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{{Short description|British Army general (1917–2001)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
| name = David Lanyon Lloyd Owen
|name= David Lloyd Owen
| image =
|image=
| image_size =
|image_size=
| alt =
|alt=
| caption =
|caption=
⚫
|nickname=
⚫
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1917|10|10}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2001|04|05|1917|10|10}}
|birth_date= {{Birth date|df=yes|1917|10|10}}
| birth_place = [[Hampton, London]]
|birth_place= [[Hampton, London|Hampton, Middlesex]], England
⚫
|death_date= {{Death date and age|df=yes|2001|04|05|1917|10|10}}
| death_place =
|death_place= [[Norwich]], [[Norfolk]], England
| placeofburial =
|placeofburial=
⚫
| nickname =
| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
|allegiance= United Kingdom
| branch = [[British Army]]
|branch= [[British Army]]
| serviceyears = 1938–1972
|serviceyears= 1938–1972
| rank = [[Major General]]
|rank= [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major General]]
| servicenumber =
|servicenumber= 74596
| unit =
|unit= [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)]]
| commands = [[24th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|24th Infantry Brigade]]<br/>1st Battalion, [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)|Queen's Royal Regiment]]<br/>[[Long Range Desert Group]]
|commands= [[Near East Land Forces]]<br/>Cyprus District<br/>[[24th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|24th Infantry Brigade]]<br/>1st Battalion, [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)]]<br/>[[Long Range Desert Group]]
| battles = [[1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab Revolt in Palestine]]<br/>[[Second World War]]
|battles= [[1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab revolt in Palestine]]<br/>[[Second World War]]
⚫
|awards= [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Distinguished Service Order]]<br/>[[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Military Cross]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]] (2)
* [[North African Campaign]]
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|relations=
* [[Dodecanese Campaign]]
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|laterwork=
* [[Battle of Leros]]
* [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]]
| battles_label =
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| awards = [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Distinguished Service Order]]<br/>[[Military Cross]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]]
⚫
| relations =
⚫
| laterwork =
}}
}}
⚫
[[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major General]] '''David Lanyon Lloyd Owen''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|CB|DSO|OBE|MC}} (10 October 1917 – 5 April 2001) was a British soldier and writer. During the Second World War he commanded the [[Long Range Desert Group]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/apr/16/guardianobituaries | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Diana | last=Condell | date=16 April 2001 | title=David Lloyd Owen}}</ref>


==Early life and military career==
⚫
[[Major-General]] '''David Lanyon Lloyd Owen''' {{post-nominals|CB|DSO|OBE|MC}} (10 October 1917 &ndash; 5 April 2001) was a British soldier and writer. During the Second World War he commanded the [[Long Range Desert Group]].<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2001/apr/16/guardianobituaries</ref>
Born in [[Hampton, London|Hampton]], in the county of [[Middlesex]], England, on 10 October 1917, David Lloyd-Owen was the son of Captain Reginald Charles Lloyd-Owen. He was educated at [[Winchester College]] and the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]. Upon [[Passing out (military)|passing out]] from the latter, he was [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned]] as a [[second lieutenant]] into the [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)]] on 27 January 1938.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34477|page=588|date=28 January 1938}}</ref><ref name="TelObit">{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1310650/Major-General-David-Lloyd-Owen.html | title=Major-General David Lloyd Owen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223111901/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1310650/Major-General-David-Lloyd-Owen.html |archive-date=23 December 2021 | accessdate=5 April 2013 | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | date=7 April 2001}}</ref> He was with the 2nd Battalion of his regiment, then commanded by [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Robert Knox Ross|Robert Ross]], in [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]] during the [[1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab revolt]]. Among Lloyd Owen's fellow officers in the battalion was [[Michael Forrester]], another future [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|major general]]. He later served in the [[Libyan Desert|Western Desert]] from 1939 to July 1941, during the [[Second World War]], when he joined the [[Long Range Desert Group]] (LRDG).


