Years of service 1928 - 1969 Battles and wars World War II Battles/wars World War II Service/branch British Army | Name Richard Goodwin Rank Lieutenant-general Died 1986 Allegiance United Kingdom | |
Commands held 1st Bn Suffolk Regiment
6th Infantry Brigade
49th Infantry Division
East Africa Command
I Corps Awards Order of the Bath, Order of the British Empire, Distinguished Service Order | ||
Lieutenant-General Sir Richard (Elton) Goodwin KCB CBE DSO (1908–1986) was a senior British Army officer who served in World War II as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment during the campaign in Northwest Europe from June 1944 until May 1945 and later reached high office in the 1960s.
Military career
Goodwin joined the British Army was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Suffolk Regiment in 1928. He served in India and became Aide-de-camp to the Governor of Madras in 1935.
He served in World War II as Second-in-Command of the 9th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment from 1942 and then as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment in 1943.
After the War he became a Brigade Commander in 1945 and then went to the Staff College, Camberley in 1946. He became a College Commander at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1947 and a Colonel on the General Staff at General Headquarters Far East Land Forces in 1949.
He was appointed Commandant at the School of Infantry in 1951 and Commander of 6th Infantry Brigade within British Army of the Rhine in 1954. He went on to be General Officer Commanding (GOC) 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division and North Midland District in 1957 and GOC East Africa Command in 1960. In this capacity he accelerated the commissioning of African officers.
He was appointed GOC 1st (British) Corps within British Army of the Rhine in 1963 and Military Secretary in 1966; he retired in 1969.