John Stanier (British Army officer)

Stanier was born in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, the son of Harold Allan Stanier and Penelope Rose Stanier (née Price).[1] His father was badly wounded in the First World War, but was employed by John Spedan Lewis to manage his farms.[2] He was educated at Marlborough College[3] and took a short wartime course at Merton College, Oxford.[1][4]

Marlborough College where Stanier was educated

Stanier volunteered for the Army in 1943, and having trained at Sandhurst and Bovington,[1] was commissioned into the 7th Queen's Own Hussars on 19 April 1946.[5] Promoted to lieutenant on 16 October 1948,[6] he served with the intelligence branch in Italy in 1949 before being posted to the British Army of the Rhine in 1950.[1] He was promoted to captain on 6 October 1952[7] and became an instructor at the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot in April 1954, before attending the Staff College, Camberley in 1957.[3] Following the merger of his regiment with the 3rd The King's Own Hussars, he became an officer in the Queen's Own Hussars in 1958[3] and was posted to the Directorate of Military Operations at the War Office, before being appointed military assistant to Sir William Stratton, Vice-Chief of the Imperial General Staff in July 1959.[1] Promoted to major on 6 October 1959,[8] he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours 1961.[9] He attended the Joint Services Staff College and, from 1962, commanded the tanks in "C" Squadron of his regiment in Germany,[1] before returning to Camberley as Director of Studies in 1963.[1]

Stanier served as Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley

Stainer was not selected to command the Queen's Own Hussars.[1] Disappointed, he considered leaving the Army,[1] but was pleasantly surprised, having transferred to the Royal Scots Greys on 1 January 1966,[10] to be promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 2 May 1966[11] and made commanding officer of the Royal Scots Greys.[3] He joined the staff of the Imperial Defence College in December 1968,[3] and was then promoted two ranks to brigadier on 31 December 1969[12] and took command of 20th Armoured Brigade in the British Army of the Rhine in January 1970.[13] After serving as the Army's director of public relations in London from 1971, he was appointed General Officer Commanding 1st Division on 3 November 1973[14] with the substantive rank of major-general from 21 January 1974.[15] He became Commandant at the Staff College, Camberley on 22 December 1975.[16]

He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1978,[17] and became Vice Chief of the General Staff[18] with the rank of lieutenant general on 1 June 1978.[19] The Challenger tank was brought into service during his period in this post.[1] Promoted to full general on 1 January 1981, he was made Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces in April 1981.[18] He became ADC General to the Queen from 7 April 1981,[20] was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1982[21] and became Chief of the General Staff on 1 August 1982.[22] He was the first person after the Second World War to become the professional head of the British Army without having seen active service in that war or any subsequent campaign.[1] He was promoted to field marshal on 10 July 1985[23] on retirement from the British Army.[18]

He was also Colonel of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards from 18 January 1979[24] to 6 May 1984,[25] and Colonel Commandant of the Royal Armoured Corps from 1 April 1982[26] to 1 August 1985.[27]

In retirement he served as chairman of the Royal United Service Institution from 1986 to 1989.[1] He was Constable of the Tower of London from 1990 to 1996.[1] His book War and the Media, co-authored with Miles Hudson, was published in 1997.[1] He was a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire from 1987, and lived near Hartley Wintney.[1]

His interests included fly fishing, sailing and horse riding and he was also President of the Hampshire branch of the British Red Cross Society from 1986 to 1994.[1] He was also a Member of the Council of Marlborough College.[1] He died on 10 November 2007.[1]

In 1955 he married Cicely Constance Lambert; they had four daughters.[1]

• Heathcote, Tony (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736–1997. Barnsley (UK): Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 0-85052-696-5.
• Hudson, M.; Stanier, J. (1998). War and the Media. New York University Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-3580-0.

• Obituary, The Times, 13 November 2007