Timothy Creasey

Last updated

Sir Timothy Creasey
Nickname(s)"The Bull"
Born(1923-09-21)21 September 1923
Died5 October 1986(1986-10-05) (aged 63)
Allegiance Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Service/branch Flag of the British Army.svg British Army
Years of service1942–1985
Rank General
Service number 350206
Unit 10th Baluch Regiment
Royal Norfolk Regiment
Royal Anglian Regiment
Commands held 11th Armoured Brigade 1969–1970
Commander, Sultan's Armed Forces, Muscat and Oman 1972–1975
GOC Northern Ireland 1977–1979
Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces 1980–1981
Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Chief of the Defence Staff, Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces 1981–1985
Battles/wars Second World War
Border campaign, Northern Ireland 1956
Dhofar Rebellion
Operation Banner
Aden Emergency
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Officer of the Order of the British Empire

General Sir Timothy May Creasey KCB OBE (21 September 1923 – 5 October 1986) was a British Army officer who became General Officer Commanding of the British Army in Northern Ireland, as well as the commander of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces.

Contents

Regimental career

Creasey was born in 1923, and educated at Clifton College. [1] He joined the Army on leaving school, and was commissioned in the Indian Army on 1942, as a junior officer in the 10th Baluch Regiment. He served with them in South-East Asia, Italy and Greece, before transferring into the British Army and joining the Royal Norfolk Regiment. [2]

In 1955, he was a major in 39th Infantry Brigade, which served in Kenya during the Mau Mau Uprising, and in the following year experienced a different form of unconventional warfare whilst posted to Northern Ireland, during the 1956 IRA border campaign. After a spell as an instructor at the Staff College, he was promoted to command the 1st Battalion of the newly formed Royal Anglian Regiment in 1965, and saw service in the Aden Emergency. [2] He earned an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service in the 1966 Birthday Honours. [3]

Senior command

After Aden, he was promoted to command 11th Armoured Brigade in the British Army of the Rhine, a post he held from 1968 until 1970, and then attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1971. [2] In 1972, he was appointed major-general and seconded to Oman, where he acted as Commander of the Sultan's Armed Forces. [2] The new Sultan, Qaboos bin Said, had been trained at Sandhurst and served in the British Army, and as part of the revitalisation of his forces during the Dhofar Rebellion he requested a large number of British military advisors. Creasey's period in Oman was effective; he quickly established a centralised command of the Army, and helped take the initiative against the Dhofari rebels. His previous experience with the Indian Army proved an asset, as a sizeable proportion of the Omani army was made up of Baluchis. He left in February 1975, with the campaign winding down. [2]

After a brief spell as Director of Infantry, [2] he was appointed on 1 November 1977 to succeed Sir David House as General Officer Commanding in Northern Ireland. [4]

His experience as a commander had largely been in small-scale "colonial wars", and as such he was a contentious choice for the position. He aimed to get quick results, and his belief that a military solution could be found to the problem put him at odds with the commander of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Sir Kenneth Newman. This dispute peaked in 1979, after 18 soldiers were killed in the Warrenpoint ambush, when Creasey demanded the Army take over control of policing. However, he had a good working relationship with Roy Mason, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. [2] He was replaced as commander by Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Lawson on 1 December 1979. [5]

The grave of General Sir Timothy Creasey in the churchyard of St Andrew's, Belchamp St Paul, Essex. Timothy Creasey grave.jpg
The grave of General Sir Timothy Creasey in the churchyard of St Andrew's, Belchamp St Paul, Essex.

He was appointed as Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces in 1980, but left this shortly thereafter to return to Oman, at the personal request of the Sultan. Creasey had waived retirement to become Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Chief of Defence Staff, in the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces in 1981, [6] and oversaw a far-reaching reform of the Ministry of Defence and a modernisation of the army. Among other features, the redesigned system gave him complete control of arms procurement, which with the approval of the Sultan, ensured that many contracts went to British firms. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his role in Oman was controversial in the country, with many senior Omanis criticising his methods. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Carver</span> British Field Marshal (1915–2001)

Field Marshal Richard Michael Power Carver, Baron Carver, was a senior British Army officer. Lord Carver served as the Chief of the General Staff (CGS), the professional head of the British Army, and then as the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), the professional head of the British Armed Forces. He served with distinction during the Second World War and organised the administration of British forces deployed in response to the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya and later in his career provided advice to the British government on the response to the early stages of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces</span> Combined armed forces of Oman

The Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces are the Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman, Sultan's Special Force and other defense forces of the Sultanate of Oman. Since their formal establishment in the early 1950s, with British assistance SAF has twice overcome insurgencies which have threatened the integrity or social structure of the state, and more recently have contributed contingents or facilities to coalitions formed to protect Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Houghton</span> Retired senior British Army officer and Chief of the Defence Staff

General John Nicholas Reynolds Houghton, Baron Houghton of Richmond, is a retired senior British Army officer and former Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) of the British Armed Forces. He was appointed CDS in July 2013, following the retirement of General Sir David Richards. He served as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, the Green Howards in Northern Ireland during The Troubles and later became Commander of the 39th Infantry Brigade in Northern Ireland. He deployed as Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq during the Iraq War. Later, he became Chief of Joint Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters and served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff until assuming the position of CDS. Houghton retired from the British Army in July 2016, and was succeeded as CDS by Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Service Medal (1962)</span> Award

