Key Information
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Pyman, Harold English ('Pete'), 1908-1971, Knight, General
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Description area
Dates of existence
1908-1971
History
Born 1908; educated at Fettes College, Edinburgh and Clare College, Cambridge (MA); commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment, 1929; served in the North-West Frontier Campaign, India, 1937; appointed to assist 17/21 Lancers in converting from cavalry to armour, 1938; Capt 1938; student at Staff College, Quetta, 1939; Instructor at Staff College, Quetta, 1939-1941 graduated from senior wing of staff college; served in the Western Desert, 1941 as Second in Command of 6 Royal Tank regiment (despatches); General Staff Officer grade 1, 7 Armoured Division (DSO) 30 Corps, 8 Army; Commanding Officer 3 Royal Tank Regt, 10 Armoured Div, 8 Army (bar to DSO); Brig General Staff, Home Forces in charge of training, 1943-1944; Brig General Staff 30 Corps for Normandy invasion (CBE); Chief of Staff, 2 Army, 1944-1945 with responsibility for planning and organisation of the Rhine crossing and the subsequent advance to the Baltic (despatches); Chief of General Staff, Allied Land Forces South East Asia and Acting Maj Gen, 1945-1946; Chief of Staff, General Headquarters, Middle East Land Forces, 1946-1949; Maj Gen, 1949; General Officer Commanding 56 (London) Armoured Division Territorial Army, 1949-1951; Director General, Fighting Vehicles, Ministry of Supply, with responsibilty for meeting the vehicle requirements of all three services 1951-1953; General Officer Commanding 11 Armoured Division, British Army on the Rhine, 1953-1955; Director of Weapons and Development, War Office, April 1955-May 1956; Lieut Gen, 1957; General Officer Commanding 1 Corps, British Army on the Rhine, 1956-1958; Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff, 1958-1961; General, 1961; Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces, Northern Europe, 1961-1963; suffered from a severe stroke Sep 1963 and retired 1964; Hon Col Berkshire and Westminster Dragoons (2 Company of London Yeomanry) Territorial Army; Col Commandant of The Royal Tank Regt, 1958-1965; Col Commandant The Royal Armoured Corps, 1963-1966; died 1971.
Publications: Call to arms, (Leo Cooper, London, 1971)
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Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
0099 KCLMA
Status
Final
Level of detail
Partial
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Further information is available at the National Archives (F37651)