Alec Harper
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Alec Harper DSO
(12 July 1910 – 11 March 2003) fought with the Chindits, played Polo
for England and was honorary secretary of the Hurlingham Polo Association
.
in Somerset
and educated at Blundell's School
in Tiverton and at the RMA Sandhurst
.
, and, after volunteering for transfer to the Indian Army, joined the 9th Royal Deccan Horse
. Stationed at Poona, Harper learned to hunt big game and was promoted from zero handicap to a two-goal player by the end of his first regimental polo tournament.
In 1938, Harper was appointed ADC
to the Governor of Bengal
and after the outbreak of World War II
, keen to see action, volunteered for the 2nd Chindit expedition
, which was to drop long range penetration groups into Burma. The objective was to cut the lines of communication serving the Japanese Army operating against the American-led Chinese forces advancing from the north through the Hukawng Valley
.
Harper took command of the 3rd/9th Gurkha Rifles
after their CO
became seriously ill and he led a three-day trek north-west through the Gangaw Range
to rejoin Brigadier Mike Calvert's
77th Brigade south of Hopin
.
At the end of the Burma campaign, Harper accompanied the 3rd/9th to Java
as part of the 5th Indian Division (where Indonesia
n nationalists had proclaimed independence from Dutch
rule, and the withdrawal of the Japanese to their barracks had created a breakdown of law and order. Harper led his battalion in an advance through Surabaya
in East Java
, which took two weeks of fighting to restore order and free the Europeans who were being held in internment camps or as hostages. He was awarded an immediate DSO.
After attending Staff College at Quetta
in 1947 Harper retired from the Army and after a period in India
helping to run his father-in-law's distillery business in Calcutta, he returned to England and settled on the Cowdray Estate
in 1955.
Between 1971 and 1989 Harper was a key figure in the sport, as honorary secretary of its governing body, the Hurlingham Polo Association
.
Harper had a long-held theory that in order to play really well, sex was essential before a match.
Harper made his living by buying young horses and turning them into polo ponies. He was assisted by his Indian orderly, Bachan Singh, who had also been the regimental rough rider in the Deccan Horse. Harper also became a steward with the Greyhound Racing Association
.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(12 July 1910 – 11 March 2003) fought with the Chindits, played Polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
for England and was honorary secretary of the Hurlingham Polo Association
Hurlingham Polo Association
The Hurlingham Polo Association is the governing body for polo in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The Federation of International Polo produces the International Rules of Polo through a cooperative agreement with the Hurlingham Polo Association, the Asociación Argentina de Polo , plus...
.
Early life
Alexander Forrest Harper, always known as Alec, was born in FreshfordFreshford
Freshford is a village and civil parish in the Avon valley south-east of Bath, in the county of Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 530...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and educated at Blundell's School
Blundell's School
Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school located in the town of Tiverton in the county of Devon, England. The school was founded in 1604 by the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the time, and relocated to its present location on the...
in Tiverton and at the RMA Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
.
Military career
Harper was posted to the 2nd Battalion, Lancashire FusiliersLancashire Fusiliers
The Lancashire Fusiliers was a British infantry regiment that was amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.- Formation and early history:...
, and, after volunteering for transfer to the Indian Army, joined the 9th Royal Deccan Horse
9th Royal Deccan Horse
The 9th Royal Deccan Horse was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army , it was formed from the amalgamation of two regiments after World War I. They saw service from the Mutiny of 1857 up to and including World War II.-Formation:...
. Stationed at Poona, Harper learned to hunt big game and was promoted from zero handicap to a two-goal player by the end of his first regimental polo tournament.
In 1938, Harper was appointed ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Governor of Bengal
Governor of Bengal
From 1690, a governor represented the British East India Company in Bengal, which had been granted the right to establish a trading post by the local rulers, the nawabs of Murshidabad, who were nominal vassals of the Mughal emperor in Delhi....
and after the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, keen to see action, volunteered for the 2nd Chindit expedition
Burma Campaign 1944
The fighting in the Burma Campaign in 1944 was among the severest in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It took place along the borders between Burma and India, and Burma and China, and involved the British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces, against the forces of the Empire...
