Douglas Packard

Sir Douglas Packard
Born	1903
Died	2000
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery 36th Infantry Brigade Northern Ireland Command
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order

Lieutenant General Sir Charles Douglas Packard KBE CB DSO (1903–2000) was a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1950s.

Military career

Douglas Packard was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1923.^[1]

He served in World War II in the Middle East and Italy becoming Commander 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery in 1942, Commander Royal Artillery for the Tenth Army Group in 1943 and Commander Royal Artillery for 78th Division later in 1944.^[1] He was them appointed Commander 36th Infantry Brigade also in 1944 and Deputy Chief of Staff for 15th Army Group in 1945.^[1]

After the War he was appointed Chief of Staff for the British Element of the Allied Commission for Austria before becoming Director of Military Intelligence at the War Office in 1948.^[1] He was made Commander of the British Military Mission to Greece in 1949 and Chief of Staff Middle East Land Forces in 1951.^[1] He became Vice Quartermaster General at the War Office in 1953 and Military Advisor to West African Governments in 1956.^[1] He went on to be General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland District in 1958 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Ireland Command in 1959: he retired in 1961.^[1]

Retirement

In 1962 he advised Edgar Whitehead, Prime Minister of Rhodesia, on certain matters relating to the British South Africa Police then operating in Rhodesia.^[2]

References

1. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
2. So far and no further: Rhodesia's bid for independence during the retreat from Empire 1959 to 1965 By J. R. T. Wood, Page 47 Trafford Publishing, 2005 ISBN 978-1-4120-4952-8