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Major General Tony Boam CB CBE
Late Scots Guards
by Lieutenant Colonel J R Arthur OBE
formerly Scots Guards
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Tony Boam died peacefully aged 91 on 20th November 2023, surrounded by his devoted family. A Service of Thanksgiving was held at St Mary’s Church, Fittleworth on 13th December and he was buried alongside his beloved wife Penny, for whom he had cared so devotedly over many years when she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Tony was born in Frimley Cottage Hospital on 14th February 1932 and was just seven years old when war was declared. In September 1939 he was sent to the Pilgrim’s School Winchester and in September 1945 he went on to Bradfield College where is father had also been a pupil. He excelled at maths and sciences but also sport; he was in the first eleven for hockey, the second for cricket, athletics and fives. He took part on stage as a door guard in the Greek play Agamemnon but admits he didn’t speak or understand a word of Greek! After Bradfield he joined the Coldstream Guards at the Guards Depot as a potential regular officer but transferred to Scots Guards at Sandhurst where he passed out second in the order of merit out and was commissioned on 1st August 1952. Over the next 20 years he served in both Battalions, firstly in the Canal Zone, at Lydd in 1956 with a company of reservists for the Suez Crisis, in London and Germany, Kenya and Malaysia. He attended and taught at the Staff College, held an appointment in Military Operations at the Ministry of Defence, served as Brigade Major, 4th Guards Armoured Brigade in Germany, and attended the Royal College of Defence Studies.
In 1960 one of the most important and auspicious events had taken place when his oldest and best friend, Bob Day, introduced him to Penny Roberts who had trained as an occupational therapist with his wife Philippa. They were engaged in December and married at St Michael’s Chester Square on 18th March 1961. Bill Thomson was best man and the reception was held at the Dorchester. Throughout his career Penny gave him wonderful support and happiness travelling the world together with their family.
The tour in Kenya was particularly memorable and enabled the family to visit many wonderful game parks, Amboseli with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background being their favourite.
Tony’s ambition was always to command a Scots Guards battalion and he achieved this in January 1972 when the was appointed to command the 2nd Battalion which had been disbanded due to defence cuts was re-forming in Edinburgh as a reinforcement for Operation MOTORMAN to clear barricades from ‘No-Go’ areas of Londonderry. Murray Naylor, who had been appointed at short notice as Tony’s Second-in-Command, described his achievements in this role: ‘looking back on Tony’s assumption of command I am struck by what he achieved. At very short notice he had to reform the Battalion from three independent companies - bed the Battalion down, train it to go on operations in Northern Ireland, take it to Derry and a year later execute a second tour in Belfast. From close quarters I would say this was no mean achievement’.
During both tours he regularly visited all the various company locations on foot by day and night. He always allowed his strong team of company commanders a free hand to make their own plans and decisions. The Battalion completed both tours successfully and Tony was awarded an operational OBE. He always demanded the highest standards of fitness and competence from his subordinates, but he never asked anyone to do something he was not prepared to do himself. During training at Pirbright he insisted on everyone regularly going for a 5-mile run and decreed that anyone coming in after the Commanding Officer would go round again!
After command Tony spent the remainder of his service overseas assuming greater responsibility and becoming a very effective soldier/diplomat. In 1976 he was promoted to Colonel (local Brigadier) and selected to lead a British Army Advisory Team of 12 Lieutenant Colonels and a small support staff to help set up the Nigerian Army Staff College at Jaji near Kaduna Nigeria. The first course was due to start in May for senior Nigerian officers, however this was delayed because there had been a military coup in which the President, General Murtala Mohammed, was assassinated. The UK High Commissioner had to leave the country; but Tony had developed excellent relations with the Head of the Army General Danjuma and The Commandant of the College, Brigadier Geoffrey Ejiga, which certainly helped to save the project. The team all lived in newly built married quarters in Kaduna and Tony had a house nearby with the only outside telephone line. There was good interaction with residents of Kaduna, many of them British, and Tony and the team took part in social and sporting activities, particularly golf and tennis as well as breakfast picnics in the bush. Several future Presidents attended the first course for senior officers and some years later he was asked by the Foreign Office to go to Nigeria and meet President Sani Abacha, one of the former students and try to persuade him not to execute another former President for treason! His frank diplomacy with his former student was successful! On the 25th Anniversary of the College Tony was invited to the celebrations including the opening of ‘Boam Hall’. After this tour Tony was made CBE.
In 1979 Tony was appointed as Deputy Commander British Forces Hong Kong. This involved command of all the support troops in the Territory and standing in for the Commander when he was away. He and the family moved to a quarter near Stanley Market. During this tour the family travelled to Nepal with some Gurkha guides and spent Christmas day in the Himalayas. They were expected to do a lot of entertaining and Tony persuaded Lance Sergeant Hollomby not to retire and come to Hong Kong as his House Sergeant. He remained with the family for subsequent tours in USA and again in Hong Kong.
After this tour Tony hoped that the family could return to UK and live in their house ‘The Old Thatch which they had bought when Tony was at the Staff College. This was not to be as he was selected for promotion to Major General and appointed Defence and Military Attaché in Washington. The family flew to Washington on 20th November 1981 and lived in a lovely house in Kalorama Road about eight minutes’ walk from the Embassy. Their faithful black labrador Buzby, who was eight, followed next day! One of their near neighbours was Senator John Tower of Texas, a powerful man who they came to know well as Tony’s main job was advising the Ambassador. He quickly developed close relationships with the key US commanders in the Pentagon which proved valuable during the Falklands war when the UK made a requests for assistance and equipment. On one occasion he contacted a key official on a Sunday about some missiles urgently needed by UK forces which were delivered the next week! He was also responsible for around 600 UK service personnel scattered across the USA and this enabled him to travel in widely in the country.
His final appointment was Commander British Forces Hong Kong and again this involved much diplomacy, entertaining and receiving VIP visitors. He was a member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and attended weekly meetings chaired by the Ambassador. Everything was influenced by the end of the British lease of the Colony. Among major events was a visit by HM The Queen and Prince Philip on the RY Britannia. Visits by other members of the Royal Family promoting their various causes and interests and arranging a state funeral for Sir Teddy Youde, the British Ambassador, who had died during a visit to China. Tony suffered a severe heart attack towards the end of his time in Hong Kong and retired on 12th November 1987. He was appointed CB in the New Year Honours List in 1987. His last parade was the passing out parade at Pirbright on 25th September. He had completed a long and distinguished military career lasting just over 37 years.
Tony regretted in some ways that he had not been tested like some of the next generation of soldiers and the title of his personal memoir is Who said Anything about War? At a time of many consequential events in the second half of the 20th century both he and Penny had an important diplomatic role, were wonderful hosts, travelled extensively, particularly in the USA, and forged many lasting friendships. On leaving the Army Tony worked for the British Consultancy Bureau for seven years which gave him further opportunities for travel, and the family moved to Penny’s family home at Burygate, West Sussex. Tony undertook voluntary work for several charities and was President of the Fittleworth Royal British Legion Branch. He enjoyed shooting, tennis, watching cricket, and was a life member of MCC. He joined Pulborough Golf Club and played golf with The Guards Golfing Society. Bridge had always been part of his life and he arranged a bridge marathon, playing continuously for 24 hours to raise money for charity.
I think all of us who knew Tony were impressed by his ability to connect with people at any level. He had a natural empathy which made him an effective soldier, a proud Scots Guardsman, a successful diplomat, a loving and caring husband, father, grandfather and friend. |
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