Richard Swinburn

Sir Richard Swinburn
Sir Richard Swinburn
Born	30 October 1937
Died	11 October 2017 (aged 79); Dummer, Hampshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1957–1995
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands	South East District; 1st Armoured Division; 7th Armoured Brigade; 17th/21st Lancers
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Spouse(s)	Jane Elise Brodie (m. 1964; died 2001); Susan Ferguson (m. 2012)

Lieutenant General Sir Richard Hull Swinburn, KCB (30 October 1937 – 11 October 2017)^[1] was a senior British Army officer who served as Commander of the UK Field Army from 1994 to 1995.

Military career

Educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Swinburn was commissioned into the 17th/21st Lancers in 1957.^[2] He became commanding officer of the 17th/21st Lancers in 1979 and commander of the 7th Armoured Brigade in 1983.^[3] He went on to be General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1st Armoured Division in 1987 and Assistant Chief of the General Staff in 1989.^[3] He was made GOC South East District in 1990 (which was retitled Southern District in 1992).^[3] He was then made Commander UK Field Army in 1994,^[3] and retired in 1995.^[4]

Swinburn was given the colonelcy of the Queen's Royal Lancers from 1995 to 2001.^[5]

Family

Swinburn was the son of Major General Henry Robinson Swinburn (1897–1981) and Naomi Hull (1903–1992). His maternal grandfather was Major General Sir Charles Hull and his uncle was Field Marshal Sir Richard Hull. In 1964 he married Jane Elise Brodie, who died in 2001.^[3] In September 2012, it was announced that he was engaged to Susan Ferguson (née Deptford), the widow of Major Ronald Ferguson and the stepmother of Sarah, Duchess of York.^[6] They married in December 2012. Prince Andrew, Sarah, Duchess of York, and their two daughters attended Sir Richard and Lady Swinburn's wedding celebrations.^[7]

References

^ Swinburn
^ "No. 41191". The London Gazette. 1 October 1957. p. 5759.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Debrett's People of Today 1994
^ Whitaker's Almanack 1996
^ "The Queen's Royal Lancers". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 26 December 2005. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
^ "Duchess of York's delight as stepmother finds love with Army hero". The Telegraph. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
^ "Beatrice and Eugenie share Duchess of York's joy as stepmother remarries". Hello. 21 December 2012.

Military offices
Preceded by Anthony Mullens	General Officer Commanding 1st Armoured Division 1987–1989	Succeeded by Roger Wheeler
Preceded by Charles Guthrie	Assistant Chief of the General Staff 1989–1990	Succeeded by Roger Wheeler
Preceded by Sir Peter de la Billière	General Officer Commanding South East District 1990–1994	Succeeded by Sir Anthony Denison-Smith (AS GOC Southern District)
Preceded by Sir Michael Rose	Commander UK Field Army 1994–1995	Succeeded by Sir Hew Pike