John MacMillan (British Army officer)
Lieutenant General Sir John Richard Alexander MacMillan KCB, CBE (born 8 February 1932) is a Scottish officer in the British Army who served as General Officer Commanding Scotland. While he was at university, he was a rower and represented Great Britain at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Sir John MacMillan | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) MacMillan in 2012 | |
| Birth name | John Richard Alexander MacMillan |
| Born | 8 February 1932 St George Hanover Square, London |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1953–1991 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Service number | 431870 |
| Unit | Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Gordon Highlanders |
| Commands held | 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders 39th Infantry Brigade Eastern District General Officer Commanding Scotland |
| Battles/wars | Operation Banner |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
| Relations | Sir Gordon MacMillan (father) |
| Sports career | |
| Sport | Rowing |
| Club | Cambridge University Boat Club |
Early life and education
MacMillan was born in London to General Sir Gordon MacMillan and Marion Blakiston-Houston.[1] He attended Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge.[2]
Rowing
While at Trinity College, MacMillan was a member of the Cambridge University Boat Club. He competed in the men's double sculls event at the 1952 Summer Olympics, with Peter Brandt as his rowing partner. They were eliminated in the first repechage.[3]
MacMillan competed in The Boat Race 1953, a side-by-side rowing race in eights between crews from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Cambridge won by eight lengths.[4]
Military career
MacMillan was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1953.[2]
He was appointed Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion the Gordon Highlanders in 1971[2] and Commander of 39th Infantry Brigade, a unit permanently stationed in Northern Ireland, in 1977.[2] He was given the colonelcy of the Gordon Highlanders from 1978 to 1986.[5]
He became General Officer Commanding Eastern District in 1982, Assistant Chief of the General Staff in 1984 and General Officer Commanding Scotland and Governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1988.[2] He retired in 1991.[2]
In 1995, he became Chairman of the Erskine Hospital in Renfrewshire.[6]
Honours
On 19 February 1973, MacMillan was appointed an Additional Officer of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This was for "distinguished services in Northern Ireland during the period 1 May to 31 July 1972"; during that time, Bloody Friday and Operation Motorman happened.[7] On 12 December 1978, MacMillan was promoted to Additional Commander of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This was "in recognition of distinguished service in Northern Ireland during the period 1 May to 31 July 1978.[8]
In the 1988 Birthday Honours, MacMillan was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB).[9]
Family
In 1964, MacMillan married Belinda Webb, daughter of Lt-Col Richard Henry Lumley Webb. They have one son and two daughters.[1]
References
- Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 2536. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
- Debrett's People of Today 1994
- "John MacMillan". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- Dodd, Christopher (1983). The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race. Stanley Paul. p. 335. ISBN 0091513405.
- "The Gordon Highlanders". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2005. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Major rebuilding project planned for Erskine Hospital Glasgow Herald, 9 March 1995
- "No. 45909". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 February 1973. p. 2340.
- "No. 47710". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 December 1978. p. 14921.
- "No. 51365". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 1988. p. 2.