Major General Edwin Beckett
Army officer who fought terrorism in Ulster and became head of British Defence Staff in Washington
MAJOR GENERAL EDWIN BECKETT, who has died aged 81, was head of the British Defence Staff in Washington from 1988 to 1991, establishing a close working relationship with the US Joint Chiefs of Staff led by General Colin Powell.
In 1990, following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, as the UK’S Military Delegate to the UN Military Committee, Beckett supported Britain’s Permanent Representative, Sir Crispin Tickell, in forging the alliance that enabled a multinational coalition force to be deployed. A successful military operation restored the integrity of the country.
Edwin Horace Alexander Beckett was born in Sheffield on May 16 1937. He was educated at Dronfield Grammar School, and selected for the Derbyshire county schoolboy rugby team, before enlisting as a private soldier in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. He went on to Sandhurst, where he was a Junior Under Officer, and in 1957 he was commissioned into the West Yorkshire Regiment. He subsequently joined the newly amalgamated Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire.
He served in Aden with the 1st Battalion (1 PWO) in command of a machine-gun platoon, and saw action in the area of the Western Protectorate, where his guns played an important part in getting the resupply columns through to Dhala. Nine months later, the battalion embarked for Gibraltar. During this tour he damaged his knee playing in a rugby match in Spain, but he was able to persuade the Army doctors not to downgrade him.
After three years in Germany, followed by a spell as adjutant to the King’s Own Malta Regiment, in 1965 he returned to Aden with 1 PWO and was closely involved in the task of expanding and training the National Guard in preparation for the British withdrawal. On returning to England he commanded a company which covered the north coast of Cornwall in an operation to clean up the oil spill from the wreck of the tanker Torrey Canyon.
In June 1967 he commanded his company on an emergency deployment in Aden. Elements of the South Arabian Federation Army and the Yemen Federal Police had mutinied and occupied the Crater district. The battalion initially supported the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in regaining control. Beckett’s leadership and innovative tactics were recognised by a Mention in Despatches.
A staff appointment at HQ 4th Armoured Division in Germany was followed by a return to 1 PWO and a two-year tour in Cyprus in command of Support Company. He then returned to BAOR as DAA and QMG at 11th Armoured Brigade, for which he was appointed MBE.
In March 1972 1 PWO relieved 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment in Northern Ireland. Beckett took his company into Belfast, where the bombing campaign and sectarian conflict in many parts of the province kept them under continual pressure. In 1975 he acted as second-incommand of his battalion in Londonderry. From 1974 to 1978, 1 PWO was in BAOR and Beckett commanded the battalion for the final 30 months of this period.
On one occasion, during a major exercise, the battalion was ordered to carry out an assault river crossing. When the boats arrived, they were without paddles. Several generals from three nations were watching and this hitch could have been embarrassing. Beckett, however, swiftly seizing the initiative, ordered some items of kit nearby to be used as makeshift paddles and rescued the exercise.
During this tour, he returned to Northern Ireland in command of his battalion with responsibility in Londonderry for the Creggan, Bogside and the city centre. He was awarded a second Mention in Despatches.
He then instructed at the Army Staff College before becoming commandant of the Junior Division of the Staff College. In 1981, he was promoted to brigadier on taking command of 1 Infantry Brigade and UK Mobile Force.
Based in Aldershot, the force was responsible for reinforcement roles on the flanks of Northern Europe and Italy. Beckett served at the MOD from 1982 to 1985, first as Director of Concepts and then as Director of Army Plans.
He was then promoted to major general on assuming the appointment of Chief of Staff to BAOR. This demanding job involved the provision of logistic support throughout West Germany, together with responsibilities for the British input to the Berlin military budget and for the British Intelligence Mission.
In 1987 he had to deal with the aftermath of the IRA bombing of the barracks at Rheindahlen. He was appointed CB at the end of his tour.
Beckett was a larger-than-life character. He was charismatic, extrovert, energetic, cheerful and full of fun. A strong leader, he insisted on high standards and always set an excellent example. He was also never afraid to try out new ideas and supported those who used their initiative. As a commanding officer, he was very popular and highly regarded by his soldiers and their families because he took enormous interest in them and their welfare.
He was Colonel Commandant The King’s Division from 1988 to 1994 and Colonel PWO from 1996 to 2001. On retiring from the Army in 1991 he became Director of Corporate Affairs with IDV, the international wine and spirits company. In response to emerging threats to brands from counterfeiting and trademark infringement, the British Brands Group was formed under his guidance. He subsequently became its chairman and eventually president.
When IDV merged with Guinness to form Diageo, he acted as project director. Settled in a village on Exmoor, he played an active part in fundraising for the Calvert Trust and for his village and church.
Major General Edwin Beckett married, in 1963, Micaela, younger daughter of Colonel Sir Edward Malet. She survives him with their three sons and a daughter.
Major General Edwin Beckett, born May 16 1937, died November 15 2018