Summary of Life of Gen Horrocks KCB KBE D50 MC
Brian Gwynne Horrocks was the only son of Colonel Sir William Horrocks, a Lancashire born doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), and his wife, Minna Horrocks, in Ranikhet in British India on 7 September 1895. On his return to Britain, he was educated at Bow School, Durham, later Uppingham School, Rutland, he later wrote that as his life was devoted almost entirely to sport he had very little aptitude for hard work.
It has been a long and interesting life, full of variety, a life of service to his country.
He entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in October 1912, Horrocks's time
at Sandhurst was, by his own admission, not very distinguished. An unpromising
student he might not have received a commission at all but for the outbreak of the First World War.
He was commissioned though as a second lieutenant into the Middlesex Regiment on 8 August 1914 where he joined the 1st Battalion. Horrocks was not to last long in battle, as on 21 October, at the Battle of Armentieres, his platoon was surrounded, and Horrocks, received a bullet wound through the lower abdomen and upper thigh, and was taken prisoner.
He was eventually placed in a compound for Russian officers, in the hope that the language barrier would hinder his escape attempts; Horrocks used the time to learn the Russian language. Years later, working in the House of Commons, he startled Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolai Bulganin by greeting them in their native tongue. His resistance in captivity would earn him the Military Cross. Repatriated at the end of the war, Horrocks managed to spend four years of accumulated back-pay in six weeks.
Soon after release he had volunteered for dangerous duty in Russia as part of
the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. During the years of peace he took
up the modern pentathlon competing successfully and was picked for the British
Olympic team for the 1924 Paris Olympics, where he finished 19th out of 38. In
1928, Horrocks married Nancy Kitchin, daughter of an architect for the Local
Government Board. They had one child, a daughter named Gillian, who sadly died in 1979.
At the outbreak of the Second World War Lt Col Horrocks was at the Staff College where he had been an inspiring teacher who had communicated enthusiasm and a passion for efficiency to many students who would benefit from those lessons and pass them on.
He shortly afterwards took command of the 2nd Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment in France under Gen Montgomery commanding 3rd Division. He clearly made a good impression as 17 days later he was promoted to temporary Brigadier and given command of 11 Brigade and later 9 Brigade. Further promotions followed until he found himself commanding 13th Corps in North Africa again under Montgomery. After the decisive victory at El Alamein, he continued through North Africa and eventually accepted the surrender of the remnants of the Africa Korps in Tunisia. He had shown himself to be a dashing, fearless and successful Commander of troops in battle. In June 1943 he was injured in an air raid receiving wounds to his chest and abdomen which put him in convalescence for about a year. In 1944 Lieutenant General Horrocks had assumed command of 30 Corps in France, after taking Antwerp and securing the deep water port he moved East where Field Marshal Montgomery initiated Operation Market Garden, the effort to take bridges along the advance culminating at the Bridge in Arnhem. Though ultimately the operation failed to meet its main objective, Lieutenant General Horrocks wasn't blamed. Indeed Brigadier General James Gavin whose US 82nd Airborne Division
came under Horrocks' command, later wrote
'He was truly a unique general officer and his qualities of leadership were greater than any I have ever seen. In lecturing at the American service school I stated frequently that General Horrocks was the finest general officer I met during the war, and the finest corps commander.'
After the War he continued in the army where had done much to rehabilitate the defeated enemy and then, after forced retirement in 1949 due to the injuries he received in North Africa, he accepted the important post of Black Rod whose duties he performed with efficiency and distinction. Because the Black Rod had to remain in place during long debates, Horrocks relieved his boredom on occasions by completing football pools coupons. This had the advantage of looking like note- taking to the assembled lords. Horrocks held the post of Black Rod until 1963.
He had achieved national fame as a television presenter and in the process given much pleasure and interest to millions. Even while doing this he had been an active director of a large construction company and made a valuable contribu~i?n. Finally, he made a success of writing, in newspaper, articles. in books and 1n ed1t1ng
other people's books.
All of these activities had been useful. wholesome and of benefit to the people of his country. But his greatest achievements had been on the battlefie_ld. Chester Wilmot said of him. when he took over 30 Corps: 'Within a few days his fresh and fiery spirit had transformed the Corps. A tall. lithe figure. with whit~ hair. angular features, penetrating eyes and eloquent hands, he moved among his troops more
like a prophet than a General'.
