Michael Gow (British Army officer)
| General Sir James Michael Gow | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | James Michael Gow |
| Born |
3 June 1924 Sheffield, Yorkshire[1] |
| Died | 26 March 2013 |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held |
2nd Bn Scots Guards 4th Guards Brigade 4th Division Scotland British Army of the Rhine |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
General Sir James Michael Gow GCB (3 June 1924 – 26 March 2013) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s.
Military career
Educated at Winchester College, Gow was commissioned into the Scots Guards during World War II.[2] He was one of the first British officers into Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945.[3]
He became Commanding Officer of 2nd Bn Scots Guards in 1964 and Commander of 4th Guards Brigade in 1967 before becoming a Brigadier on the General Staff of Headquarters British Army of the Rhine in 1971.[2] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 4th Division in 1973 and Director of Army Training in 1975.[2]
He then moved on to be General Officer Commanding Scotland and Governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1979 and Commander-in-Chief of British Army of the Rhine and Northern Army Group in 1980.[2] He was appointed Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1984 and retired in 1986.[2] He was Aide-de-Camp General to the Queen from 1981 to 1984.[2] He died on 26 March 2013.[1]
Personal life
In 1946 he married Jane Emily Scott and they had one son and four daughters.[2] He was the maternal grandfather of theatre and opera director Sophie Hunter.[4]
References
- 1 2 "General Sir Michael Gow". Telegraph. 1924-06-03. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Debrett's People of Today 1994
- ↑ "Talk Remembers Horrors of Belsen", The Scotsman, 6 February 2003
- ↑ Malec, Brett (5 November 2014). "Benedict Cumberbatch Engaged! 5 Things to Know About His Fiancée Sophie Hunter". E!. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Anthony Farrar-Hockley |
General Officer Commanding the 4th Division 1973–1975 |
Succeeded by Nigel Bagnall |
| Preceded by Sir David Scott-Barrett |
GOC Scotland 1979–1980 |
Succeeded by Sir David Young |
| Preceded by Sir William Scotter |
Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine 1980–1983 |
Succeeded by Sir Nigel Bagnall |
| Preceded by Sir William Pillar |
Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies 1984–1986 |
Succeeded by Sir David Hallifax |
|