John Archer (British Army officer)
General Sir Arthur John Archer, KCB, OBE (12 February 1924 – 12 March 1999) was a senior officer of the British Army and a former Commander in Chief, UK Land Forces.
Sir John Archer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 February 1924 |
| Died | 12 March 1999 (aged 75) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1944–1980 |
| Rank | General |
| Service number | 323707 |
| Unit | Royal Norfolk Regiment Devonshire and Dorset Regiment |
| Commands held | 1st Battalion, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment 2nd Division Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong UK Land Forces |
| Battles/wars | Malayan Emergency |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) |
Army career
Educated at King's School, Peterborough, and St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, John Archer was commissioned into the Royal Norfolk Regiment in 1944.[1] He transferred to the Devon and Dorset Regiment in 1946 and served with the Regiment during the Malayan Emergency.[1] He was Commanding Officer of 1 Bn Devon and Dorset Regiment from 1965 to 1967.[1] He then went on to command British Land Forces in The Gulf from 1968 to 1969.[1] He was General Officer Commanding 2nd Division from 1972 to 1974.[1] He was then Director Army Staff Duties at the Ministry of Defence from 1974 to 1976 and Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong from 1976 to 1978.[1][2]
He served as the Commander in Chief, UK Land Forces, from 1978 to 1980 when he retired.[1]
Later career
In retirement, he was a Director of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and Chief Executive of The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.[3]
References
- Debrett's People of Today 1994
- List of British Commanders in Hong Kong
- General Sir John Archer, Obituary Archived 2010-10-25 at the Wayback Machine The Telegraph, 22 March 1999