==Early career==
==Second World War==
⚫
Lloyd Owen took part in a number of operations, including the [[Special Air Service|SAS]] raid on [[Tobruk]] in August/September 1942, which earned him the [[Military Cross]]. He was wounded in an [[strategic bombing|air raid]] on the LRDG base at [[Kufra]] in October 1942 and nearly lost an arm. He rejoined the LRDG in February 1943, when they underwent training in [[Lebanon]] before being sent to the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]].
He joined the [[British Army]] in 1938 and was commissioned into the [[Queen's Royal Regiment]].<ref name="TelObit">{{cite web | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1310650/Major-General-David-Lloyd-Owen.html | title=Telegraph Obituary | accessdate=April 5, 2013}}</ref> He was with the 2nd [[Battalion]] of this regiment in [[British Mandate of Palestine|Palestine]] and the [[Libyan Desert|Western Desert]] from 1939 to July 1941 when he joined the [[Long Range Desert Group]] (LRDG).


⚫
Lloyd Owen took command of the LRDG at the end of 1943 after the death of his predecessor [[Jake Easonsmith]] during the [[Battle of Leros]]. He based himself at [[Bari]] in southern Italy from which he mounted a successful raid on [[Corfu]] and staged operations in the [[Dalmatia]]n islands and [[Yugoslavia]]. In September 1944, he was parachuted into [[Albania]] at night. Shortly after landing he fell 30&nbsp;ft into a ravine and severely damaged his spine.<ref>{{cite news |work=Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/army-obituaries/8102946/Michael-Parsons.html |title=Army Obituaries: Michael Parsons |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310194504/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/army-obituaries/8102946/Michael-Parsons.html|archive-date=10 March 2011|date=1 November 2010 |access-date= 6 November 2010}}</ref>
⚫
==Long Range Desert Group==
⚫
He took part in a number of operations, including the [[Special Air Service|SAS]] raid on [[Tobruk]] in August/September 1942, which earned him the [[Military Cross]]. He was wounded in an [[strategic bombing|air raid]] on the LRDG base at [[Kufra]] in October 1942 and nearly lost an arm. He rejoined the LRDG in February 1943, when they underwent training in [[Lebanon]] before being sent to the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]].


⚫
Despite being in continual pain, Lloyd Owen directed [[special forces]] operations in the mountains for the next three months. Eventually he was evacuated to Italy, was successfully operated on, and told not to return to his former activities. He managed to bluff his way past a medical board and returned to Albania, although this time by boat. The LRDG was eventually disbanded in June 1945. For his leadership in the [[Balkans]], Lloyd Owen was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] that year.
⚫
He took command of the LRDG at the end of 1943 after the death of his predecessor [[Jake Easonsmith]] during the [[Battle of Leros]]. He based himself at [[Bari]] in southern Italy from which he mounted a successful raid on [[Corfu]] and staged operations in the [[Dalmatia]]n islands and [[Yugoslavia]]. In September 1944, he was parachuted into [[Albania]] at night. Shortly after landing he fell 30&nbsp;ft into a ravine and severely damaged his spine.<ref>''Daily Telegraph'' [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/army-obituaries/8102946/Michael-Parsons.html "Obituary of Michael Parsons"], November 1, 2010, accessed November 6, 2010.</ref>


⚫
==Post-war==
⚫
Despite being in continual pain, Lloyd Owen directed [[special forces]] operations in the mountains for the next three months. Eventually Lloyd Owen was evacuated to Italy, was successfully operated on, and told not to return to his former activities. But he managed to bluff his way past a medical board and returned to Albania, although this time by boat. The LRDG was eventually disbanded in June 1945. For his leadership in the [[Balkans]], Lloyd Owen was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] that year.
⚫
After the war, Lloyd Owen had various appointments in Britain, including a period on the staff at [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst|Sandhurst]]. In 1952, he was appointed Military Assistant to the High Commissioner in [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]]. He then commanded the 1st Battalion of the [[Queen's Royal Regiment]] from 1957 to 1959. In the early 1960s he led the 24th Infantry Brigade Group in [[Kenya]] and was then, from 1966 to 1968, [[General Officer Commanding]] (GOC), Cyprus District. From 1968 to 1969 he was GOC, Near East Land Forces and, from 1969 to 1972, president of the Regular Commissions Board. He was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] in 1954 and [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] in 1971.


