Vivian Street (British Army officer)

Major General Vivian Wakefield Street, CMG CBE DSO MC JP (1912 – 4 April 1970) was a British Army officer who commanded the 3rd Infantry Division for a period during the 1960s.

Vivian Street
Born	1912
Died	4 April 1970 (aged 57−58)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1932−1963
Rank	Major-general
Service number	53698
Unit	Devonshire Regiment Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own)
Commands held	Parachute Brigade of the Territorial Army 3rd Division
Battles/wars	World War II Arab revolt in Palestine
Awards	Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Military Cross
Spouse(s)	Annette Mary Lever

Military career

Educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Street was commissioned into the Devonshire Regiment in 1932.[1] He served as an intelligence officer with the 14th Infantry Brigade in Palestine during the Arab revolt in 1938 for which tour he received the MC.[1] He also served in the Second World War as a general staff officer before becoming the officer in charge of the beach at Port Raphtis during Allied evacuation of Greece in 1941.[1] After that he served with the 1st Special Air Service Regiment and carried out raids behind enemy lines in North Africa before being captured by the Italians and then escaping from a torpedoed Italian submarine.[1] In 1944 he was made second-in-command of the Maclean Mission to Yugoslavia.[1]

He was appointed commander of the parachute brigade of the Territorial Army in 1954, deputy director of staff duties at the War Office in 1956 and military adviser to the King of Jordan in 1959.[1] He went on to be general officer commanding 3rd Division in 1961 before retiring in 1963.[1]

In retirement he became chairman of the Save the Children Fund.[1] He was also appeal director of the British Cardiac Society.[2]

Family

Street was married to Annette Mary Lever in 1945.[3]

References

1. Vivian Wakefield Street Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
2. Proceeds of the British Cardiac Society 25 October 1963
3. "Street, Major-General Vivian Wakefield". Who's Who. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U49829. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)