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Colonel Andrew Duncan LVO OBE
Late Grenadier Guards
by Captain Ruadhri Duncan
formerly Grenadier Guards
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Andrew Duncan was the epitome of a Grenadier officer, always immaculate and always interested in everything concerning the Regiment. He died peacefully on 28th September 2024 at his house in Fifehead Magdalen, Dorset and was buried in the village church, after a well-attended service on 25th October.
Born in 1933, in London, to a father who had been successful in the Canadian gold mining field and property, his early years were spent in the large family house in Addison Road, Kensington with nearly two acres of garden. Sadly, he lost his mother early when she died giving birth to his sister in 1938. Then came the War and the Blitz, which put the family in harm’s way; it wasn’t long before they had moved back to Canada, staying there for the duration.
Growing up in Canada was huge fun and he enjoyed the outdoor life, playing in lakes in the summer and skating on them in the winter. Kirkland Lake was a mining town and he recalled an incident when he was 16 and watching a film, when the cinema began to shake. Everyone knew what had happened; one of the mine shafts had collapsed. He rushed to the mine and spent the next 48 hours helping to dig out the poor trapped miners. On recounting this episode to me not long before he died, he added, ‘not many people knew I was a miner’.
Given this lifestyle it was not unnatural that he should be drawn into the cadets and he soon realised that he wanted to join the Army. Given that his grandfather had been a farmer in County Antrim, he thought that the Irish Guards might be a good regiment. He was pretty competent at soldiering and he was top cadet of the local Cadet corps. The prize for this accolade was to attend a reception at Government House, which in turn led to a conversation that would change his life; for the visiting dignitary was one Princess Elizabeth, who was touring Canada. When she met him in the line up and asked what the future held, he told her of his intention to join the Irish Guards to which she responded, ‘what is wrong with my Regiment?’. Princess Elizabeth was the Colonel of the Grenadiers at the time. So began a journey which dominated and defined his life, providing him with the greatest pleasure, along with being able to say that he had been recruited by The Queen!
At Sandhurst he was part of the Cadet Government, and carried the Colour for the Sovereign’s Parade. In August 1954 he was commissioned into the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards, stationed in Egypt, and he moved through various jobs in the Battalion before being asked to serve as an exchange officer in Canada with the Canadian Grenadier Guards. Given his childhood it was a natural posting and the perfect start to married life.
On return from Canada, Staff College beckoned; he was asked to finish the course early so that he could commence in the appointment of Equerry to Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. Starting in 1965 he worked for the Duke for three years. He rarely talked about his time at the Palace but wrote something for Oliver Lindsay, who was then compiling a post-war history of the Grenadiers. He wrote of the Duke: ‘He was charming, forthright, witty and irascible, life with Prince Philip was a roller coaster of energy and effort, and the three years I spent as his Equerry were the most taxing years of my career. They also represented something approaching intensive education in terms of human endeavour. For myself, as a young officer, I owed him a great debt in terms of experience and example’. Andrew thought the world of Prince Philip and was delighted that their relationship was rekindled when later he became Lieutenant Colonel Commanding when Prince Philip was The Colonel.
He returned to the 1st Battalion as a company commander, serving in Sharjah, Cyprus, and Northern Ireland, completing a 26-month tour in a London District battalion during which he spent 17 months abroad! He was rewarded with a two-year posting as an SO2 in Hong Kong, returning to England as Senior Major of the 2nd Battalion to his great friend, David Fanshawe. Sadly he didn’t command a Grenadier Battalion but instead he had two years in Brunei commanding the 1st Battalion Royal Brunei Malay Regiment. It was a happy life, with weekends waterskiing and trips to the jungle. Needless to say, as a good Grenadier, he arranged his own Birthday Parade for the Sultan and flew out members of the 2nd Battalion, stationed in Hong Kong, to assist with the teaching of drill.
On returning from Brunei, he became SO1 AAG HQ London District, a steady job which shouldn’t have been that taxing. That was until The Prince of Wales decided to get married and Andrew was thrown into organising the Royal Wedding; it was for this role that he was awarded the OBE.
After London District he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel Commanding, a job which he loved. He took a great interest in the potential officers joining the Regiment, always visiting their Brigade Squad at Pirbright, and he was never happier than when visiting the two Battalions. With both providing the Escort on successive Troops, he was the Field Officer in Brigade Waiting commanding the Parade in 1983 and 1984; not surprisingly he carried it off in great style, riding his beloved Bugle Boy.
He was the last full-time serving Lieutenant Colonel in the rank of Colonel; he and his fellow Lieutenant Colonels were often referred to as the ‘Crazy Gang’. Whilst he enjoyed working with the Grenadiers, he would regularly have to do battle with the MOD who were constantly looking to reduce the size of the Regimental Headquarters in Wellington Barracks. Whilst he managed to temper many of the blows, sadly we have all witnessed an inevitable reduction in manpower over the years.
Andrew retired after 35 years of service and after trying his hand at one or two things, including corporate broking, he helped Jacqueline in the Inchbald School of Design. This was a role he fulfilled for 30 years, where he was part quartermaster and by his own choosing sergeant major! He embraced the school and would always find some common ground with the students. He was known as ‘The Colonel’ and was much respected for his meticulous organisation.
On one occasion there was an event at The Cavalry and Guards Club to welcome students to the School. One student arrived without a tie and saw ‘The Colonel’ moving through the crowd towards him like an arrow, pressing a tie into his hand in the guise of a handshake, with a firm smile and an even kinder instruction to go outside and put it on!
Underneath his immaculate exterior Andrew had a great sense of humour and would always see the funny side to any situation. He was also an extremely loyal friend to many Grenadiers across all ranks. He seldom missed a regimental event and was a loyal supporter of The Guards Museum which he supported as Chairman and Trustee, helping David Horne, the curator, breathe new life into a rather overlooked institution. He was also a devoted President of the London Branch for a similar amount of time.
He was an avid collector and it was when growing up in London, much to his father’s irritation, that he exchanged a brand new bicycle (a recent birthday present) for a box of lead soldiers; so started a hobby that would last a lifetime. Indeed, his collections spanned from lead soldiers to coins, stamps, weapons, newspapers, and motor cars.
His first wife, Cassa, pre-deceased him by three weeks and he is survived by Jacqueline and his two sons, Jamie and Ruadhri, the latter who joined the Regiment. |
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