Gerald Templer
Encyclopedia
Field Marshal
Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer KG
, GCB
, GCMG
, KBE
(11 September 1898–25 October 1979) was a British
military commander. He is best known for his defeat of the guerrilla rebels in Malaya
between 1952 and 1954. "The jungle has been neutralised", he declared in a Time Magazine cover article in 1952.
, Templer was commissioned into his father's regiment, the Royal Irish Fusiliers
in 1916 and fought in World War I
. In 1924 he was in the Olympic squad as a 120 yard hurdler.
he was a lieutenant-colonel in Military Intelligence, serving on the staff of the British Expeditionary Force
. After evacuating from France he oversaw the raising of the 9th Royal Sussex Regiment
and then commanded a brigade under Montgomery in a Home Service division.
In April 1942 he took over command of 47th Infantry Division based in Winchester
as a major-general, five months later taking command of II Corps as the Army's youngest lieutenant-general. Then in April 1943 he took command of XI Corps
based in East Anglia
. He then requested a field command and was reduced to major-general and posted to command the 1st Infantry Division in North Africa in July 1943 before commanding the 56th Infantry Division in October 1943 during the Italian campaign.
He briefly commanded the 6th Armoured Division before being severely injured by a land mine in mid-1944. He spent the rest of the war on intelligence duties in 21st Army Group HQ as well as briefly heading the German Directorate of the Special Operations Executive
.
He served as Director of Military Government in Germany
during the Allied occupation after World War II
. He first came to public notice after firing the mayor of Cologne
, the later German chancellor Konrad Adenauer
, for "laziness and inefficiency".
Templer was appointed Director of Military Intelligence at the War Office
in 1946, Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1948 and General Officer Commanding
Eastern Command
in 1950.
then appointed him British High Commissioner in Malaya in January 1952 to deal with the Malayan Emergency
.
Working closely with Robert Thompson, the Permanent Secretary of Defence for Malaya, Templer's tactics against the communists were held up as a model for counter-insurgency
.
Templer famously remarked that, "The answer [to the uprising] lies not in pouring more troops into the jungle, but in the hearts and minds of the people." He demanded that newly built villages, where ethnic Chinese
were resettled away from the jungles and beyond the reach (and influence) of the guerrillas, look inviting. To further gain the "hearts and minds" of the non-Malays, who were the main source of communist support, Templer fought to grant Malayan citizenship to over 2.6 million Malayan residents, 1.1 million of whom were Chinese. Templer sought "political and social equality of all" Malayans.
He instituted incentive schemes for rewarding surrendering rebels and those who encouraged them to surrender.
He also used strict curfews and tight control of food supplies to force compliance from rebellious areas and flush out guerillas. Crops grown by the communists in response to these measures were sprayed with herbicide. These restrictions would be lifted on so-called White Areas which had been found to be free of communist incursion.
In military terms Templer concentrated his efforts on intelligence. When he left Malaya in 1954 the situation was dramatically improved, though the rebels remained a force. Templer denied that the situation had stabilised, declaring "I'll shoot the bastard who says that this Emergency is over". The Malayan government eventually declared the Emergency over in 1960.
. He spent his last years working towards the foundation of the National Army Museum
in London
.
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Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer KG
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(11 September 1898–25 October 1979) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
military commander. He is best known for his defeat of the guerrilla rebels in Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
between 1952 and 1954. "The jungle has been neutralised", he declared in a Time Magazine cover article in 1952.
Early life
Born in Colchester and educated at Wellington CollegeWellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
, Templer was commissioned into his father's regiment, the Royal Irish Fusiliers
Royal Irish Fusiliers
The Royal Irish Fusiliers was an Irish infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th Regiment of Foot and the 89th Regiment of Foot in 1881. The regiment's first title in 1881 was Princess Victoria's , changed in 1920 to The Royal Irish Fusiliers...
in 1916 and fought in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In 1924 he was in the Olympic squad as a 120 yard hurdler.
Second World War
At the outbreak of World War IIWorld 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...
he was a lieutenant-colonel in Military Intelligence, serving on the staff of the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
. After evacuating from France he oversaw the raising of the 9th Royal Sussex Regiment
Royal Sussex Regiment
The Royal Sussex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed as part of the Childers reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th Regiment of Foot and the 107th Regiment of Foot...
and then commanded a brigade under Montgomery in a Home Service division.
In April 1942 he took over command of 47th Infantry Division based in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
as a major-general, five months later taking command of II Corps as the Army's youngest lieutenant-general. Then in April 1943 he took command of XI Corps
XI Corps (United Kingdom)
XI Corps was an army corps of the British Army in World War I that served on the Western Front and in Italy. It was recreated as part of Home Forces defending the United Kingdom during World War II.-Western Front:...
based in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
. He then requested a field command and was reduced to major-general and posted to command the 1st Infantry Division in North Africa in July 1943 before commanding the 56th Infantry Division in October 1943 during the Italian campaign.
He briefly commanded the 6th Armoured Division before being severely injured by a land mine in mid-1944. He spent the rest of the war on intelligence duties in 21st Army Group HQ as well as briefly heading the German Directorate of the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
.
He served as Director of Military Government in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during the Allied occupation after 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...
. He first came to public notice after firing the mayor of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, the later German chancellor Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
, for "laziness and inefficiency".
