John Hugh Bevil Acland
Encyclopedia
Major-General Sir John Hugh Bevil Acland, KCB
, CBE
, DL
(26 November 1928 – 17 November 2006) was a British
soldier.
and his wife Bridget Susan Barnett, daughter of Herbert Barnett. His younger brother Antony was head of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
and British Ambassador in Washington. Acland was educated at Eton College
and then at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
.
as a 2nd lieutenant. Two years later, he fought as lieutenant in the Malayan Emergency
and promoted to captain in 1954, was with his regiment involved in the Cyprus Emergency in 1957. Subsequently he was nominated equerry
to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
, a post he held for the next two years. Acland went to staff college
and then took part in the combats of the Mau Mau Uprising
in Kenya
as a major. Following the Zanzibar Revolution
in 1964, he was appointed brigade major of 4th Guards Brigade in the British Army of the Rhine
and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1967. He became commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards in 1968 and led it in the Northern Ireland riots of August 1969.
After the announcement of the battalion's possible disbandment, he spoke out against it in a letter to The Times
, what prompted his senior general to suspend further advancement for the time being. Acland was sent to desk work in the Ministry of Defence
, responsible for the annual review of the number of major-generals' posts in the British Army. In 1976, he was finally promoted to brigadier-general and became commander of the land forces in Cyprus
. Two years later, he was awarded a Commander
of the Order of the British Empire
and obtained command of the South West District as a major-general. With the end of the Rhodesian Bush War
and the establishment of the Republic of Zimbabwe Rhodesia in 1979, Acland was selected commander of the Commonwealth Monitoring Force.
On his return to England in the following year, he was invested a Knight Commander of Order of the Bath
. Acland retired in 1981 and spent his time first as director of Allied Vintners, then as chairman of the South West Working Party on Alcohol. He was made honorary colonel of the Royal Devon Yeomanry
in 1983 and was granted the same rank also of the Exeter University Officer's Training Corps in 1986 and of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry
in 1989. Acland was president of The Royal British Legion Devon
and sat in the Dartmoor National Park Authority. Having been previously a Deputy Lieutenant
from 1985, he was appointed Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Devon
in 1995.
Alistair Wardrop Euing Crawford, and had by her one son and one daughter.
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...
, CBE
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...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(26 November 1928 – 17 November 2006) 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...
soldier.
Background and education
He was the older son of Peter AclandPeter Acland
Brigadier Peter Bevil Edward Acland, OBE, MC, TD, DL, JP, OStJ, was a British soldier.-Background:He was the younger son of Alfred Dyke Acland and his wife Beatrice, daughter of William Henry Smith and his wife Emily Danvers Smith, 1st Viscountess Hambleden. Acland was educated at Eton College and...
and his wife Bridget Susan Barnett, daughter of Herbert Barnett. His younger brother Antony was head of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom, dealing with foreign affairs, as opposed to the Home Civil Service, which deals with domestic affairs...
and British Ambassador in Washington. Acland was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and then at the Royal Military Academy 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...
.
Career
In 1948, he was commissioned into the Scots GuardsScots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
as a 2nd lieutenant. Two years later, he fought as lieutenant in 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....
and promoted to captain in 1954, was with his regiment involved in the Cyprus Emergency in 1957. Subsequently he was nominated equerry
Equerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....
, a post he held for the next two years. Acland went to staff college
Staff college
Staff colleges train military officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career...
and then took part in the combats of the Mau Mau Uprising
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
as a major. Following the Zanzibar Revolution
Zanzibar Revolution
The Zanzibar Revolution by local African revolutionaries in 1964 overthrew the Sultan of Zanzibar and his mainly Arab government. An ethnically diverse state consisting of a number of islands off the east coast of Tanganyika, Zanzibar had been granted independence by Britain in 1963...
in 1964, he was appointed brigade major of 4th Guards Brigade in the British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1967. He became commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards in 1968 and led it in the Northern Ireland riots of August 1969.
After the announcement of the battalion's possible disbandment, he spoke out against it in a letter to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, what prompted his senior general to suspend further advancement for the time being. Acland was sent to desk work in the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, responsible for the annual review of the number of major-generals' posts in the British Army. In 1976, he was finally promoted to brigadier-general and became commander of the land forces in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. Two years later, he was awarded a Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the Order of the British Empire
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...
and obtained command of the South West District as a major-general. With the end of the Rhodesian Bush War
Rhodesian Bush War
The Rhodesian Bush War – also known as the Second Chimurenga or the Zimbabwe War of Liberation – was a civil war which took place between July 1964 and December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia...
and the establishment of the Republic of Zimbabwe Rhodesia in 1979, Acland was selected commander of the Commonwealth Monitoring Force.
On his return to England in the following year, he was invested a Knight Commander of Order of the Bath
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...
. Acland retired in 1981 and spent his time first as director of Allied Vintners, then as chairman of the South West Working Party on Alcohol. He was made honorary colonel of the Royal Devon Yeomanry
Royal Devon Yeomanry
The Royal Devon Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1794, it participated in the Boer War, World War I and World War II and now forms a squadron of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry.-History:...
in 1983 and was granted the same rank also of the Exeter University Officer's Training Corps in 1986 and of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry
Royal Wessex Yeomanry
The Royal Wessex Yeomanry is an armoured regiment of the British Territorial Army consisting of four squadrons, each of which bears the cap badge of an old yeomanry regiment:*B Squadron*A Squadron...
in 1989. Acland was president of The Royal British Legion Devon
The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion , sometimes referred to as simply The Legion, is the United Kingdom's leading charity providing financial, social and emotional support to those who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces, and their dependants.-History:The British Legion was...
and sat in the Dartmoor National Park Authority. Having been previously a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
from 1985, he was appointed Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Devon
Lord Lieutenant of Devon
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Devon. Since 1711, all the Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Devon.*John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford 1552–1555*John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath 1556–1561...
in 1995.
Family
On 12 November 1953, he married Myrtle Christian Euing Crawford, daughter of BrigadierBrigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Alistair Wardrop Euing Crawford, and had by her one son and one daughter.