Gerald Hopkinson
Gerald Hopkinson | |
---|---|
Birth name | Gerald Charles Hopkinson |
Born | 27 May 1910[1] Wellington, Somerset, England[2] |
Died | 2 June 1989 (aged 79) Osborne House, Isle of Wight |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Years of service | 1930–1962 |
Rank | Major-General |
Commands held | 44th Battalion Royal Tank Regiment 4th Mechanized Brigade 1st Royal Tank Regiment 33rd Armoured Brigade 4th Division |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross |
Major-General Gerald Charles Hopkinson CB DSO OBE MC (27 May 1910 – 2 June 1989) was a British Army officer who commanded 4th Division.
Early life
Hopkinson was born in Wellington, Somerset to Captain Charles Reginald Thompson Hopkinson of the East Surrey Regiment, who was killed in action in September 1914, and Beryl Mary Stewart.[3][4]
Military career
Educated at Haileybury,[5] Hopkinson was commissioned in to the Royal Tank Corps in 1930.[6] He served in World War II[7] as Commanding Officer of 44th Battalion Royal Tank Regiment[8] and then, briefly, as acting Commander of 4th Armoured Brigade in early 1945.[9] He became Commanding Officer of 1st Royal Tank Regiment in 1952.[10] He was appointed Commander of 33rd Armoured Brigade in 1953, General Officer Commanding 4th Division in 1957 and Director of the Royal Armoured Corps in 1959 before retiring in 1962.[11]
References
- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007
- ^ 1911 England Census
- ^ Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813–1914
- ^ Clutterbuck, L. A.; Dooner, W. T. (1914). The Bond of Sacrifice: A Biographical Record of All British Officers who Fell in the Great War. Anglo-African Pub. Contractors. pp. 194–195. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ^ Military Crosses - Haileybury
- ^ "No. 33639". The London Gazette. 29 August 1930. p. 5361.
- ^ Recommendations for Honours and Awards
- ^ Chadwick (1970), The Royal Tank Regiment, p114
- ^ Orders of Battle Archived March 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "1 Royal Tank Regiment Commanding Officers". Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- Use dmy dates from April 2012
- British Army generals
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Royal Tank Regiment officers
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- 1910 births
- 1989 deaths
- People from Wellington, Somerset