Arthur Patterson

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Arthur Patterson
Brigadier Patterson in 1962
Born24 July 1917[1]
British India
Died27 May 1996 (aged 78)[2]
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1938–1972
RankMajor General
Commands held17th Gurkha Division
Battles/warsWorld War II
Malayan Emergency
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Military Cross

Major-General Arthur Gordon Patterson CB DSO OBE MC (24 July 1917 – 27 May 1996) was a British Army officer who commanded 17th Gurkha Division.

Military career[edit]

Patterson was born in British India, the son of Arthur Abbey Patterson of the Indian Civil Service, and educated at Tonbridge School, Kent.[3] He was commissioned into the British Indian Army in 1938.[4] He served in World War II with the 6th Gurkha Rifles being awarded the Military Cross for his exploits in Burma in May 1945.[5] In 1951 he was deployed to Malaya at the height of the Malayan Emergency for which he was appointed MBE.[6] He was later given command of a battalion of his Regiment and appointed OBE for further service in Malaya.[7] In 1964, as a temporary Brigadier during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, he took part in the response to the Brunei Revolt rounding up escaped rebel leaders in the swamps and jungles over a wide area of North Borneo for which he was awarded the DSO.[8] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 17th Gurkha Division in December 1965 and Director of Military Training in June 1969 before retiring in 1972.[9]

He was given the Colonelcy of the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles from 1969 to 1974.[10]

Honours[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
  2. ^ UK, Burial and Cremation Index, 1576-2014
  3. ^ Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage. Kelly's Directories. 1973. p. 2900.
  4. ^ "No. 34477". The London Gazette. 28 January 1938. p. 589.
  5. ^ "No. 37091". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 May 1945. p. 2651.
  6. ^ "No. 39361". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 October 1951. p. 5431.
  7. ^ "No. 42237". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 December 1960. p. 8941.
  8. ^ "No. 43244". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 February 1964. p. 1343.
  9. ^ Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
Military offices
Preceded by GOC 17th Gurkha Division
1965–1969
Succeeded by