Templer was appointed Director of Military Intelligence at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
in 1946, Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1948 and General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
Eastern Command
Eastern Command (United Kingdom)
-History:The Command was established in 1905 from the Fourth Army Corps and was based in London. Among the formations raised under its supervision in World War I was the 12th Division. Its headquarters was initially located at Horseguards in London. During World War II the Command relocated to...
in 1950.
High Commissioner of Malaya
Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
then appointed him British High Commissioner in Malaya in January 1952 to deal with the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
.
Working closely with Robert Thompson, the Permanent Secretary of Defence for Malaya, Templer's tactics against the communists were held up as a model for counter-insurgency
Counter-insurgency
A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
.
Templer famously remarked that, "The answer [to the uprising] lies not in pouring more troops into the jungle, but in the hearts and minds of the people." He demanded that newly built villages, where ethnic Chinese
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
were resettled away from the jungles and beyond the reach (and influence) of the guerrillas, look inviting. To further gain the "hearts and minds" of the non-Malays, who were the main source of communist support, Templer fought to grant Malayan citizenship to over 2.6 million Malayan residents, 1.1 million of whom were Chinese. Templer sought "political and social equality of all" Malayans.
He instituted incentive schemes for rewarding surrendering rebels and those who encouraged them to surrender.
He also used strict curfews and tight control of food supplies to force compliance from rebellious areas and flush out guerillas. Crops grown by the communists in response to these measures were sprayed with herbicide. These restrictions would be lifted on so-called White Areas which had been found to be free of communist incursion.
In military terms Templer concentrated his efforts on intelligence. When he left Malaya in 1954 the situation was dramatically improved, though the rebels remained a force. Templer denied that the situation had stabilised, declaring "I'll shoot the bastard who says that this Emergency is over". The Malayan government eventually declared the Emergency over in 1960.
Later military career
Templer served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1955 to 1958 and was promoted to field marshalField Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
. He spent his last years working towards the foundation of the National Army Museum
National Army Museum
The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Honours
- The University of BirminghamUniversity of BirminghamThe University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
Centre for First World War Studies established the Templer Medal in 1982 to commemorate the life and achievements of Gerald Templer and to mark his Presidency of the Society for Army Historical ResearchSociety for Army Historical ResearchThe Society for Army Historical Research was founded in 1921 to foster "interest in the history and traditions of British and Commonwealth armies, and to encourage research in these fields." It is one of the oldest societies of its kind. Past members include notable British Field Marshals Wavell,...
between 1965 and 1979.
- The Malaysian Government conferred him the award that brings the Title "Tun"
- The Main Hall at Royal Military College, Kuala Lumpur in Sungai BesiSungai BesiSungai Besi is a township in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. The deepest tin mine in Malaysia is located here. Sungai Besi was a historical mining town with many heavy industries such as steelworks, waste steel plants and other steel industries...
, Kuala LumpurKuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
is named Dewan Tun Templer (Tun Templer Hall).
- A road in Petaling JayaPetaling JayaPetaling Jaya is a Malaysian city originally developed as a satellite township for Kuala Lumpur comprising mostly residential and some industrial areas. It is located in the Petaling district of Selangor with an area of approximately 97.2 km². On 20 June 2006, Petaling Jaya was granted a...
of Malaysia is named Jalan TemplerJalan TemplerJalan Templer is a major road in Petaling Jaya city, Selangor, Malaysia. It was the first road built in Petaling Jaya and was simply called "Jalan 1" or Road 1...
(Templer Road).
- Templer's ParkTempler's ParkTempler's Park is a forest reserve in the Klang Valley, Selangor, Malaysia. The park is located about 6 kilometres from Rawang and 22 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur. It is 1,214 hectares in size and it was named in honour of Sir Gerald Templer, a British High Commissioner in Malaya.This forest...
in Rawang
- In 1979 was made one of the few Honorary Members of Boodle'sBoodle'sBoodle's is a London gentlemen's club, founded in 1762, at 49-51 Pall Mall, London by Lord Shelburne the future Marquess of Lansdowne and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the club came to be known after the name of its head waiter Edward Boodle....
Club in St James's London.
- He served as Chief ScoutChief ScoutThe Chief Scout is the uniformed head of a Scouting organisation:*For the Chief Scout of the World see: Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell*For the head of The Scout Association see: Chief Scout...
of the Malay Federation in the 1950s.
Further reading
- Cloake, John Templer, tiger of Malaya : the life of field marshal Sir Gerald Templer, London, Harrap, 1985 ISBN 978-0245542046
- Marks, Leo Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's Story 1941-1945Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's Story 1941-1945Between Silk and Cyanide is the title of a book by former Special Operations Executive cryptographer Leo Marks, describing his work during the Second World War. More fully, its title is Between Silk and Cyanide, The Story of SOE's Code War...
. (HarperCollins, 1998). ISBN 0-684-86780-X. - Neillands, Robin A fighting retreat : the British Empire 1947-97, London, Hodder, 1997 ISBN 978-0340635209
- Lapping, Brian End of Empire, 1985 ISBN 978-0312250713
- Heathcote, Anthony The British Field Marshals 1736-1997, Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 1999 ISBN 0-85052-696-5
- Ramakrishna, Kumar Emergency Propaganda: The Winning of Malayan Hearts and Minds 1948-1958, Curzon Press, Richmond, 2002 ISBN 978-0700715107
External links
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