George Cole (British Army officer)

Sir George Cole
Born 1911
Died 1973
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1931–1967
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands held Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff
Eastern Command
40th Field Regiment
58th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment
Battles/wars Second World War
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Lieutenant General Sir George Sinclair Cole KCB, CBE (1911–1973) was a British Army officer who achieved high office in the 1960s.

Military career

Educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, George Cole was Commissioned into the Royal Artillery on 27 August 1931.[1]

Cole served in the Second World War as a member of the British Expeditionary Force deployed to France in 1939 and than as a General Staff Officer in Military Operations at the War Office from 1943.[2] He became Commanding Officer of 58th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery within 21st Army Group in 1945.[2]

After the war he was appointed Military Assistant to the Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1946 and Military Assistant to the Chairman of Western Europe Commanders-in-Chief in 1949.[2] He went to the Joint Services Staff College in 1950 after which he became Deputy Chief of Staff, Allied Land Forces, Central Europe in 1950.[2] He was then made Head of the Exercise Planning Staff at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in 1951.[2]

He went to the Imperial Defence College in 1953 and then became Commanding Officer of 40th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery in Egypt and Cyprus from 1954 to 1955.[2] He was Commander Royal Artillery for 1st Infantry Division from 1956 to 1959 when he became Secretary of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.[2] He was appointed Director of Staff Duties at the War Office in 1961 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Eastern Command in 1965.[2] He went on to be Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in 1966: he retired in 1967.[2]

He was a keen golfer.[3]

References

Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Roderick McLeod
GOC-in-C Eastern Command
19651966
Succeeded by
Sir David Yates
Preceded by
Sir Alfred Earle
Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff
1966–1967
Succeeded by
Sir Ian Hogg
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