When you talk about General Horrocks' effect on morale and fighting quality, one is reminded of Wellington's comment on Napoleon: 'I used to say of him that his
presence on the field made the difference of Forty Thousand men.'
Horrocks died on 4 January 1985, aged 89. The memorial service, held at Westminster Abbey on 26 February, was attended by Major-General Sir Peter Gillett in his role as Deputy Constable and Lieutenant-Governor of Windsor Castle and Secretary of State for Defence Michael Heseltine, who represented the Queen
and Prime Minister respectively. Thirty regiments and many other formations and associations were represented at the service.
Ilona Lazar - Tribute to her Grandfather
Thessalonians 4:14-17 (New Revised Standard) - Major (Ret'd) Derrick Harwood MBETD
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God
will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet. will descend from
heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and
so we will be with the Lord forever.∼Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC born in Raniketh British India was a British army officer. He is chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World War. He also served in the First World War and the Russian Civil War, was a prisoner of war twice, and competed in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Later he was a television presenter, authored books on military history, and was Black Rod in the House of Lords for 14 years.
In 1940 Horrocks commanded a battalion during the Battle of France, the first time he served under Bernard Montgomery, the most prominent British commander of the war. Montgomery later identified Horrocks as one of his most able officers, appointing him to corps commands in both North Africa and Europe. In 1943, Horrocks was seriously wounded and took more than a year to recover before returning to command a corps in Europe. It is likely that this period out of action meant he missed out on promotion;[10] his contemporary corps commanders in North Africa, Leese and Dempsey, went on to command at army level and above. Horrocks' wound caused continuing health problems and led to his early retirement from the army after the war.
Since 1945, Horrocks has been regarded by some as one of the most successful British Army generals of the war, "a man who really led, a general who talked to everyone, down to the simplest private soldier",[11] and the "beau ideal of a corps commander".[12] Dwight D. Eisenhower called him "the outstanding British general under Montgomery"
Brian Gwynne Horrocks was the only son of Colonel Sir William Horrocks, a Lancashire born doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), and his wife, Minna Horrocks, in Ranikhet in British India on 7 September 1895. On his return to Britain, he was educated at Bow School, Durham, later Uppingham School, Rutland, he later wrote that as his life was devoted almost entirely to sport he had very little aptitude for hard work.
It has been a long and interesting life, full of variety, a life of service to his country.
He entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in October 1912, Horrocks's time
at Sandhurst was, by his own admission, not very distinguished. An unpromising
student he might not have received a commission at all but for the outbreak of the First World War.
He was commissioned though as a second lieutenant into the Middlesex Regiment on 8 August 1914 where he joined the 1st Battalion. Horrocks was not to last long in battle, as on 21 October, at the Battle of Armentieres, his platoon was surrounded, and Horrocks, received a bullet wound through the lower abdomen and upper thigh, and was taken prisoner.
He was eventually placed in a compound for Russian officers, in the hope that the language barrier would hinder his escape attempts; Horrocks used the time to learn the Russian language. Years later, working in the House of Commons, he startled Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolai Bulganin by greeting them in their native tongue. His resistance in captivity would earn him the Military Cross. Repatriated at the end of the war, Horrocks managed to spend four years of accumulated back-pay in six weeks.
Soon after release he had volunteered for dangerous duty in Russia as part of
the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. During the years of peace he took
up the modern pentathlon competing successfully and was picked for the British
Olympic team for the 1924 Paris Olympics, where he finished 19th out of 38. In
1928, Horrocks married Nancy Kitchin, daughter of an architect for the Local
Government Board. They had one child, a daughter named Gillian, who sadly died in 1979.
At the outbreak of the Second World War Lt Col Horrocks was at the Staff College where he had been an inspiring teacher who had communicated enthusiasm and a passion for efficiency to many students who would benefit from those lessons and pass them on.
