Norman Wheeler
Encyclopedia
Major-General Norman (Samuel) Wheeler CB
CBE
(16 June 1915 - 21 September 1990) was a British Army
officer who commanded 2nd Division.
, St Helen's College in Southsea
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
, Wheeler was commissioned into the Royal Ulster Rifles
in 1935. He served as an Intelligence Officer with 2 Bn Royal Ulster Rifles in Palestine
from 1937 to 1939. He took part in World War II
as Brigade Major of 38th Irish Brigade
before serving with the Special Operations Executive
running operations in Albania
and then returning to his regiment to fight in North West Europe.
After the War he became Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General for 6th Airborne Division in Palestine
. He was appointed Military Assistant to Adjutant-General to the Forces
in 1949, a member of the UK Services Liaison Staff in Australia
in 1951 and a member of the General Staff at Headquarters Northern Army Group
in 1954. He was made Commanding Officer
of 1st Bn Royal Ulster Rifles and deployed as part of the response to the EOKA
campaign in Cyprus
in 1958. He went on to be commander of 39th Infantry Brigade
at Lisburn
in 1959, Chief of Staff of 1 (British) Corps in Germany
in 1962 and General Officer Commanding
2nd Division in 1964. His last appointments were as Chief of Staff for Contingencies Planning at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
from 1966 and as Chief of Staff at British Army of the Rhine
Headquarters from 1969 before retiring in 1971.
In retirement he became Deputy Managing Director of Associated Independent Stores.
and father of General Sir Roger Wheeler.
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...
(16 June 1915 - 21 September 1990) was a 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 who commanded 2nd Division.
Military career
Educated at Water Kloof House in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, St Helen's College in Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
and the Royal Military College, 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...
, Wheeler was commissioned into the Royal Ulster Rifles
Royal Ulster Rifles
The Royal Ulster Rifles was a British Army infantry regiment. It saw service in the Second Boer War, Great War, the Second World War and the Korean War, before being amalgamated into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1968.-History:...
in 1935. He served as an Intelligence Officer with 2 Bn Royal Ulster Rifles in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
from 1937 to 1939. He took part 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...
as Brigade Major of 38th Irish Brigade
38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 38th Infantry Brigade was a British Army unit formed initially after the start of World War I, without the title 'Irish'.-History:...
before serving with 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...
running operations in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and then returning to his regiment to fight in North West Europe.
After the War he became Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General for 6th Airborne Division in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. He was appointed Military Assistant to Adjutant-General to the Forces
Adjutant-General to the Forces
The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General , is one of the most senior officers in the British Army. He is in charge of administration, personnel and organisational matters. The Adjutant-General usually holds the rank of General or Lieutenant-General...
in 1949, a member of the UK Services Liaison Staff in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1951 and a member of the General Staff at Headquarters Northern Army Group
Northern Army Group
The Northern Army Group was a NATO military formation comprising four Western European Army Corps, during the Cold War as part of NATO's forward defence in the Federal Republic of Germany.- History :...
in 1954. He was made 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 1st Bn Royal Ulster Rifles and deployed as part of the response to the 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...
campaign 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...
in 1958. He went on to be commander of 39th Infantry Brigade
39th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The British 39th Infantry Brigade was a military formation of the British Army that was first established during World War I and reformed in the 1950s.-World Wars:...
at Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
in 1959, Chief of Staff of 1 (British) Corps 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...
in 1962 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 Division in 1964. His last appointments were as Chief of Staff for Contingencies Planning at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons...
from 1966 and as Chief of Staff at 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:...
Headquarters from 1969 before retiring in 1971.
In retirement he became Deputy Managing Director of Associated Independent Stores.
Family
In 1939 he married Helen Clifford; they had one son and one daughter. He was brother to Air Chief Marshall Sir Neil WheelerNeil Wheeler
Air Chief Marshal Sir Henry Neil George Wheeler, GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC and bar, AFC was a British Royal Air Force officer.-Military career:...
and father of General Sir Roger Wheeler.