Col Alastair Mathieson
Head of security at No 10 when the IRA launched a bomb attack
COLONEL ALASTAIR MATHIESON, who has died aged 88, won a MC in 1964 in South Arabia (now Yemen) and was subsequently head of security at 10 Downing Street when it was attacked by the IRA.
In April 1964 Mathieson, then a major, was on operations in the Radfan, a mountainous area deep in the rugged hinterland of Aden, against a well-trained and armed dissident force. He was in command of a mixed party of troops comprising his own squadron of armoured cars of the 4th Royal Tank Regiment (4 RTR), a battery of 3rd Royal Horse Artillery, a rifle platoon and a mortar section of 1st Bn, 1st East Anglian Regiment, and a detachment of Royal Engineers.
His task was to establish a forward gun area to give the artillery the range to cover operations. This deployment would also concentrate the attention of the enemy on his unit while the main force made a surprise flanking movement. As he advanced, he had to ensure that the route was clear of mines and then pass through a wadi (ravine) held by the enemy.
Establishing the gun positions, one of his officers was wounded and it became apparent that Mathieson would have a hard fight on his hands. He and his men held on for three days and nights despite being under relentless fire. The citation for the award to him of an MC paid tribute to his gallantry and outstanding leadership which, it stated, had played a major part in the success of the monthlong operation.
Alastair Archibald Mathieson was born in London on February 17 1930. He was evacuated to Scotland to avoid the bombing during the Blitz but returned to London to go to University College School, Hampstead.
In 1949 he was commissioned from Sandhurst into the RTR and in the course of the next 10 years he served as a troop leader with 3 RTR in Hong Kong, Malaya and Germany. During that period he gained a BSC in Natural Sciences.
After a year as adjutant of Oxford University OTC, he served with 4 RTR in Aden, Singapore and Brunei before returning to Germany as second-incommand of 2 RTR. Regimental and staff appointments followed, including five years as a Weapons Trials officer in Scotland and Israel. In 1971 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, on becoming responsible for the procurement of all tank guns and ammunition.
Later, his duties included the procurement of antitank guided weapons. On promotion to colonel in 1977, he became project manager for both the Chieftain and Challenger tanks, followed by a tour as CO of the Armour School, Bovington Camp.
In 1985, after 36 years’ service, he retired from the Army. He moved to Downing Street in 1990 where he was responsible for internal security at the Prime Minister’s Office. On February 7 1991, while the Cabinet was in session, an attack on the building was launched by the IRA, operating from a van parked 200 yards away.
Three of four bombs exploded. The one that came closest to its target fell into the back garden of No 10. Loss of life was only narrowly avoided. Two policemen and two civilian passers-by were slightly injured. The methods that the IRA had employed fell outside Mathieson’s responsibility but his operational experience was of considerable value in the planning and implementation of measures to ensure that there was no repetition.
As a younger man, Mathieson was a good rugby player. Music was a great passion and he was a member of the London Philharmonic Choir, the Philharmonia Chorus and others. For more than a decade he worked voluntarily for SSAFA.
Alastair Mathieson married, in 1959, Shirley Peal, who predeceased him. He is survived by their two sons and a daughter.
Colonel Alastair Mathieson, born February 17 1930, died April 21 2018