Nigel Tapp
Encyclopedia
Major-General
Sir Nigel (Prior Hanson) Tapp KBE
CB
DSO
(1904–1991) was General Officer Commanding
East Africa Command
.
in 1924. He served in the Sudan Defence Force
from 1932 to 1938.
He also served in World War II
initially as a General Staff Officer with the British Expeditionary Force
and then as a General Staff Officer at the War Office
. He was appointed Commanding Officer
of 7th Field Regiment Royal Artillery in 1942 and was still commanding it during Operation Overlord
in June 1944. He then became Commander
Royal Artillery for 25th Division in 1945.
After the War he became District Commander for Eritrea
in 1946 and then Deputy Director of Land/Air Warfare at the War Office
in 1948. He was made Deputy Director, Royal Artillery in 1949. He became Commander, Royal Artillery, for 1st (British) Corps in 1951 and General Officer Commanding
2nd Anti Aircraft Group in 1954. He was Director of Military Training at the War Office
from 1955 to 1957 when he became General Officer Commanding East Africa Command
; he retired in 1961.
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
Sir Nigel (Prior Hanson) Tapp 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...
CB
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...
(1904–1991) was 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...
East Africa Command
East Africa Command
-History:The formation was essentially an expansion of the East Africa Force which came into being in August 1940. It was reformed as a Command in September 1941 by General Sir William Platt and covered North East Africa, East Africa and British Central Africa. It established its own intelligence...
.
Military career
Tapp was commissioned into the Royal ArtilleryRoyal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in 1924. He served in the Sudan Defence Force
Sudan Defence Force
The Sudan Defence Force was a Sudanese military unit formed in 1925, as its name indicates, to maintain the borders of the Sudan under the British administration...
from 1932 to 1938.
He also served in 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...
initially as a General Staff Officer with 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....
and then as a General Staff Officer 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...
. He was appointed Commanding Officer
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...
of 7th Field Regiment Royal Artillery in 1942 and was still commanding it during Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
in June 1944. He then became 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...
Royal Artillery for 25th Division in 1945.
After the War he became District Commander for Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
in 1946 and then Deputy Director of Land/Air Warfare 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 1948. He was made Deputy Director, Royal Artillery in 1949. He became Commander, Royal Artillery, for 1st (British) Corps in 1951 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...
2nd Anti Aircraft Group in 1954. He was Director of Military Training 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...
from 1955 to 1957 when he became General Officer Commanding East Africa Command
East Africa Command
-History:The formation was essentially an expansion of the East Africa Force which came into being in August 1940. It was reformed as a Command in September 1941 by General Sir William Platt and covered North East Africa, East Africa and British Central Africa. It established its own intelligence...
; he retired in 1961.