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{{Use dmy dates|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=
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|caption=
| alt =
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|birth_date={{Birth date|df=yes|1917|10|10}}
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| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1917|10|10}}
|death_date={{Death date and age|df=yes|2001|04|05|1917|10|10}}
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|birth_place[[Hampton, London]], [[England]]
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2001|04|05|1917|10|10}}
|death_place=[[Norwich]], [[Norfolk]], England
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| birth_place = [[Hampton, London|Hampton]], London
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|placeofburial=
| death_place =
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|nickname=
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| placeofburial =
|allegiance={{flag|United Kingdom}}
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| nickname =
| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
|branch={{army|United Kingdom}}
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|serviceyears=1938–1972
| branch = [[British Army]]
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|servicenumber=74596
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| serviceyears = 1938–1972
| rank = [[Major General]]
|rank=[[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major General]]
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|unit=[[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)]]
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| servicenumber =
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|commands=[[24th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|24th Infantry Brigade]]<br>1st Battalion, [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)]]<br>[[Long Range Desert Group]]
| unit =
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|battles=[[1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab revolt in Palestine]]<br/>[[World War II]]
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| 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]]
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|awards=[[Order of the Bath|Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br>[[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]<br>[[Distinguished Service Order]]<br>[[Military Cross]]<br>[[Mentioned in dispatches|Mentioned in despatches]] (2)
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| battles = [[1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab Revolt in Palestine]]<br/>[[Second World War]]
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|relations=
* [[North African Campaign]]
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|laterwork=
* [[Dodecanese Campaign]]
* [[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]]
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| relations =
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| laterwork =
}}
}}
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[[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|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>
⚫
Born in [[Hampton, London]], [[England]], on 10 October 1917, David Lloyd Owen, the son of Captain Reginald Charles Lloyd Owen, 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=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1310650/Major-General-David-Lloyd-Owen.html | title=Telegraph Obituary | 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]] and the [[Libyan Desert|Western Desert]] from 1939 to July 1941, during the [[World War II|Second World War]], when he joined the [[Long Range Desert Group]] (LRDG).


==Early career==
==World War II==
⚫
He joined the [[British Army]] in 1938 and was commissioned into the [[Queen's Royal Regiment]].<ref name="TelObit">{{cite news | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1310650/Major-General-David-Lloyd-Owen.html | title=Telegraph Obituary | accessdate=5 April 2013 | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | date=7 April 2001}}</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).

==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]].
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]].


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{{s-mil}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Richard Easonsmith]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Richard Easonsmith]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Commander, [[Long Range Desert Group]]|years=15 November 1943 – June 1945}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Long Range Desert Group|Commander, Long Range Desert Group]]|years=1943–1945}}
{{s-non|reason=Unit disbanded}}
{{s-non|reason=Post disbanded}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}


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[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the 1936–39 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]]
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[[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]]
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[[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]]
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[[Category:People from Hampton, London]]
[[Category:Queen's Royal Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]

Revision as of 16:24, 7 March 2018

David Lloyd Owen
Born(1917-10-10)10 October 1917
Died5 April 2001(2001-04-05) (aged 83)
Norwich, Norfolk, England
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
Years of service1938–1972
RankMajor General
Service number74596
UnitQueen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
Commands24th Infantry Brigade
1st Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
Long Range Desert Group
Battles / warsArab revolt in Palestine
World War II
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order
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

Born in Hampton, London, England, on 10 October 1917, David Lloyd Owen, the son of Captain Reginald Charles Lloyd Owen, 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 and the Western Desert from 1939 to July 1941, during the Second World War, when he joined the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG).

World War II

He 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.

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 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

After the war, he 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 24 Infantry Brigade Group in Kenya and was then, from 1966 to 1968, 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.

He 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 more recently Long Range Desert Group 1940–1945: Providence Their Guide, republished by Leo Cooper/Pen & Sword Books in 2001.

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

References

  1. ^ Condell, Diana (16 April 2001). "David Lloyd Owen". The Guardian. London.
  2. ^ "No. 34477". The London Gazette. 28 January 1938. p. 588.
  3. ^ "Telegraph Obituary". The Daily Telegraph. London. 7 April 2001. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  4. ^ Daily Telegraph "Obituary of Michael Parsons", 1 November 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
Military offices
Preceded by Commander, Long Range Desert Group
1943–1945 		Post disbanded
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