Michael J. H. Walsh
Encyclopedia
Major-General Michael John Hatley Walsh CB
DSO
(born 1927) was a senior British Army
officer and the Chief Scout
of the United Kingdom
and Overseas Territories
between 1982 and 1988.
, Yorkshire
and at Sedbergh School
in Cumbria
, and was a member of the local Scout
Troop. He attained the King's Scout Award
with the added distinction of Gold Cords, indicating it as the highest award available in Scouting at the time.
as a rifleman in 1944 and was commissioned in 1945. He spent the winter of 1945 – 46 in northern Italy guarding against incursion by Josip Broz Tito
’s partisans. After instructing at the Small Arms School and the Jungle Warfare School in Malaya
, he was seconded to the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (known as “3 Para”) and went with them to Cyprus
in 1956 as a company commander, where he took part in operations against EOKA
insurgents.
In November 1956, the Suez Crisis
had come to a head and 3 Para were tasked with capturing El Gamil
airfield close to Port Said
- part of Operation Musketeer
. This was the first and last British operational parachute assault since World War II. Despite fierce opposition including tanks, the airfield was captured in 30 minutes. After various staff and training appointments, he returned to the role of company commander with 3 Para to take part in the 1964 campaign in the Radfan
Mountains in Saudi Arabia
. After promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel, he took command of 1 Para on an emergency tour to Aden
in January 1967. The battalion was responsible for “Area North” for 7 months and were the last British battalion to withdraw. Walsh was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
for various actions in June. The citation reads: “By his outstanding devotion to duty, personal bravery and exceptional powers of command, Lieutenant-Colonel Walsh contained the situation at Sheikh Othman
whilst never departing from the principle of minimum force.”
Walsh then held staff appointments with British Army of the Rhine
and 28th Commonwealth Brigade in Singapore
. He was appointed Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence in 1973. Following promotion to Major-General he took command of 3rd Armoured Division in 1976 and was then appointed Director of Army Training in 1978 retiring in 1981.
He was Knight President of the London-based Society of Knights of the Round Table
from 1988 until 1995.
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...
DSO
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...
(born 1927) was a senior British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and the Chief Scout
Chief Scout (United Kingdom)
The Chief Scout is the head of The Scout Association. The post originated with the appointment of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement, as Chief Scout. He was designated Chief Scout of the World in 1920 at the first World Scout Jamboree in Olympia, London...
of the United Kingdom
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...
and Overseas Territories
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
between 1982 and 1988.
Education
Walsh was educated at two independent schools: at Clifton House School in HarrogateHarrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and at Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School is a boarding school in Sedbergh, Cumbria, for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. Nestled in the Howgill Fells, it is known for sporting sides, such as its Rugby Union 1st XV.-Background:...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, and was a member of the local Scout
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
Troop. He attained the King's Scout Award
Queen's Scout
The Queen's Scout Award is the highest youth award achievable in the Scouting movement in several countries. It is awarded in realms of the Commonwealth, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where the Scouts operate under the ceremonial leadership of the monarch.The...
with the added distinction of Gold Cords, indicating it as the highest award available in Scouting at the time.
Military career
Michael Walsh joined the King's Royal Rifle CorpsKing's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
as a rifleman in 1944 and was commissioned in 1945. He spent the winter of 1945 – 46 in northern Italy guarding against incursion by Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
’s partisans. After instructing at the Small Arms School and the Jungle Warfare School 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...
, he was seconded to the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (known as “3 Para”) and went with them to 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...
in 1956 as a company commander, where he took part in operations against EOKA
EOKA
EOKA was an anticolonial, antiimperialist nationalist organisation with the ultimate goal of "The liberation of Cyprus from the British yoke". Although not stated in its initial declaration of existence which was printed and distributed on the 1st of April 1955, EOKA also had a target of achieving...
insurgents.
In November 1956, the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
had come to a head and 3 Para were tasked with capturing El Gamil
El Gamil
El Gamil is a fortress with an airfield in Port Said Governorate, Egypt. It was the landing site of British paratroopers in the 1956 war....
airfield close to Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
- part of Operation Musketeer
Operation Musketeer
Operation Musketeer may refer to:* US military plans for the Philippines Campaign * Operation Musketeer , the Anglo-French invasion of Egypt to capture the Suez Canal in 1956....
. This was the first and last British operational parachute assault since World War II. Despite fierce opposition including tanks, the airfield was captured in 30 minutes. After various staff and training appointments, he returned to the role of company commander with 3 Para to take part in the 1964 campaign in the Radfan
Radfan
Radfan or the Radfan Hills is a region of the Republic of Yemen. In the 1960s, the area was part of a British protectorate of Dhala and was the site of intense fighting during the Aden Emergency...
Mountains in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. After promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel, he took command of 1 Para on an emergency tour to Aden
Aden Emergency
The Aden Emergency was an insurgency against the British crown forces in the British controlled territories of South Arabia which now form part of the Yemen. Partly inspired by Nasser's pan Arab nationalism, it began on 10 December 1963 with the throwing of a grenade at a gathering of British...
in January 1967. The battalion was responsible for “Area North” for 7 months and were the last British battalion to withdraw. Walsh was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
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...
for various actions in June. The citation reads: “By his outstanding devotion to duty, personal bravery and exceptional powers of command, Lieutenant-Colonel Walsh contained the situation at Sheikh Othman
Sheikh Othman
Sheikh Othman is a city district in Aden Governorate, Yemen, with a population of 105,248 according to 2004 census.-History:...
whilst never departing from the principle of minimum force.”
Walsh then held staff appointments with 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 28th Commonwealth Brigade in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. He was appointed Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence in 1973. Following promotion to Major-General he took command of 3rd Armoured Division in 1976 and was then appointed Director of Army Training in 1978 retiring in 1981.
He was Knight President of the London-based Society of Knights of the Round Table
Society of Knights of the Round Table
The Honourable Society of Knights of the Round Table, also known as The Knights of the Round Table Club, is a British society which exists to perpetuate the name and fame of King Arthur and the ideals for which he stood...
from 1988 until 1995.