John Harding ( born Allan Francis John Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton ; February 10, 1896 - January 20, 1989 ) - British military commander and statesman, field marshal (1953).
| Alan Francis John Harding | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allan Francis John Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton | |||||
 | |||||
| Date of Birth | February 10, 1896 | ||||
| Place of Birth | Somerset County , UK | ||||
| Date of death | January 20, 1989 (92 years old) | ||||
| A place of death | County Dorset , UK | ||||
| Affiliation |  United Kingdom British army | ||||
| Type of army | ground troops | ||||
| Years of service | 1914-1955 | ||||
| Rank | field marshal | ||||
| Commanded | British Rhine Army, Imperial General Staff | ||||
| Battles / wars | World War I World War II National Liberation War in Cyprus | ||||
| Awards and prizes |
| ||||
| Retired | Governor General of Cyprus | ||||
He was educated in high school in the city of Ilminster and at King's College in London .
Content
- 1 Start of military service
- 2 World War II
- 3 Post-war service
- 4 War in Cyprus
- 5 Awards
- 6 Literature
- 7 References
Start of military service
In 1914 he entered the service in the Territorial Army. With the outbreak of World War I, he joined the British Armed Forces and enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry Regiment and participated in its ranks at the Mesopotamian and Palestinian theater of operations.
After the war, he served in the colonial troops in British India for a long time.
World War II
At the beginning of World War II, he commanded a battalion in the same Somerset Light Infantry Regiment, in which he began his service 25 years ago. Since 1940 - chief of staff of the First Middle East Command, with the entry of Italy into the war in the summer of that year, the so-called "Western Desert Forces" were created in North Africa , in which Harding also became chief of staff. In 1941, he was the chief of staff of the 13th Army Corps, who fought in the same North African theater of war .
In 1942 he was recalled from the front and was deputy chief of staff for military training of the Middle East command, then deputy chief of staff in this command. Since September 1942 - commander of the 7th Armored Division. At the head of this division he fought in the battles of the North African campaign , distinguished himself in the battle of El Alamein . In January 1943, he was seriously injured in the fighting in Tunisia .
After recovery, he commanded the 8th army corps in the Italian campaign . In 1944 he was appointed chief of staff of the 15th group of allied armies in Italy . From March 1945 until the end of the war he commanded the 13th Army Corps in Italy.
Post-War Service
After the war ended in 1946, he was commander in chief of the British forces in the Mediterranean , replacing Field Marshal Harold Alexander . Since 1947 - Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Command. Since 1949 - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of Great Britain in the Far East. Since 1951 - Commander of the British Rhine Army in Germany.
Since November 1952 - Chief of the Imperial General Staff. In 1953 he was promoted to field marshal . In September 1955, he was dismissed.
Cyprus War
Since October 1955 - Governor General of Cyprus , the former British colony. Arriving on the island during the period of increasing demands of the local Greek population for joining Greece (“enosis”, that is, reunification), Harding announced the endowment of unlimited powers and embarked on a policy of mass repression. The response was the transition of the leadership of the Union of Fighters for the Liberation of the Nation of Cyprus (EOKA) to widespread hostilities, which were expressed in targeted terrorist acts against the British military, police and officials. Harding imposed a state of emergency and curfew on the island; a system of concentration camps was created. The detention and arrest of any "suspicious" person was introduced into everyday practice. For persons detained with weapons or explosives, as well as for those who have them found in their homes, the death penalty has been introduced.
In contrast to the Greek EOCA, Turkish nationalist groups were created and supported by Harding. Under the influence of world public opinion, Harding was forced to negotiate with Archbishop Macarius III , but his categorical unwillingness to accept any demands of the Greek Cypriots quickly brought them to failure. After this, Makarios III was expelled from Cyprus by his order. In 1956, EOKA militants organized an assassination attempt on Harding, but it failed (the explosive device planted in the residence of the Governor General did not work).
Harding's actions were so provocative that even in British public opinion a negative attitude towards him prevailed. In October 1957 he was recalled from Cyprus. It turned out to be impossible to correct the consequences of his ill-conceived policy, and in 1960 Great Britain was forced to grant independence to Cyprus.
In 1958 he was granted the title of baron and he became a peer of England. He died in the 93rd year of his life.
Rewards
- Knight of the Great Cross of the Order of the Bath ( GCB )
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire ( CBE )
- Commander of the Order of Distinguished Service ( DSO )
- Military Cross (UK) ( MC )
Literature
- Zalessky K. A. Who was who in World War II. Allies of the USSR. - M .: AST , 2004. - T. 1. - 702 p. - ISBN 5-17-025106-8 .
Links
- John Harding's biography on the Chronos website
- Heathcote, TA (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736-1997 . Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-696-5
- National Liberation War of the People of Cyprus