He shortly afterwards took command of the 2nd Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment in France under Gen Montgomery commanding 3rd Division. He clearly made a good impression as 17 days later he was promoted to temporary Brigadier and given command of 11 Brigade and later 9 Brigade. Further promotions followed until he found himself commanding 13th Corps in North Africa again under Montgomery. After the decisive victory at El Alamein, he continued through North Africa and eventually accepted the surrender of the remnants of the Africa Korps in Tunisia. He had shown himself to be a dashing, fearless and successful Commander of troops in battle. In June 1943 he was injured in an air raid receiving wounds to his chest and abdomen which put him in convalescence for about a year. In 1944 Lieutenant General Horrocks had assumed command of 30 Corps in France, after taking Antwerp and securing the deep water port he moved East where Field Marshal Montgomery initiated Operation Market Garden, the effort to take bridges along the advance culminating at the Bridge in Arnhem. Though ultimately the operation failed to meet its main objective, Lieutenant General Horrocks wasn't blamed. Indeed Brigadier General James Gavin whose US 82nd Airborne Division
came under Horrocks' command, later wrote
'He was truly a unique general officer and his qualities of leadership were greater than any I have ever seen. In lecturing at the American service school I stated frequently that General Horrocks was the finest general officer I met during the war, and the finest corps commander.'
After the War he continued in the army where had done much to rehabilitate the defeated enemy and then, after forced retirement in 1949 due to the injuries he received in North Africa, he accepted the important post of Black Rod whose duties he performed with efficiency and distinction. Because the Black Rod had to remain in place during long debates, Horrocks relieved his boredom on occasions by completing football pools coupons. This had the advantage of looking like note- taking to the assembled lords. Horrocks held the post of Black Rod until 1963.
He had achieved national fame as a television presenter and in the process given much pleasure and interest to millions. Even while doing this he had been an active director of a large construction company and made a valuable contribu~i?n. Finally, he made a success of writing, in newspaper, articles. in books and 1n ed1t1ng
other people's books.
All of these activities had been useful. wholesome and of benefit to the people of his country. But his greatest achievements had been on the battlefie_ld. Chester Wilmot said of him. when he took over 30 Corps: 'Within a few days his fresh and fiery spirit had transformed the Corps. A tall. lithe figure. with whit~ hair. angular features, penetrating eyes and eloquent hands, he moved among his troops more
like a prophet than a General'.
When you talk about General Horrocks' effect on morale and fighting quality, one is reminded of Wellington's comment on Napoleon: 'I used to say of him that his
presence on the field made the difference of Forty Thousand men.'
Horrocks died on 4 January 1985, aged 89. The memorial service, held at Westminster Abbey on 26 February, was attended by Major-General Sir Peter Gillett in his role as Deputy Constable and Lieutenant-Governor of Windsor Castle and Secretary of State for Defence Michael Heseltine, who represented the Queen
and Prime Minister respectively. Thirty regiments and many other formations and associations were represented at the service.
Ilona Lazar - Tribute to her Grandfather
Thessalonians 4:14-17 (New Revised Standard) - Major (Ret'd) Derrick Harwood MBETD
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God
will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet. will descend from
heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and
so we will be with the Lord forever.∼Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC born in Raniketh British India was a British army officer. He is chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World War. He also served in the First World War and the Russian Civil War, was a prisoner of war twice, and competed in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Later he was a television presenter, authored books on military history, and was Black Rod in the House of Lords for 14 years.
In 1940 Horrocks commanded a battalion during the Battle of France, the first time he served under Bernard Montgomery, the most prominent British commander of the war. Montgomery later identified Horrocks as one of his most able officers, appointing him to corps commands in both North Africa and Europe. In 1943, Horrocks was seriously wounded and took more than a year to recover before returning to command a corps in Europe. It is likely that this period out of action meant he missed out on promotion;[10] his contemporary corps commanders in North Africa, Leese and Dempsey, went on to command at army level and above. Horrocks' wound caused continuing health problems and led to his early retirement from the army after the war.
