William Swan (British Army officer)

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Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Bertram Swan KCVO CBE TD DL JP (19 September 1914 – 4 December 1990) was a British Army officer and agriculturalist.

Lieutenant colonel, is a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines which is also used in many Commonwealth countries. The rank is superior to major, and subordinate to colonel. The comparable Royal Navy rank is commander, and the comparable rank in the Royal Air Force and many Commonwealth air forces is wing commander.

Royal Victorian Order series of awards in an order of chivalry of the United Kingdom

The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch of the Commonwealth realms, members of the monarch's family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the monarch. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is the sovereign of the order, the order's motto is Victoria, and its official day is 20 June. The order's chapel is the Savoy Chapel in London.

Order of the British Empire British order of chivalry

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order.

Contents

Early life

Swan was eldest son of Nichol Allan Swan and Anne Gardener Keir. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy and entered farming in 1933. [1]

Edinburgh Academy independent school in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Road to the north of the city's Royal Botanic Garden.

Military career

On 13 May 1939 he was commissioned into the King's Own Scottish Borderers of the Territorial Army. [2] He served with the 4th Battalion of the regiment in the Battle of France. Between 1942 and 1945 Swan was seconded to the British Indian Army and served with the No. 1 Mule Training Regiment in Jullundu. Following the end of the Second World War, Swan returned to farming in Scotland. [3]

Kings Own Scottish Borderers

The King's Own Scottish Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the Black Watch, the Highlanders and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland, becoming the 1st Battalion of the new regiment.

Battle of France Successful German invasion of France in 1940

The Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries during the Second World War. In the six weeks from 10 May 1940, German forces defeated Allied forces by mobile operations and conquered France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, bringing land operations on the Western Front to an end until 6 June 1944. Italy entered the war on 10 June 1940 and invaded France over the Alps.

British Indian Army 1858–1947 land warfare branch of British Indias military, distinct from the British Army in India

The Indian Army (IA), often known since 1947 as the British Indian Army to distinguish it from the current Indian Army, was the principal military of the British Indian Empire before its decommissioning in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of both the British Indian Empire and the princely states, which could also have their own armies. The Indian Army was an important part of the British Empire's forces, both in India and abroad, particularly during the First World War and the Second World War.

He served as Army Cadet Force County Commandant for Roxburgh, Berwick and Selkirk from 1955 to 1973 and was granted the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He was a colonel in the Lowlands Territorial Army from 1983 to 1986. [4]

Army Cadet Force

The Army Cadet Force (ACF) is a national youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and the British Army. Along with the Sea Cadet Corps and the Air Training Corps, the ACF make up the Community Cadet Forces. It is a separate organisation from the Combined Cadet Force which provides similar training within principally independent schools.

Agriculture

Swan was President of the National Farmers Union of Scotland from 1961 to 1962 and was President of the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society from 1966 to 1968. He was a member of the Development Commission from 1964 to 1976. [5]

Honours and awards

Swan was invested as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 1968, having served as a Deputy Lieutenant in 1965. From 1969 to 1989 he was Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire and was invested as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in June 1988. [6] [7] He was awarded the Efficiency Decoration for long service in the Territorial Army. [8]

Efficiency Decoration

The Efficiency Decoration, post-nominal letters TD for recipients serving in the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom or ED for those serving in the Auxiliary Military Forces, was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time officers after twenty years of service as an efficient and thoroughly capable officer. The decoration superseded the Volunteer Officers' Decoration, the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration and the Territorial Decoration.

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References

  1. ↑ 'Swan, Wiliam Bertram' in British Army Officers 1939–1945 at unithistories.com, accessed 2 July 2015
  2. ↑ "No. 34637". The London Gazette . 20 June 1939. p. 4158.
  3. ↑ 'Swan, Wiliam Bertram' in British Army Officers 1939–1945 at unithistories.com, accessed 2 July 2015
  4. ↑ 'Swan, Wiliam Bertram' in British Army Officers 1939–1945 at unithistories.com, accessed 2 July 2015
  5. ↑ 'Swan, Wiliam Bertram' in British Army Officers 1939–1945 at unithistories.com, accessed 2 July 2015
  6. ↑ "No. 51365". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 March 1975. p. 4.
  7. ↑ "No. 19635". The Edinburgh Gazette . 10 June 1988. p. 396.
  8. ↑ 'Swan, Wiliam Bertram' in British Army Officers 1939–1945 at unithistories.com, accessed 2 July 2015
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