The General Service Medal, is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom introduced in 1962 to replace both the General Service Medal (1918), as awarded to the Army and RAF, and the Naval General Service Medal (1915). The 1962 GSM was awarded until 2007, when it was replaced by the Operational Service Medal. In 2015 the General Service Medal (2008) was introduced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Harington (British Army officer, born 1910)</span> British Army general (1910–2007)

General Sir Charles Henry Pepys Harington, was an officer in the British Army. He served in the British Expeditionary Force and in Normandy during the Second World War. He was later Commander-in-Chief of the three-service Middle East Command from 1963 to 1965, based at Aden. He ended his military career as Chief of Personnel and Logistics at the UK Ministry of Defence from 1968 to 1971.

General Sir Richard Brooking Trant, KCB, DL was an officer in the British Army. He was Land Deputy Commander in the Falklands War, and served as Quartermaster-General to the Forces from 1983 to 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Freeland</span> British Army general (1912–1979)

Lieutenant General Sir Ian Henry Freeland was a senior British Army officer, who served with distinction during World War II and most notably served as General Officer Commanding (GOC) and Director of Operations in security matters in Northern Ireland in the aftermath of rioting in 1969, and the beginning of the Troubles.

General Sir Harry Crawford Tuzo,, was a British Army officer who was Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe and General Officer Commanding of the British Army in Northern Ireland during the early period of the Troubles.

Lieutenant-General Vernon Forbes Erskine-Crum, CIE, MC was a British Army officer, who briefly served as General Officer Commanding in Northern Ireland during the early period of the Troubles.

General Sir Frank Douglas King, was a British Army officer who served as General Officer Commanding of the British Army in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. He held a number of other senior posts in the British Army, having begun his military career in the ranks during the Second World War.

Lieutenant General Sir David George House was a British Army officer who was General Officer Commanding in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and later held the office of Black Rod at the House of Lords from 1978 to 1985.

General Sir Richard George Lawson KCSS is a former British Army officer, who served as General Officer Commanding in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and later as Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe.

General Sir John Bryan Akehurst, was a British Army officer who rose to be Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Africa Command</span> Military unit

East Africa Command was a Command of the British Army. Until 1947 it was under the direct control of the Army Council and thereafter it became the responsibility of Middle East Command. It was disbanded on 11 December 1963, the day before Kenya became independent, and replaced by British Land Forces Kenya, tasked with withdrawing all remaining British troops. All remaining troops left by December 1964 and British Land Forces Kenya was disestablished.

Lieutenant General Sir John Peter Barry Condliffe Watts was a British Army officer who became Chief of Defence Staff for the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces.

Major General Anthony (Tony) Showan Jeapes, is a former British Army officer who commanded the 22 Special Air Service Regiment during the Dhofar Rebellion.

Brigadier Andrew Christopher "Andy" Massey OBE was a British Army officer who served in Oman, Dhofar and Northern Ireland. He was a commander of the 22 SAS Regiment before retiring as a Brigadier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Oldman</span> British Army officer

Colonel Sir Hugh Richard Deare Oldman KBE, MC was a British Army officer who later served as Secretary for Defence of the Sultanate of Oman. He was one of the major participants in the coup d'état in July 1970 that brought Sultan Qaboos to the throne of Oman. He also played first-class cricket in Pakistan.

Major General Kenneth Perkins was a British Army officer who became commander of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces taking over from General Sir Timothy Creasey.

David John Gwynne-James was a Welsh first-class cricketer, British Army officer and military historian. He served in the British Army during the Mau Mau Uprising and in Aden before secondment to the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. He returned to the UK and served with the British Army of the Rhine and with the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade in Malaysia before retiring as a captain in 1970. Thereafter Gwynne-James had a long career at Ernst & Young and in management consultancy. A keen sportsman he played cricket for the Free Foresters and British Army teams and rugby for Harlequin F.C. and Kenya Harlequin F.C.

References

  1. ↑ "Clifton College Register" Muirhead, J.A.O. ref no 11348: Bristol; J.W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society; April, 1948
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Obituary: The Times, 7 October 1986.
  3. ↑ "No. 44004". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1966. p. 6535.
  4. ↑ Bew, Paul; Gordon Gillespie (1993). Northern Ireland: A Chronology of the Troubles, 1968-1993. Gill & Macmillan. p. 124. ISBN   0-7171-2081-3.
  5. ↑ Bew, Paul; Gordon Gillespie (1993). Northern Ireland: A Chronology of the Troubles, 1968-1993. Gill & Macmillan. p. 136. ISBN   0-7171-2081-3. Note that the London Gazette announced the handover effective 8 January 1980.
  6. ↑ "King's College London website". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives . kcl.ac.uk . Retrieved 22 June 2017.
Military offices
Preceded by GOC British Army in Northern Ireland
1977−1979		Succeeded by
Preceded by C-in-C, UK Land Forces
1980−1981		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Colonel of the Royal Anglian Regiment
1982−1986		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.