Richard Anderson (British Army officer)


Sir Richard Neville Anderson was a senior officer of the British Army who served in World War II and later achieved high office in the 1960s.

Military career

Born in Chelsea, London, on 28 April 1907, the son of Colonel Sir Neville Anderson, Anderson was educated at Tonbridge School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After passing out from Sandhurst, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the King's Own Royal Regiment on 1 September 1927. Anderson served with the 2nd Battalion, King's Own throughout most of the interwar period and was promoted to lieutenant on 1 September 1930, and captain on 28 December 1936. From 30 March 1937 he served as his battalion's adjutant, which was deployed to Palestine the following year, where it was stationed during the Arab revolt in Palestine, and commanded for most of this time by Lieutenant Colonel Neil Ritchie, who was succeeded in August 1939 by John Hardy. For his services in Palestine Anderson was mentioned in dispatches on 15 September 1939.
He served in World War II, initially still as battalion adjutant until returning to England in April 1940, where he became Deputy Assistant Military Secretary at the War Office. From May to September 1940 he served as brigade major with the 199th Infantry Brigade, part of the 55th Infantry Division.
In 1944 he was made Commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment, commanding it in the Italian Campaign where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for leading an attack on the village of Montone, which was successfully taken with only 28 casualties compared to 105 Germans. Later, he was promoted to brigadier and became commander of 2nd Infantry Brigade, part of the British 1st Infantry Division, in the Italian Campaign.
After the Second World War he returned to Palestine and then became General officer commanding 17th Gurkha Division in 1955. He was General Officer Commanding Overseas Forces in Malaya in 1957 and then Vice Adjutant General at the War Office from 1958. He was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Middle East Land Forces in 1960 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Ireland Command in 1963; he retired in 1965.
From 1959 to 1966 he was Regimental Colonel of the 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles.
He lived at Tarrant Keynston House near Blandford in Dorset. In 1942 he married Dorrie Norah Wybergh and with her had two sons.

Honours and awards