasey
Nickname(s)"The Bull"
Born(1923-09-21)21 September 1923
Died5 October 1986(1986-10-05) (aged 63)
Allegiance
Officer of the Order of the British Empire

General Officer Commanding of the British Army in Northern Ireland, as well as the commander of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces
.

Regimental career

Creasey was born in 1923, and educated at Clifton College.[1] He joined the Army on leaving school, and was commissioned in the Indian Army on 1942, as a junior officer in the 10th Baluch Regiment. He served with them in South-East Asia, Italy and Greece, before transferring into the British Army and joining the Royal Norfolk Regiment.[2]

In 1955, he was a major in

Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service in the 1966 Birthday Honours.[3]

Senior command

After Aden, he was promoted to command

Dhofar Rebellion he requested a large number of British military advisors. Creasey's period in Oman was effective; he quickly established a centralised command of the Army, and helped take the initiative against the Dhofari rebels. His previous experience with the Indian Army proved an asset, as a sizeable proportion of the Omani army was made up of Baluchis. He left in February 1975, with the campaign winding down.[2]

After a brief spell as Director of Infantry,

General Officer Commanding in Northern Ireland.[4]

His experience as a commander had largely been in small-scale "colonial wars", and as such he was a contentious choice for the position. He aimed to get quick results, and his belief that a military solution could be found to the problem put him at odds with the commander of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Sir Kenneth Newman. This dispute peaked in 1979, after 18 soldiers were killed in the Warrenpoint ambush, when Creasey demanded the Army take over control of policing. However, he had a good working relationship with Roy Mason, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.[2] He was replaced as commander by Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Lawson on 1 December 1979.[5]

The grave of General Sir Timothy Creasey in the churchyard of St Andrew's, Belchamp St Paul, Essex.

He was appointed as Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces in 1980, but left this shortly thereafter to return to Oman, at the personal request of the Sultan. Creasey had waived retirement to become Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Chief of Defence Staff, in the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces in 1981,[6] and oversaw a far-reaching reform of the Ministry of Defence and a modernisation of the army. Among other features, the redesigned system gave him complete control of arms procurement, which with the approval of the Sultan, ensured that many contracts went to British firms. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his role in Oman was controversial in the country, with many senior Omanis criticising his methods.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Clifton College Register" Muirhead, J.A.O. ref no 11348: Bristol; J.W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society; April, 1948
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Obituary: The Times, 7 October 1986.
  3. ^ "No. 44004". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1966. p. 6535.
  4. ISBN 0-7171-2081-3
    .
  5. ISBN 0-7171-2081-3
    . Note that the London Gazette announced the handover effective 8 January 1980.
  6. ^ "King's College London website". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. kcl.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
Military offices
Preceded by
GOC British Army in Northern Ireland

1977−1979 		Succeeded by
Preceded by C-in-C, UK Land Forces
1980−1981 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Colonel of the Royal Anglian Regiment
1982−1986 		Succeeded by
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