Gibbs, Roland

The son of an official, a participant in the First World War . He graduated from Eton College in 1939 .

Since 1939 he served in the British Armed Forces. He was enrolled in the Regiment of Royal Riflemen. In 1941, he was transferred to North Africa , where he was enlisted in the 1st Armored Division and for the first time entered into battle with the enemy in the Benghazi region in early 1942 . He distinguished himself in July 1942 in the first battle of El Alamein , when at the head of his unit he repelled an attack of a superior number of enemy tanks with significant losses for the latter. He also distinguished himself in the second battle of El Alamein , which turned the tide of the entire North African campaign in favor of the Allied forces. He was twice wounded in battles in North Africa.

In the summer of 1943 he took part in the landing of the allied forces in Italy in the Taranto region and fought in the subsequent battles of the Italian campaign until January 1944 . He was recalled to England and after a training course took part in the Norman operation . Gibbs landed on the bridgehead on the second day of the battle, June 7, 1944 , but a few days later, when repulsing an enemy counterattack, he was wounded in the area of ​​the city of Caen . He returned to duty in September of that year and then fought on the Second Front until the surrender of Germany. He participated in the liberation of France , Belgium , the Netherlands and West Germany .

After the war ended in 1945, he served in the British forces in Denmark . In August 1945 he was transferred to the Far East and appointed to the headquarters of the Allied Ground Forces in Southeast Asia. After the surrender of Japan, he returned to England. Since 1945, he served in the headquarters of the 5th Parachute Brigade in Libya and Palestine . He graduated from the Royal Military School in 1949 and the Staff College in 1951 . He continued his service in the British Rhine Army on the territory of Germany, a major in the 5th Infantry Brigade. Since 1954 he served in the colony of Contractual Oman . After a new training at headquarters college since 1957 he served in the apparatus of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain.

In 1960, he was appointed commander of the parachute battalion in England, then the battalion was transferred to Cyprus , and from there to Bahrain , where he spent about one year on alert due to the real threat of the occupation of Kuwait by Iraq .

Since 1962 - commander of the 16th parachute infantry brigade, brigadier general . The main parts of the brigade were stationed in Cyprus and were part of the UN forces on the line of separation of the warring Greek and Turkish forces. Since 1966 - Chief of Staff of the Middle East Command in Aden . Since 1968 - the commander of the British ground forces in the Persian Gulf zone with headquarters in Bahrain .

Since 1972 - commander of the 1st Army Corps in the British Rhine Army, troops in Germany , promoted to lieutenant general . Since 1974 - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of Great Britain, General . Since 1976 - Chief of the General Staff of Great Britain. In 1979, he was dismissed, at the same time he was dismissed as field marshal .

From 1985 to 1990, he served as constable of the Tower of London , as well as several other honorary posts at different times. In the 90s he left London and lived in Wiltshire . He was fond of hunting and painting.

He was married to an actress, had two sons and a daughter.

• Knight of the Great Cross of the Order of the Bath ( GCB , 1976 )
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire ( CBE , 1968 )
• Knight of the Order of the Bath ( CWS , 1972 )
• Knight of the Order of Distinguished Service ( DSO , 1945 )
• Military Cross ( MS , 1943 )
• Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem ( KStJ )

• Obituary in The Daily Telegraph