The Bramall Papers: Reflections on War and Peace

摘要

As a schoolboy, he experienced the Blitz in London. As a young platoon commander, he took part in the Normandy landings and was awarded a Military Cross at the age of 21. Immediately after the war, he served in the occupation force in Japan and witnessed the aftermath of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the mid-1950s he served in the Middle East and was on the fringes of planning for the ill-fated Suez operation. As a lieutenant colonel, he served on the staff of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Mountbatten and was directly responsible to him for plans to create a unified Ministry of Defence. He commanded his battalion on active service in the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, and as a brigade commander led the first reinforcing brigade sent to Northern Ireland at the start of the Troubles. As a lieutenant general, he commanded British forces in Hong Kong, an appointment which included the role of a quasi-colonial administrator. He was Chief of the General Staff during the Falklands War in 1982, and subsequently, as Chief of the Defence Staff, was instrumental in major changes to defence policy. His military service was also a prelude to 26 years as a highly active and influential member of the House of Lords.