Geoffrey Baker (British Army officer)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox military person Field Marshal Sir Geoffrey Harding Baker, Template:Postnominals (20 June 1912 – 8 May 1980) was Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, from 1968 to 1971. He served in the Second World War and became Director of Operations and Chief of Staff for the campaign against EOKA in Cyprus during the Cyprus Emergency and later in his career provided advice to the British Government on the deployment of troops to Northern Ireland at the start of the Troubles.

Military career

Born the son of Colonel Cecil Norris Baker and Ella Mary Baker (née Hutchinson)<ref name=odnb>Template:Cite ODNB</ref> and educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich,<ref name=page37>Heathcote, Anthony pg 37</ref> Baker was commissioned into the Royal Artillery on 28 January 1932.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was promoted to lieutenant on 28 January 1935 and was posted later that year to Meerut in India.<ref name=page37/>

File:Wellington College South Front.jpg

Wellington College where Baker was educated

Baker served in the Second World War and, having been promoted to captain on 28 January 1940, and posted as a staff officer to Headquarters Middle East in May 1940.<ref name=page37/> He took part in the campaign in East Africa, during which he fought at the Battle of Keren<ref name=page37/> for which he was awarded the Military Cross on 8 July 1941,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> was wounded three times, and was mentioned in despatches on 30 December 1941<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and on 15 December 1942.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was appointed Commanding Officer of 127 Field Regiment RA in July 1943 and, having been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services in the Middle East on 14 October 1943,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he led his regiment during the Allied invasion of Sicily.<ref name="pg 38">Heathcote, Anthony pg 38</ref> In March 1944 he joined to staff at 21st Army Group and took part in the Normandy landings and the campaign in North West Europe,<ref name="pg 38"/> being mentioned in despatches on 10 May 1945,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 24 January 1946,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and awarded the Legion of Merit in the Degree of Commander by the President of the United States on 17 September 1948.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

After the war, Baker co-ordinated administrative services in the Allied Control Commission in Germany.<ref name="pg 38"/> Promoted to the substantive rank of major on 1 July 1946,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he was appointed deputy director of Staff Duties at the War Office in January 1947.<ref name="pg 38"/> After promotion to lieutenant colonel on 31 December 1951,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he took command of 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery at Munsterlager and, following promotion to colonel on 20 June 1953<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and having been appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the New Year Honours 1955,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he became Director of Operations and Chief of Staff for the campaign against EOKA in Cyprus in November 1955 during the Cyprus Emergency, for which he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the New Year Honours 1958.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He became Assistant Chief of Staff at Headquarters Northern Army Group in February 1959 and, on promotion to major general on 3 February 1960,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he was appointed Chief-of-Staff at Southern Command.<ref name="pg 38"/> He went on to be Chief of Staff at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in November 1961, in which capacity he was responsible for contingency planning for Berlin at the time of the construction of the Berlin Wall.<ref name="pg 38"/>

File:Shankilltroubles.jpg

Baker advised the Government on its response to the Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1970

Following his appointment as Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> with the rank of lieutenant general on 2 September 1963,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and having been advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1964 New Year Honours,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Baker became General Officer Commanding Southern Command on 31 October 1966.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Promoted to general on 7 May 1967<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the New Year Honours 1968,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Baker was appointed Chief of the General Staff on 1 March 1968.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> In this role he provided advice to the British Government on the deployment of troops to Northern Ireland at the start of the Troubles: his assessment was that Special Branch had inadequate intelligence on the IRA.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was promoted to field marshal on 31 March 1971,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> on his retirement from the British Army.<ref name="pg 39">Heathcote, Anthony pg 39</ref>

In retirement he became Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery from July 1964, Colonel Commandant of the Royal Military Police from March 1968, Colonel Commandant of the Royal Horse Artillery from November 1970 and Master Gunner, St. James's Park from 1970.<ref name="pg 39"/> He was also Constable of the Tower of London from 1 August 1975.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was a governor of both Wellington College and Radley College.<ref name=odnb/>

Baker was taken ill at Wellington College and died in hospital on 8 May 1980.<ref name=odnb/>

Family

In 1946 he married Valerie Lockhart; they had one daughter (the military artist Alix Baker)<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and two sons.<ref name="pg 38"/>

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book
• Baker, Rupert (son). George – A Life so Well Lived (March 2015). Private publication, some copies still available.

External links

• Generals of World War II

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