Since 1945, Horrocks has been regarded by some as one of the most successful British Army generals of the war, "a man who really led, a general who talked to everyone, down to the simplest private soldier",[11] and the "beau ideal of a corps commander".[12] Dwight D. Eisenhower called him "the outstanding British general under Montgomery"
Summary of Life of Gen Horrocks KCB KBE D50 MC
Brian Gwynne Horrocks was the only son of Colonel Sir William Horrocks, a Lancashire born doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), and his wife, Minna Horrocks, in Ranikhet in British India on 7 September 1895. On his return to Britain, he was educated at Bow School, Durham, later Uppingham School, Rutland, he later wrote that as his life was devoted almost entirely to sport he had very little aptitude for hard work.
It has been a long and interesting life, full of variety, a life of service to his country.
He entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in October 1912, Horrocks's time
at Sandhurst was, by his own admission, not very distinguished. An unpromising
student he might not have received a commission at all but for the outbreak of the First World War.
He was commissioned though as a second lieutenant into the Middlesex Regiment on 8 August 1914 where he joined the 1st Battalion. Horrocks was not to last long in battle, as on 21 October, at the Battle of Armentieres, his platoon was surrounded, and Horrocks, received a bullet wound through the lower abdomen and upper thigh, and was taken prisoner.
He was eventually placed in a compound for Russian officers, in the hope that the language barrier would hinder his escape attempts; Horrocks used the time to learn the Russian language. Years later, working in the House of Commons, he startled Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolai Bulganin by greeting them in their native tongue. His resistance in captivity would earn him the Military Cross. Repatriated at the end of the war, Horrocks managed to spend four years of accumulated back-pay in six weeks.
Soon after release he had volunteered for dangerous duty in Russia as part of
the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. During the years of peace he took
up the modern pentathlon competing successfully and was picked for the British
Olympic team for the 1924 Paris Olympics, where he finished 19th out of 38. In
1928, Horrocks married Nancy Kitchin, daughter of an architect for the Local
Government Board. They had one child, a daughter named Gillian, who sadly died in 1979.
At the outbreak of the Second World War Lt Col Horrocks was at the Staff College where he had been an inspiring teacher who had communicated enthusiasm and a passion for efficiency to many students who would benefit from those lessons and pass them on.
He shortly afterwards took command of the 2nd Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment in France under Gen Montgomery commanding 3rd Division. He clearly made a good impression as 17 days later he was promoted to temporary Brigadier and given command of 11 Brigade and later 9 Brigade. Further promotions followed until he found himself commanding 13th Corps in North Africa again under Montgomery. After the decisive victory at El Alamein, he continued through North Africa and eventually accepted the surrender of the remnants of the Africa Korps in Tunisia. He had shown himself to be a dashing, fearless and successful Commander of troops in battle. In June 1943 he was injured in an air raid receiving wounds to his chest and abdomen which put him in convalescence for about a year. In 1944 Lieutenant General Horrocks had assumed command of 30 Corps in France, after taking Antwerp and securing the deep water port he moved East where Field Marshal Montgomery initiated Operation Market Garden, the effort to take bridges along the advance culminating at the Bridge in Arnhem. Though ultimately the operation failed to meet its main objective, Lieutenant General Horrocks wasn't blamed. Indeed Brigadier General James Gavin whose US 82nd Airborne Division
came under Horrocks' command, later wrote
'He was truly a unique general officer and his qualities of leadership were greater than any I have ever seen. In lecturing at the American service school I stated frequently that General Horrocks was the finest general officer I met during the war, and the finest corps commander.'
After the War he continued in the army where had done much to rehabilitate the defeated enemy and then, after forced retirement in 1949 due to the injuries he received in North Africa, he accepted the important post of Black Rod whose duties he performed with efficiency and distinction. Because the Black Rod had to remain in place during long debates, Horrocks relieved his boredom on occasions by completing football pools coupons. This had the advantage of looking like note- taking to the assembled lords. Horrocks held the post of Black Rod until 1963.
He had achieved national fame as a television presenter and in the process given much pleasure and interest to millions. Even while doing this he had been an active director of a large construction company and made a valuable contribu~i?n. Finally, he made a success of writing, in newspaper, articles. in books and 1n ed1t1ng
other people's books.
All of these activities had been useful. wholesome and of benefit to the people of his country. But his greatest achievements had been on the battlefie_ld. Chester Wilmot said of him. when he took over 30 Corps: 'Within a few days his fresh and fiery spirit had transformed the Corps. A tall. lithe figure. with whit~ hair. angular features, penetrating eyes and eloquent hands, he moved among his troops more
like a prophet than a General'.
