Derek Boorman


Sir Derek Boorman

Born (1930-09-30) 30 September 1930 (age 94)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
Years of service1950−1988
RankLieutenant-General
Service number411897
UnitNorth Staffordshire Regiment
Commands51st Brigade
Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Lieutenant-General Sir Derek Boorman KCB (born 30 September 1930) is a retired former senior British Army officer.

Military career

Educated at Wolstanton Grammar School and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,[1] Boorman was commissioned into the North Staffordshire Regiment in 1950.[2] He was Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General at Headquarters 48th Gurkha Infantry Brigade and subsequently Commander of 51st Brigade in Hong Kong.[3]

He was appointed Director of Military Operations at the Ministry of Defence in 1980[4] and Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong in 1982.[5] He went on to be Chief of Defence Intelligence in 1985:[6] in that capacity he took the view that the Mikhail Gorbachev's proposals for internal reform and deep cuts in missile stocks were genuine.[7] He retired from the British Army in 1988.[8]

He was also Colonel of the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles from 1983 to 1988[9] and Colonel of the Staffordshire Regiment from 1985 to 1990.[10]

Retirement

In October 1992 he was appointed a Member of the Government's Security Commission[11] and in 1996 he accused Government Ministers of being untruthful in their evidence to the Arms to Iraq Inquiry.[12] He retired from the Security Commission in 1998.[13]

In 1994 he became Chairman of the Royal Hospitals Trust – a post he held until 1998.[14] Then in 2000 he became a Deputy Pro-Chancellor of the University of Kent.[15]

References

  1. ^ Debrett's People of Today 1994
  2. ^ "No. 39017". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 September 1950. p. 4637.
  3. ^ "6th Gurkhas History 1977–1994". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  4. ^ "No. 48108". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 February 1980. p. 3032.
  5. ^ "No. 49156". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 November 1982. p. 14262.
  6. ^ "No. 50279". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 October 1985. p. 13872.
  7. ^ Obituary: Sir Antony Duff The Guardian, 18 August 2000
  8. ^ "No. 51543". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 November 1988. p. 13389.
  9. ^ "No. 49344". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 May 1983. p. 6324.
  10. ^ "The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's)". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 9 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "MI5 / MI6 History". Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  12. ^ Intelligence chief accuses ministers over Scott report The Independent, 10 February 1996
  13. ^ Butlerslossed
  14. ^ Bats, the General and the Fat Controller British Medical Journal, 1995
  15. ^ University of Kent
Military offices
Preceded by Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong
1982–1985
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of Defence Intelligence
1986–1988
Succeeded by