General Sir John Wilsey
Senior commander whose flair for covert operations was amply demonstrated during the Troubles
GENERAL SIR JOHN WILSEY, who has died aged 80, had exceptional qualities which took him to within reach of the highest appointment in the Army. In the course of a most distinguished career, he served in Northern Ireland as a company commander in the early 1970s when the terrorist campaign was close to its height, later in command of a battalion, then as headquarters chief of staff and, finally, as General Officer Commanding and Director Military Operations.
He had a “feel” for covert operations and understood the demands that these made on the soldiers involved. A briefing on an operation, however thorough, was never enough for him. He always wanted to know just how he could help.
He talked to the soldiers selected for these missions and, knowing exactly what they were going through, insisted on the most rigorous scrutiny of the planning to assess the chances of success and minimise the dangers involved. In return, he won the respect, trust and admiration of those with whom he served and got the very best out of them.
John Finlay Willasey Wilsey, the son of Major General JHO Wilsey, was born on February 18 1939 at Frimley, Surrey, and educated at Sherborne. While he was a cadet at RMA Sandhurst, he took part in the Daily Mail-sponsored London to Paris Air Race, flying a vintage De Havilland. He logged a time of two hours 39 minutes, then returned on a motorbike.
In 1959 he was commissioned into the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment and saw active service with the 1st Battalion (1 D&D) in Cyprus during the final phase of the Eoka campaign. Exercises in Libya followed and further regimental duties took him to Northern Ireland, British Guiana, West Germany and Malta.
Brother officers recall that Wilsey was often in a hurry. He was a fast driver, apparently without nerves but not, perhaps, fully aware of the effect that high speed and an original approach to navigation had on those intrepid enough to occupy the passenger seats.
He did not carry this rather happygo-lucky attitude into things military. He had clear views to which he gave forthright expression, and highly developed powers of organisation; he took immense trouble over anything that he tackled.
Subordinates were given considerable scope, rewarded if they did a good job and loyally supported if things sometimes went wrong. His principles, however, were unshakeable. Those under his command had to stay focused and he did not hesitate to remove anyone who fell below his high standards.
But it was not all hard work, and outlets could occasionally be found for his natural exuberance. One evening, in Valletta at the invitation of the Royal
Maltese Artillery, after a few drinks he commandeered his CO’S staff car and, goaded by his brother officers, hurtled around the streets making the tyres screech on every corner.
Spotting a large crane parked in front of the Law Courts, he stood on the brakes, jumped into the cab and started swinging the wrecking ball which dangled from a chain at the end of the huge extended arm. Only with some difficulty was he persuaded to desist before he knocked a chunk out of the marble facade.
After an appointment as ADC to GOC Southern Command, in 1968 he took leave of absence from instructing at Sandhurst to join Colonel John Blashford-snell’s Blue Nile expedition. When the Colonel’s whitewater survey party was attacked by bandits, Wilsey mounted a rescue operation.
He equipped an assault boat and navigated upriver against uncharted rapids. One engine burnt out so he called for another by parachute, but this fell into a torrent. Despite this setback, he and two sappers and an Ethiopian naval officer managed to reach the beleaguered party with food, ammunition and a bottle of Scotch. He then towed their battered inflatable craft downstream to safety. After attending the Army Staff College, he was posted to the MOD as the Assistant to the Chief of the Defence Staff for two years.
Command of a company of 1 D&D included an operational tour in North Belfast. On one occasion, he was caught up in a precarious situation in the Falls Road. The radios did not work and he had to get through to his CO. As he went into a public telephone box, he came under fire and carried on a telephone conversation with the glass breaking around him. He was Mentioned in Despatches at the end of his tour.
From 1979 to 1982, he commanded 1 D&D in BAOR and then South Armagh where he earned another Mention in Despatches. The citation for the award of an OBE stated that he had presence, coolness, intelligence, a sense of humour, a flair for command and had proved to be an inspirational leader of the highest order.
Wilsey was appointed Chief of Staff, HQ Northern Ireland, before commanding 1st Infantry Brigade. He became Chief of Staff of UK Land Forces (UKLF) in 1988, GOC Northern Ireland in 1990, C-in-c UKLF in 1993 and C-in-c Land Command in 1995. In the latter two postings, he had overall command responsibility of all British troops deployed on operations around the world.
In April 1994, Serb armour attacked Gorazde, a Bosnian Muslim enclave close to Sector Sarajevo, which was the French sector, and designated a “safe area”. They set part of the town ablaze and, after they were forced to withdraw, it was essential to get a UN battalion into the area to sort out the chaos.
President Mitterrand refused to allow a French battalion to deploy there and Lieutenant-general (later General) Sir Michael Rose, commander of the UN Protection Force (Unprofor), asked Wilsey if he would allow a British battalion to move out of its operational area and into Gorazde. As a result, a battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment deployed there, the situation was stabilised and lives were undoubtedly saved.
Wilsey was advanced to CBE in 1985, knighted (KCB) in 1991 and advanced to GCB in 1996, the year that he retired from the Army.
He took up a large number of voluntary appointments, including chairman of the Western Provident Association, vice chairman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, commissioner at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, governor of both Sherborne boys’ and girls’ schools, president of the Wiltshire Army Cadet Force and chairman of Salisbury Cathedral Council. In 1966 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire.
In 2007 the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment was merged into The Rifles. Wilsey, a traditionalist, deplored what he felt must lead to a loss of identity. He was a stalwart supporter of the Regimental Association and always ready to help veterans who had fallen on hard times.
On his retirement, he bought a small farm and bred alpacas which gave him much enjoyment and provided a lot of fun for the family. He wrote a biography of his friend, “H” Jones VC, and published The Ulster Tales, a tribute to those who served in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2000.
As a younger man, Wilsey enjoyed sailing and fishing and was a fine skier. Six years ago he was diagnosed with a disabling neurological disease. His wife, Lizzie, was the greatest support to him throughout their marriage and during this very difficult period. He bore the illness uncomplainingly and battled against it with characteristic fortitude.
General Sir John Wilsey married, in 1975, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Nottingham, who survives him with their son and daughter.