Walter Babington Thomas
|
Sandy Thomas
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | 29 June 1919 (age 104) Motueka, New Zealand |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 British Army |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Commands held | 5th Division Far East Land Forces |
| Battles/wars | World War II Mau Mau Uprising |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Military Cross and Bar |
Major-General Walter Babington 'Sandy' Thomas CB DSO MC (born 29 June 1919) is a former Commander of British Far East Land Forces.[1]
Military career
Brought up in New Zealand, Sandy Thomas was commissioned into the New Zealand Military Forces at the outbreak of World War II.[2] He was wounded, became a prisoner of war in Crete, escaped from a prison hospital and then fled to Syria.[3] After the War he obtained a commission in the Royal Hampshire Regiment[2] and, in 1955, he was mentioned in dispatches while dealing with the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya.[4] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 5th Division in 1968[5] and Chief of Staff at Headquarters Far East Land Forces in April 1970[6] before being elevated to be General Officer Commanding Far East Land Forces in October 1970.[7]
He was awarded the CB in 1971[8] and retired in 1972.[9]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37669. p. 3882. 26 July 1946. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ↑ Copyright Publishing
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40538. p. 4154. 15 July 1955. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44558. p. 3863. 29 March 1968. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 45078. p. 4173. 10 April 1970. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45219. p. 11755. 23 October 1970. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45384. p. 5958. 4 June 1971. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45586. p. 1271. 31 January 1972. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
Bibliography
- Dare to be Free by Sandy Thomas, Phoenix, 2005, ISBN 978-0-304-36639-2
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by
Division Reformed
(Post last held by Geoffrey Musson) |
General Officer Commanding the 5th Division 1968–1970 |
Succeeded by Mervyn Janes |
| Preceded by | GOC Far East Land Forces 1970–1971 |
Succeeded by Post Disbanded |
- Use dmy dates from April 2012
- Pages using Template:Post-nominals with missing parameters
- 1919 births
- British Army generals
- Royal Hampshire Regiment officers
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Recipients of the Military Cross and Bar
- Living people
- British military personnel of the Mau Mau Uprising
