Alan Cathcart, 6th Earl Cathcart
Major General Alan Cathcart, 6th Earl Cathcart CB, DSO, MC, KStJ (22 August 1919 – 15 June 1999), styled Lord Greenock until 1927, was a British Army officer who served as Commandant of the British Sector in Berlin from 1970 until his retirement in 1973.
The Earl Cathcart | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 August 1919 |
| Died | 15 June 1999 (aged 79) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1939–1973 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held | British Forces in Berlin (1970–73) Yorkshire District (1969–70) 152nd Infantry Brigade (1965–66) 1st Battalion Scots Guards (1957–59) |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches Knight of the Order of St. John |
Military career
Educated at Eton College and Magdelene College, Cambridge,[1] Cathcart was commissioned into the Scots Guards in 1939.[2]
He served in the Second World War and went on to be Adjutant at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst after the war.[3] He was made Adjutant of the Scots Guards in 1951 and Brigade Major for 4th Guards Brigade in 1954.[3] He then went on to be Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion Scots Guards in 1957.[3]
He was posted to Scottish Command in 1962 and became Commander of 152nd Infantry Brigade in 1965.[3] He next transferred to the Operations Division of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in 1967 and then became General Officer Commanding Yorkshire District in 1969.[3] Finally he was appointed Commandant of the British Sector in Berlin in 1970: he retired in 1973.[3]
In retirement from the British Army he became a Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords.[3]
Family
In 1946 he married Rosemary Clare Marie Gabrielle Smyth-Osborne: they went on to have one son and two daughters.[1] Following the death of his first wife, he married Marie Isobel Weldon in 1984.[1] She died in 2015.[4]
References
- Debrett's People of Today 1994
- "No. 34745". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 December 1939. p. 8088.
- Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- Mariebelle Countess Cathcart (died 2015)
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl Cathcart
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir James Bowes-Lyon |
Commandant, British Sector in Berlin 1970–1973 |
Succeeded by Sir David Scott-Barrett |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by George Cathcart |
Earl Cathcart 1927–1999 |
Succeeded by Charles Cathcart |