⚫
Lloyd Owen wrote two books about his experiences – ''The Desert My Dwelling Place'' published by [[Orion Publishing Group|Cassell]] in 1957 and again by [[Panther Books]] the following year, and later ''Long Range Desert Group 1940–1945: Providence Their Guide'', republished by [[Leo Cooper (publisher)|Leo Cooper]]/[[Pen and Sword Books]] in 2001.
⚫
==Post-War==
⚫
After the war, he had various appointments in Britain, including a period on the staff at [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst|Sandhurst]]. In 1952, he was appointed Military Assistant to the High Commissioner in [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]]. He then commanded the 1st Battalion of the [[Queen's Royal Regiment]] from 1957 to 1959. In the early 1960s he led 24 Infantry Brigade Group in [[Kenya]] and was then, from 1966 to 1968, [[General Officer Commanding|GOC]], Cyprus District. From 1968 to 1969 he was GOC, Near East Land Forces and, from 1969 to 1972, president of the Regular Commissions Board. He was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] in 1954 and [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] in 1971.


==Personal life==
⚫
He wrote several book about his experiences – ''The Desert My Dwelling Place'' published by [[Orion Publishing Group|Cassell]] in 1957 and again by [[panther (publisher)|Panther Books]] the following year, and more recently ''Long Range Desert Group 1940-1945: Providence Their Guide'', published by [[Leo Cooper/Pen & Sword Books]] in 2001.
⚫
Lloyd Owen married Ursula Barclay (known as Ursie) and had three sons; Michael, Piers and Christopher.


==References==
⚫
He married Ursula Barclay (known as Ursie) and had three sons; Michael, Piers and Christopher. By the time of his death, he had seven grandchildren.
{{reflist}}


== References ==
==Bibliography==
*[[Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 1st Baronet|Fitzroy Maclean]]'s ''[[Eastern Approaches]]'' (Jonathan Cape Ltd)
*{{cite book |author-link=Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 1st Baronet|first=Fitzroy |last=Maclean |title=[[Eastern Approaches]] |publisher=Jonathan Cape Ltd |isbn= |date= }}
*[[Kennedy Shaw]]'s ''Long Range Desert Group'' (Collins).
*{{cite book |author-link=Bill Kennedy Shaw |first=Bill |last=Kennedy Shaw|title=Long Range Desert Group |publisher=Collins |date= |isbn=}}
<references/>


== External links ==
==External links==
*[http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_L01.html#Lloyd_TD British Army Officers 1939−1945]
*[http://www.lrdg.org/lrdg_history_information.htm LRDG website info on David Lloyd Owen taken from his Daily Telegraph obituary]
*[http://www.lrdg.org/lrdg_history_information.htm LRDG website info on David Lloyd Owen taken from his Daily Telegraph obituary]
*[http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80009692 Lloyd Owen, David Lanyon (Oral history)] – 1987 interview by Imperial War Museum


{{s-start}}
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{{Authority control|VIAF=101371253}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Richard Easonsmith]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Long Range Desert Group|Commander, Long Range Desert Group]]|years=1943–1945}}
{{s-non|reason=Post disbanded}}
{{s-end}}

⚫
{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Owen, David Lloyd
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = British Army general
| DATE OF BIRTH = 10 October 1917
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Hampton, London]]
| DATE OF DEATH = 5 April 2001
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, David Lloyd}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, David Lloyd}}

[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:Academics of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies]]
[[Category:British Army major generals]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
⚫
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
⚫
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
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[[Category:Queen's Royal Regiment officers]]
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[[Category:People from Hampton, London]]
[[Category:People educated at Winchester College]]
[[Category:People educated at Winchester College]]
⚫
[[Category:People from Hampton, London]]
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[[Category:Queen's Royal Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
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[[Category:Long Range Desert Group personnel]]
[[Category:Military personnel from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]]