When you talk about General Horrocks' effect on morale and fighting quality, one is reminded of Wellington's comment on Napoleon: 'I used to say of him that his
presence on the field made the difference of Forty Thousand men.'
Horrocks died on 4 January 1985, aged 89. The memorial service, held at Westminster Abbey on 26 February, was attended by Major-General Sir Peter Gillett in his role as Deputy Constable and Lieutenant-Governor of Windsor Castle and Secretary of State for Defence Michael Heseltine, who represented the Queen
and Prime Minister respectively. Thirty regiments and many other formations and associations were represented at the service.
Ilona Lazar - Tribute to her Grandfather
Thessalonians 4:14-17 (New Revised Standard) - Major (Ret'd) Derrick Harwood MBETD
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God
will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet. will descend from
heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and
so we will be with the Lord forever.∼Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC born in Raniketh British India was a British army officer. He is chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World War. He also served in the First World War and the Russian Civil War, was a prisoner of war twice, and competed in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Later he was a television presenter, authored books on military history, and was Black Rod in the House of Lords for 14 years.
In 1940 Horrocks commanded a battalion during the Battle of France, the first time he served under Bernard Montgomery, the most prominent British commander of the war. Montgomery later identified Horrocks as one of his most able officers, appointing him to corps commands in both North Africa and Europe. In 1943, Horrocks was seriously wounded and took more than a year to recover before returning to command a corps in Europe. It is likely that this period out of action meant he missed out on promotion;[10] his contemporary corps commanders in North Africa, Leese and Dempsey, went on to command at army level and above. Horrocks' wound caused continuing health problems and led to his early retirement from the army after the war.
Since 1945, Horrocks has been regarded by some as one of the most successful British Army generals of the war, "a man who really led, a general who talked to everyone, down to the simplest private soldier",[11] and the "beau ideal of a corps commander".[12] Dwight D. Eisenhower called him "the outstanding British general under Montgomery"
Brian Gwynne Horrocks was the only son of Colonel Sir William Horrocks, a Lancashire born doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), and his wife, Minna Horrocks, in Ranikhet in British India on 7 September 1895. On his return to Britain, he was educated at Bow School, Durham, later Uppingham School, Rutland, he later wrote that as his life was devoted almost entirely to sport he had very little aptitude for hard work.
It has been a long and interesting life, full of variety, a life of service to his country.
He entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in October 1912, Horrocks's time
at Sandhurst was, by his own admission, not very distinguished. An unpromising
student he might not have received a commission at all but for the outbreak of the First World War.
He was commissioned though as a second lieutenant into the Middlesex Regiment on 8 August 1914 where he joined the 1st Battalion. Horrocks was not to last long in battle, as on 21 October, at the Battle of Armentieres, his platoon was surrounded, and Horrocks, received a bullet wound through the lower abdomen and upper thigh, and was taken prisoner.
He was eventually placed in a compound for Russian officers, in the hope that the language barrier would hinder his escape attempts; Horrocks used the time to learn the Russian language. Years later, working in the House of Commons, he startled Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolai Bulganin by greeting them in their native tongue. His resistance in captivity would earn him the Military Cross. Repatriated at the end of the war, Horrocks managed to spend four years of accumulated back-pay in six weeks.
Soon after release he had volunteered for dangerous duty in Russia as part of
the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. During the years of peace he took
up the modern pentathlon competing successfully and was picked for the British
Olympic team for the 1924 Paris Olympics, where he finished 19th out of 38. In
1928, Horrocks married Nancy Kitchin, daughter of an architect for the Local
Government Board. They had one child, a daughter named Gillian, who sadly died in 1979.
At the outbreak of the Second World War Lt Col Horrocks was at the Staff College where he had been an inspiring teacher who had communicated enthusiasm and a passion for efficiency to many students who would benefit from those lessons and pass them on.
