|
Lieutenant Colonel M G L Whiteley
Late Scots Guards
by Major General M I E Scott CB CBE DSO
formerly Scots Guards
|
For any Foot Guards officer, becoming the Lieutenant Colonel Commanding (now Regimental Lieutenant Colonel) must be the answer to one’s regimental dream. Michael Whiteley, after a varied and successful career, achieved this as the first Lieutenant Colonel, rather than in the rank of Colonel, and the last full-time holder of the position.
After leaving Malvern, his ambition was to be a farmer, however National Service came first and, rather than joining his father’s and brother’s Regiment, the Scots Guards, he opted for the local Cheshire Regiment, which had the lure of active service in Malaya. Unexpectedly enjoying soldiering, he changed his mind and sought a regular commission, not in the Cheshires, who were, understandably, keen to keep him but to join his brother in the Scots Guards. So, he arrived at Gravesend with the 1st Battalion in 1961, wearing the ribbon of the General Service medal.
The 2nd Battalion was posted to Kenya in 1962 and needed bringing up to operational strength. Therefore, eight officers, including Michael, were transferred from the 1st Battalion. Tough and fit, he enjoyed commanding the support platoon, which every rifle company had, before being posted, in 1964, to K Company at the Guards Depot. Eighteen months later, he returned to the 1st Battalion, then in Edinburgh and London, with a nine-month unaccompanied tour in Sharjah. He had already served a short spell in Muscat, so the desert was natural to him. He commanded B (Support) Company with style. In November 1965, he married Fiona, daughter of Sir Edward Windley.
The Military Secretary then got his hands on him for a captain’s staff job but not for him some dreary Q appointment in the depths of the country but to the Brigade in Hong Kong in 1971. He passed the Staff College exam and went to Camberley in 1973. Having already been a staff officer, he was allowed to return to regimental duty in the 1st Battalion in 1974, then in BAOR but with a Northern Ireland tour in 1975, where he commanded Left Flank in the Falls Road of Belfast. In September 1975 he did a six-month spell in the 4th Guards Armoured Brigade Headquarters before taking over from Mark Maxwell-Hyslop as Regimental Adjutant in 1976. In September 1977, he became Second-in-Command of the Guards Depot. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, he attended the National Defence course at Latimer in 1980.
With command of both Scots Guards Battalions filled, he was selected to command the 1st Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment in Ballymena. He was not alone: Robin Buchanan-Dunlop commanded 8 UDR in Dungannon, Michael Nurton 9 in Antrim, and Kim Ross was MA to the GOC. He and Fiona loved Northern Ireland so much that they seriously considered buying a house there. However, that was not to be when he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff in Headquarters Household Division, dealing with ceremonial matters. In 1985, he returned, yet again, to Northern Ireland. This time, in the Headquarters in Lisburn handling training and the Territorial Army.
In March 1987, he took over from Johnny Clavering as Lieutenant Colonel Commanding, appearing twice on the Queen’s Birthday Parade. Finishing at the end of 1988, he had no desire for the slippers and the pipe but assumed command of the Devon and Cornwall Training area where he bought a house near Okehampton. Sadly, in March 1989, Fiona died. Retiring in 1994, he married Dame Jane Gow, some three years after her husband, Ian Gow MP, was assassinated by the IRA. They later moved to Kent.
Sometimes a more complex character than people realised, his sense of humour could be tested. He was undoubtedly competitive and, as those who played bridge or croquet with him will affirm, he liked to win. However, those who knew him well, realised he had a very generous heart and would unhesitatingly support his Guardsmen and friends. Throughout his life he loyally served the Regiment and pulled his weight.
He is survived by Jane, her two sons and his twin sons Marcus and Justin and, of course, his brother, John, who so sadly lost his wife, Jill, last year. Michael was a much loved and respected father and grandfather; a proud man who put his family at the heart of his life. Our thoughts and sympathies are with them. |
|
