Brigadier C D Armstrong CBE DSO MC

Commanding Officer - The East Surrey Regiment

Commanded 1/6^th Bn The East Surrey Regiment from April 1940 to April 1942 and the 1^st Battalion from August 1945 to November 1946.

Charles Douglas Armstrong was born on 11^th June 1897 and was educated at Cheltenham and the RMC Sandhurst. He was commissioned in The East Surrey Regiment in April 1915 and was seconded to The Machine Gun Corps with whom he served from 1916 to 1918. He was wounded twice, the second time he was captured in March 1918 and repatriated in December 1918. He served in North Russia in 1919 and was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry. In 1920 and 1921 he served in India and Mesopotamia. Later in 1921 he rejoined the Regiment and served with the 1^st Battalion in Egypt, Sudan, Hong Kong and India. In October 1939 he went to France with the 1^st Battalion and in April 1940 was appointed to command the 1/6^th Battalion. For his fine leadership in France he was awarded the DSO. In April 1942 he was posted to command the 70^th (Young Soldiers) Battalion and later 2^nd Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment which he took to North Africa where he was wounded again. In 1943 he was appointed Brigadier in command of the Military Mission to General Mihailovitch in Yugoslavia. In June 1944 he commanded the British Airborne Liaison Unit to the Polish Parachute Brigade.

He was made a CBE for his services. In August 1945 he took command of the 1^st Battalion in Austria. In November 1946 he returned to England and from May 1947 until he retired on 22^nd December 1948 he was in command of a prisoner of war camp for Germans. In his career he had been Mentioned in Despatches five times. Known as "Wix" and as "Nipper he was an inspired leader and a great disciplinarian who always demanded very high standards.

He died on 11^th December 1985.

Details of his service are set out in the Journal of The East Surrey Regiment Vo.IV No.2 page 50.

For obituary see The Queen's Royal Surrey Regimental Association Newsletter No. 39 May 1986 page 22.

 

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