Tony Wilson (British Army officer)

Brigadier Sir Mathew John Anthony Wilson, 6th Baronet,[1]OBE, MC (2 October 1935 – 5 December 2019) was a British Army officer who commanded the 5th Infantry Brigade during the Falklands War.

Tony Wilson
6th Baronet of Eshton Hall
Incumbent
Assumed office 1991
Preceded by	Mathew Martin Wilson, 5th Baronet
Personal details
Born	Mathew John Anthony Wilson October 2, 1935
Died	December 5, 2019
Spouse(s)	Janet Mary Mowll ​ ​ (m. 1962)​
Children	Mathew Edward Amcotts Wilson Victoria Mary Wilson
Awards	Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1956–83
Rank	Brigadier
Commands	5th Infantry Brigade
Battles/wars	• Aden Emergency  • Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation  • Operation Banner  • Falklands War

Early life

Mathew John Anthony Wilson was born 2 October 1935 and was the son of Anthony Thomas Wilson (1908–1979), and Margaret Holden. His paternal grandparents were Lt. Col. Sir Mathew Richard Henry Wilson, 4th Baronet of Eshton Hall and the Hon. Barbara Lister, daughter of Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale (1854–1925).[1]

Educated at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Wilson was commissioned into the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) on his 21st birthday on 2 October 1956,[2] and thus represented the fourth consecutive generation of his family to serve with the regiment. Over the next few years he took part in military operations in Aden, Borneo, Malaya, Cyprus and Northern Ireland.[3]

Career

In 1967 he was promoted to major and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1971.[4] Shortly afterwards, in May 1972, he received the Military Cross "for Gallant Services" in Northern Ireland. Promotion to lieutenant colonel followed in 1973 and after a further engagement in Northern Ireland and a posting to Hong Kong, he was advanced to Officer of the Order of the British Empire.[5]

Falklands War

With his promotion to colonel he moved to the General Staff of the Ministry of Defence in London, and on 31 December 1980 he was promoted to brigadier[6] assuming command of the 5th Infantry Brigade which he was to lead during the Falklands War.[7]

Wilson commanded the 5th Infantry Brigade during the campaign to liberate the Falkland Islands after their seizure by the Argentinian Armed Forces, and was responsible for the southern flank of the East Falkland for the British armed forces, who advanced towards the Islands' capital, Stanley. First, Wilson was able to secure a large part of the eastern island, with the so-called "bold move", but during the further advance, an Argentine air attack on two British landing ships occurred at Port Pleasant (sometimes also called Fitzroy or Bluff Cove) at noon of 8 June 1982. 46 British soldiers and three Asian crew members were killed, and 115 men suffered severe burn injuries. It was the largest single loss of men on the British side in this war. At the time of the attack, several TV crews were on site and footage of the attack was shown on TV news bulletins later that same day. Wilson was subsequently the only senior British officer who failed to receive any recognition of his service in the conflict in the form of honours at its conclusion,[8][9] although whether as a consequence of this is not known.

On 31 December 1982 he stepped down from all his military posts and retired from the British Army on 31 January 1983.[8][10][11]

Later career

From 1983 to 1985 Wilson was managing director of the British "Wilderness Foundation United Kingdom",[12][13] a non-profit organization that provides the opportunity to its seminar participants to experience nature and wilderness.

Personal life

He was married to Janet Mary Mowll and is the father of a son and a daughter.[1]

• Mathew Edward Amcotts Wilson (b. 1966), who married Imogen Wilson in 1993[1]
• Victoria Mary Wilson (b. 1968)[1]

He and his wife lived in the United States.[8]

Death

Wilson died on 5 December 2019.[14]

Literature

There are no publications from himself about his military career. He has published the following books on traveling and sailing:

• Taking Terrapin Home A Love Affair with a Small Catamaran, 1994, ISBN 978-0-93983-724-3
• The Bahamas Cruising Guide with the Turks and Caicos Islands, 1997, ISBN 978-0-96592-586-0
• The Land of War Elephants Travels Beyond the Pale Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, 2003, ISBN 978-0-96592-589-1
• Seeking Havens Travels Along a Line of Latitude 17 Degrees South in Andean Peru, Bolivia, and the South Pacific, 2006, ISBN 978-1-42597-776-4

His time in the Falklands War was covered only in one military history book:

• The lonesome Commander, Martin Mahle, M+V-Verlag Münster, Germany, 2012, ISBN 978-3-86991-663-7 (original German title: Der allein gelassene Kommandeur, ISBN 978-3-86991-664-4)

References

1. The peerage – A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain
2. London Gazette 22 February 1957
3. 5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands War, Page 6, Nick van der Bijl and David Aldea, 2002, ISBN 978-0-85052-948-7
4. London Gazette 31 December 1970
5. London Gazette 25 June 1979
6. London Gazette 26 January 1981
7. London Gazette 14 March 1983
8. The lonesome Commander, Martin Mahle, M+V-Verlag Münster, Germany, 2012, ISBN 978-3-86991-663-7
9. 5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands War, p. 221, Nick van der Bijl and David Aldea, 2002, ISBN 978-0-85052-948-7
10. 5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands War, Nick van der Bijl and David Aldea, 2002, ISBN 978-0-85052-948-7
11. With the Gurkhas in the Falklands A War Journal, Mike Seear, 2002, ISBN 978-0-85052-916-6
12. Debrett's genealogical guide
13. Wilderness Foundation United Kingdom
14. "Brigadier Sir Mathew Wilson, Bt. OBE MC | 1935 - 2019 | Obituary". cabotfh.com. Cabot Funeral Home. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.

External links

• Biography 6th Baronet of Eshton Hall
• Imperial War Museum, London, Images
• Online-Article Newspaper "Craven Herald & Pioneer" 10 May 2008