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Bernard Gordon Lennox

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Bernard Gordon Lennox
Born(1932-09-19)19 September 1932
Chelsea, London
Died27 December 2017(2017-12-27) (aged 85)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1953–1987
RankMajor-General
Service number426886
UnitGrenadier Guards
Commands1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards
British Forces in Berlin
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Member of the Order of the British Empire

Major-General Bernard Charles Gordon Lennox, CB, MBE (19 September 1932 – 27 December 2017) was a senior British Army officer. He served as Commandant of the British Sector in Berlin from October 1983 to December 1985.[1][2]

Military career

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Gordon Lennox was born at 17 Cheyne Court, Chelsea, London, the eldest son of Lieutenant General Sir George Gordon Lennox and Nancy Brenda Darell. His grandfathers were Lord Bernard Gordon-Lennox (son of the 7th Duke of Richmond) and Sir Lionel Darell, 6th Baronet.[3]

He served as Page of Honour to King George VI. He was educated at Eton College. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he won the Sword of Honour,[1] and was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1953.[4]

He was appointed Commanding Officer of 1st Bn Grenadier Guards in 1974.[5] He went on to be on the Army Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College in 1976, [6] Commander of 20th Armoured Brigade in 1978[7] and Chief of Staff for South East District in 1981. He was promoted to major general in 1983 and appointed GOC (general officer commanding) of the British Sector in Berlin.[8] Finally he became the Senior Army Member at the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1986.[5] He retired from the Army in 1988. [9]

Personal life

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In 1958, he married Sally-Rose Warner. They had three sons:[5]

  • Edward Charles (born 30 January 1961),[10] Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth II
  • Angus Charles (born 4 February 1964)[11]
  • Charles Bernard (born 18 June 1970)[12]

He lived at Eversley in Hampshire. He died in 2017 from the effects of dementia, at the age of 85.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Major-General Bernard Gordon Lennox - Eccentric Guards officer known as 'Bernie the Bolt!' who faced civil unrest in Hong Kong and commanded British forces in Berlin". The Times. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  2. ^ Corbett, CB, R.J.S. Berlin and the British Ally 19945-1990. Zumm Druckerei Berlin. p. 153.
  3. ^ "Mrs Gordon Lennox". Gloucester Citizen. 19 September 1932. p. 1. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  4. ^ "No. 39809". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 March 1953. p. 1716.
  5. ^ a b c Debrett's People of Today 1994
  6. ^ "Obituaries - Major General B C Gordon Lennox CB MBE". The Guards Magazine. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  7. ^ Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Obituaries - Major General B C Gordon Lennox CB MBE". The Guards Magazine. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Obituaries - Major General B C Gordon Lennox CB MBE". The Guards Magazine. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Births". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 31 January 1961. p. 1.
  11. ^ "Births". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 6 February 1964. p. 1.
  12. ^ "Births". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 20 June 1970. p. 20.
Court offices
Preceded by
None due to the War
Page of Honour
1946 – 1949
Succeeded by
Henry Charles Seymour
Military offices
Preceded by Commandant, British Sector in Berlin
1983–1985
Succeeded by