, which was to drop long range penetration groups into Burma. The objective was to cut the lines of communication serving the Japanese Army operating against the American-led Chinese forces advancing from the north through the Hukawng Valley
Hukawng Valley
The Hukawng Valley is an isolated valley in Burma, roughly in area. It is located in Tanaing Township in the Myitkyina District of Kachin State in the northernmost part of the country.-Rivers:...
.
Harper took command of the 3rd/9th Gurkha Rifles
9 Gorkha Rifles
The 9 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment was one of the Gurkha regiments transferred to the Indian Army after independence as part of the tripartite agreement. This Gorkha regiment dominantly recruits soldiers from Chhetri and Thakuri clans...
after their CO
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
became seriously ill and he led a three-day trek north-west through the Gangaw Range
Gangaw
Gangaw is a town of Gangaw Township in Gangaw District in the Magway Division in Myanmar. Gangaw is also known as the City of Yaw, a certain region in Myanmar including Gangaw, Tilin, Saw and villages around them...
to rejoin Brigadier Mike Calvert's
Mike Calvert
James Michael Calvert DSO and Bar was a British soldier involved in special operations in World War II. The degree to which he led very risky attacks in person led to his becoming widely known as "Mad Mike". Calvert was court-martialled and dismissed from the Army in 1952...
77th Brigade south of Hopin
Hopin (Kachin State)
Hopin is a town in Mohnyin Township, Kachin State, in northeast Burma . It is situated on the main Mandalay – Myitkyina railway line, 745 miles north from Yangon. It is on the road between Mohnyin and Mogaung where the road to Ywathit and Indawgyi Lake takes off. It is 27 miles by road from...
.
At the end of the Burma campaign, Harper accompanied the 3rd/9th to Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
as part of the 5th Indian Division (where Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n nationalists had proclaimed independence from Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
rule, and the withdrawal of the Japanese to their barracks had created a breakdown of law and order. Harper led his battalion in an advance through Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
in East Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
, which took two weeks of fighting to restore order and free the Europeans who were being held in internment camps or as hostages. He was awarded an immediate DSO.
After attending Staff College at Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
in 1947 Harper retired from the Army and after a period in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
helping to run his father-in-law's distillery business in Calcutta, he returned to England and settled on the Cowdray Estate
Cowdray Park, West Sussex
Cowdray Park is a country house at the centre of the Cowdray Estate in Midhurst, West Sussex. The park lies in the South Downs National Park. The estate belongs to Viscount Cowdray, whose family have owned it since 1908. It is probably best known for Cowdray Park Polo Club, which is one of the...
in 1955.
Polo and later life
During his playing years Harper represented England, when it inflicted a rare defeat on Argentina in a 23-goal match in 1951, and again in 1953. Harper also played for a number of other teams, including The Mariners, which included Prince Philip, and for which he had to be made an honorary naval officer. He appeared in the British Open final eight times, mainly for his club, Cowdray Park, and finally gave up at aged 77 after playing 20 chukkas during his final season.Between 1971 and 1989 Harper was a key figure in the sport, as honorary secretary of its governing body, the Hurlingham Polo Association
Hurlingham Polo Association
The Hurlingham Polo Association is the governing body for polo in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The Federation of International Polo produces the International Rules of Polo through a cooperative agreement with the Hurlingham Polo Association, the Asociación Argentina de Polo , plus...
.
Harper had a long-held theory that in order to play really well, sex was essential before a match.
Harper made his living by buying young horses and turning them into polo ponies. He was assisted by his Indian orderly, Bachan Singh, who had also been the regimental rough rider in the Deccan Horse. Harper also became a steward with the Greyhound Racing Association
Greyhound Racing Association
The Greyhound Racing Association is a private company involved in the management of sports venues.It currently operates five sites:*Oxford Stadium*Wimbledon Stadium, London*Hall Green Stadium, Birmingham*Perry Barr Stadium, Birmingham...
.
Publications
Harper wrote two volumes of autobiography:- Horse and Foot (1995)
- More Horse and Foot (2002)