Latest revision as of 02:28, 3 November 2024

David Lloyd Owen
Born(1917-10-10)10 October 1917
Hampton, Middlesex, England
Died5 April 2001(2001-04-05) (aged 83)
Norwich, Norfolk, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1938–1972
RankMajor General
Service number74596
UnitQueen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
CommandsNear East Land Forces
Cyprus District
24th Infantry Brigade
1st Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
Long Range Desert Group
Battles / warsArab revolt in Palestine
Second World War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Military Cross
Mentioned in Despatches (2)

Major General David Lanyon Lloyd Owen, CB, DSO, OBE, MC (10 October 1917 – 5 April 2001) was a British soldier and writer. During the Second World War he commanded the Long Range Desert Group.[1]

Early life and military career

[edit]

Born in Hampton, in the county of Middlesex, England, on 10 October 1917, David Lloyd-Owen was the son of Captain Reginald Charles Lloyd-Owen. He was educated at Winchester College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Upon passing out from the latter, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) on 27 January 1938.[2][3] He was with the 2nd Battalion of his regiment, then commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Ross, in Palestine during the Arab revolt. Among Lloyd Owen's fellow officers in the battalion was Michael Forrester, another future major general. He later served in the Western Desert from 1939 to July 1941, during the Second World War, when he joined the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG).

Second World War

[edit]

Lloyd Owen took part in a number of operations, including the SAS raid on Tobruk in August/September 1942, which earned him the Military Cross. He was wounded in an air raid on the LRDG base at Kufra in October 1942 and nearly lost an arm. He rejoined the LRDG in February 1943, when they underwent training in Lebanon before being sent to the Aegean.

Lloyd Owen took command of the LRDG at the end of 1943 after the death of his predecessor Jake Easonsmith during the Battle of Leros. He based himself at Bari in southern Italy from which he mounted a successful raid on Corfu and staged operations in the Dalmatian islands and Yugoslavia. In September 1944, he was parachuted into Albania at night. Shortly after landing he fell 30 ft into a ravine and severely damaged his spine.[4]

Despite being in continual pain, Lloyd Owen directed special forces operations in the mountains for the next three months. Eventually he was evacuated to Italy, was successfully operated on, and told not to return to his former activities. He managed to bluff his way past a medical board and returned to Albania, although this time by boat. The LRDG was eventually disbanded in June 1945. For his leadership in the Balkans, Lloyd Owen was awarded the Distinguished Service Order that year.

Post-war

[edit]

After the war, Lloyd Owen had various appointments in Britain, including a period on the staff at Sandhurst. In 1952, he was appointed Military Assistant to the High Commissioner in Malaya. He then commanded the 1st Battalion of the Queen's Royal Regiment from 1957 to 1959. In the early 1960s he led the 24th Infantry Brigade Group in Kenya and was then, from 1966 to 1968, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Cyprus District. From 1968 to 1969 he was GOC, Near East Land Forces and, from 1969 to 1972, president of the Regular Commissions Board. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1954 and Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1971.

Lloyd Owen wrote two books about his experiences – The Desert My Dwelling Place published by Cassell in 1957 and again by Panther Books the following year, and later Long Range Desert Group 1940–1945: Providence Their Guide, republished by Leo Cooper/Pen and Sword Books in 2001.

Personal life

[edit]

Lloyd Owen married Ursula Barclay (known as Ursie) and had three sons; Michael, Piers and Christopher.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Condell, Diana (16 April 2001). "David Lloyd Owen". The Guardian. London.
  2. ^ "No. 34477". The London Gazette. 28 January 1938. p. 588.
  3. ^ "Major-General David Lloyd Owen". The Daily Telegraph. London. 7 April 2001. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Army Obituaries: Michael Parsons". Daily Telegraph. 1 November 2010. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2010.

Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]
Military offices
Preceded by Commander, Long Range Desert Group
1943–1945 		Post disbanded
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=David_Lloyd_Owen&oldid=1255090541"