He shortly afterwards took command of the 2nd Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment in France under Gen Montgomery commanding 3rd Division. He clearly made a good impression as 17 days later he was promoted to temporary Brigadier and given command of 11 Brigade and later 9 Brigade. Further promotions followed until he found himself commanding 13th Corps in North Africa again under Montgomery. After the decisive victory at El Alamein, he continued through North Africa and eventually accepted the surrender of the remnants of the Africa Korps in Tunisia. He had shown himself to be a dashing, fearless and successful Commander of troops in battle. In June 1943 he was injured in an air raid receiving wounds to his chest and abdomen which put him in convalescence for about a year. In 1944 Lieutenant General Horrocks had assumed command of 30 Corps in France, after taking Antwerp and securing the deep water port he moved East where Field Marshal Montgomery initiated Operation Market Garden, the effort to take bridges along the advance culminating at the Bridge in Arnhem. Though ultimately the operation failed to meet its main objective, Lieutenant General Horrocks wasn't blamed. Indeed Brigadier General James Gavin whose US 82nd Airborne Division
came under Horrocks' command, later wrote
'He was truly a unique general officer and his qualities of leadership were greater than any I have ever seen. In lecturing at the American service school I stated frequently that General Horrocks was the finest general officer I met during the war, and the finest corps commander.'
After the War he continued in the army where had done much to rehabilitate the defeated enemy and then, after forced retirement in 1949 due to the injuries he received in North Africa, he accepted the important post of Black Rod whose duties he performed with efficiency and distinction. Because the Black Rod had to remain in place during long debates, Horrocks relieved his boredom on occasions by completing football pools coupons. This had the advantage of looking like note- taking to the assembled lords. Horrocks held the post of Black Rod until 1963.
He had achieved national fame as a television presenter and in the process given much pleasure and interest to millions. Even while doing this he had been an active director of a large construction company and made a valuable contribu~i?n. Finally, he made a success of writing, in newspaper, articles. in books and 1n ed1t1ng
other people's books.
All of these activities had been useful. wholesome and of benefit to the people of his country. But his greatest achievements had been on the battlefie_ld. Chester Wilmot said of him. when he took over 30 Corps: 'Within a few days his fresh and fiery spirit had transformed the Corps. A tall. lithe figure. with whit~ hair. angular features, penetrating eyes and eloquent hands, he moved among his troops more
like a prophet than a General'.
When you talk about General Horrocks' effect on morale and fighting quality, one is reminded of Wellington's comment on Napoleon: 'I used to say of him that his
presence on the field made the difference of Forty Thousand men.'
Horrocks died on 4 January 1985, aged 89. The memorial service, held at Westminster Abbey on 26 February, was attended by Major-General Sir Peter Gillett in his role as Deputy Constable and Lieutenant-Governor of Windsor Castle and Secretary of State for Defence Michael Heseltine, who represented the Queen
and Prime Minister respectively. Thirty regiments and many other formations and associations were represented at the service.
Ilona Lazar - Tribute to her Grandfather
Thessalonians 4:14-17 (New Revised Standard) - Major (Ret'd) Derrick Harwood MBETD
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God
will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet. will descend from
heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and
so we will be with the Lord forever.∼Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC born in Raniketh British India was a British army officer. He is chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World War. He also served in the First World War and the Russian Civil War, was a prisoner of war twice, and competed in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Later he was a television presenter, authored books on military history, and was Black Rod in the House of Lords for 14 years.
In 1940 Horrocks commanded a battalion during the Battle of France, the first time he served under Bernard Montgomery, the most prominent British commander of the war. Montgomery later identified Horrocks as one of his most able officers, appointing him to corps commands in both North Africa and Europe. In 1943, Horrocks was seriously wounded and took more than a year to recover before returning to command a corps in Europe. It is likely that this period out of action meant he missed out on promotion;[10] his contemporary corps commanders in North Africa, Leese and Dempsey, went on to command at army level and above. Horrocks' wound caused continuing health problems and led to his early retirement from the army after the war.
Since 1945, Horrocks has been regarded by some as one of the most successful British Army generals of the war, "a man who really led, a general who talked to everyone, down to the simplest private soldier",[11] and the "beau ideal of a corps commander".[12] Dwight D. Eisenhower called him "the outstanding British general under Montgomery"
Gravesite Details
Internment of ashes 16 May 2022
Service https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIY47snW_gw
Family Members
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