Morgan Llewellyn

This article is about the retired senior British Army officer. For the Irish author, see Morgan Llywelyn.

The Reverend Morgan Llewellyn
Birth name	Richard Morgan Llewellyn
Born	22 August 1937
Died	23 December 2024(2024-12-23) (aged 87)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1956 – 1991
Rank	Major general
Service number	450929
Unit	Royal Welch Fusiliers
Commands	1st Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers Gurkha Field Force Wales
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Other work	Ordained into the Church of England

Richard Morgan Llewellyn, CB, OBE, OStJ, DL (22 August 1937 – December 2024) was a retired senior British Army officer. He was general officer commanding, Wales District from 1987 to 1990, and chief of staff at HQ Land Forces from 1990 to 1991. Upon retirement the army, he was ordained in the Church of England and was the Welsh Vice-Patron of the War Memorials Trust.

Early life

Llewellyn was born on 22 August 1937,^[1] the son of Griffith Robert Poyntz Llewellyn and Bridget Margaret Lester Llewellyn (née Karslake).^[2] He spent his early years in Monmouthshire, Wales.^[3] From January 1951 to March 1955, he was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College, a private school in Hertfordshire, England. He was a member of Hailey house.^[4]

Military career

For his national service, Llewellyn was commissioned into the Royal Welch Fusiliers as a second lieutenant on 1 December 1956. He was given the service number 450929.^[5] He served in Malaya in 1957, the year of its independence from Britain.^[1] He was promoted to lieutenant on 10 August 1958.^[6]

He moved from the National Service List to the Regular List on 22 August 1958 as a second lieutenant. On the same date he was promoted to lieutenant.^[7] He served in Cyprus from late 1958 to early 1959.^[1] He was an instructor at the Army Outward Bound School from 1962 to 1963.^[1] He was promoted to captain on 22 August 1964,^[8] and to major on 31 December 1969.^[9] He then attended Staff College in 1970.^[1] He was military assistant to the Chief of the General Staff, then General Sir Michael Carver, in 1971 and 1972. From 1974 to 1976, he served as brigade major, the chief of staff, for 39th Infantry Brigade.^[1] He was posted to Northern Ireland between 1 February and 30 April 1976.^[10]

He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1976.^[11] He was then appointed Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers.^[1] He commanded the 700 military personnel who replaced firefighters during the 1977 Fire Brigades Union nationwide strike.^[12] He was once more posted to Northern Ireland between 1 February and 30 April 1979.^[13] He was a member of the directing staff of the Royal College of Defence Studies from late 1979 to 1981.^[1] He was promoted to brigadier on 31 December 1981, with seniority from 30 June 1981.^[14] Between December 1981 and January 1984, he was commanding officer of the Gurkha Field Force, based in Hong Kong.^[15] He was posted to the Ministry of Defence as Deputy Director of Army Staff Duties from February 1984 to February 1985. He was the last person to hold that appointment. From February 1985 to January 1987, he remained at the MOD as Director of Army Staff Duties. He was the successor of the then Major General Brian Kenny.^[15]

On 1 December 1987, he was granted the acting rank of major general and appointed general officer commanding, Wales in succession to the then Major General Peter de la Billière.^[16] His promotion to major general was confirmed on 23 February 1988, with seniority from 16 October 1986.^[17] He relinquished the appointment of GOC Wales on 15 June 1990.^[18] From 16 June 1990^[19] to 13 September 1991,^[20] he was chief of staff at HQ United Kingdom Land Forces.^[15] He held this role during the First Gulf War.^[21]

He retired from the British Army on 8 November 1991.^[22]

Later life

In 1991, Llewellyn entered Sarum & Wells Theological College and spent two years training for ministry in the Church of England.^[23] He was ordained as a deacon in 1993, and as a priest in 1994.^[2] He was minor canon of Brecon Cathedral, under Bishop Dewi Bridges, from 1993 to 1995.^[1] From 1995 to 2001^[24] or 2014,^[23] he was chaplain of the Welsh independent school Christ College, Brecon.^[23]

From 2001, was director of the Christ College Foundation, the bursaries and school improvements fund of Christ College, Brecon.^[25][2] He retired from the position in 2005.^[26] He was the Vice-Patron of the War Memorials Trust from 2001 until his death.^[27]

Personal life

Llewellyn married Elizabeth Lamond Sobey in 1964. Together they have had three sons and two daughters.^[2] One son, called Glyn, has also served as an officer of the British Army.^[28] He died on 23 December 2024.^[29]

Honours and decorations

On 12 October 1976, Llewellyn was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "in recognition of distinguished services in Northern Ireland during the period 1st February - 30th April 1976".^[10] He was promoted to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 9 October 1979 "in recognition of distinguished service in Northern Ireland during the period 1st February 1979 to 30th April 1979".^[13] In the 1992 New Year Honours, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).^[30] He was appointed Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John (OStJ) on 2 February 2011.^[31]

He was appointed to the honorary position of Colonel of the Gurkha Transport Regiment on 1 February 1984.^[32] He was succeeded by the then Brigadier Philip Trousdell on 27 October 1993.^[33] He was appointed Colonel of The Royal Welch Fusiliers on 4 March 1990.^[34] His tenure expired on 4 March 1997.^[35]

References

1. "The Rev R M Llewellyn, CB, OBE, DL". People of Today. Debrett's. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
2. LLEWELLYN, Rev. Richard Morgan. Who's Who. A & C Black. 2012. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U24730. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4.
3. "Morgan Llewellyn Exhibition, (8th June 2011 - 28th July 2011)". Gallery on the Usk. 2011. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
4. "Pupils at Haileybury - post 1912". haileybury.com. Haileybury. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
5. "No. 40992". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 February 1957. p. 803.
6. "No. 41468". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 August 1958. p. 4991.
7. "No. 41571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 December 1958. p. 7571.
8. "No. 43415". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 August 1964. p. 7153.
9. "No. 45013". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 January 1970. pp. 216–217.
10. "No. 47037". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 October 1976. p. 13771.
11. "No. 46953". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 July 1976. p. 9284.
12. "Britons support firemen". Bangor Daily News. 25 November 1977. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
13. "No. 47984". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 October 1979. p. 13234.
14. "No. 48852". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 January 1982. p. 157.
15. Mackie, Colin. "Army Senior Appointments" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
16. "No. 51136". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 November 1987. p. 14774.
17. "No. 51295". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 April 1988. p. 4311.
18. "No. 52186". The London Gazette. 18 June 1990. p. 10749.
19. "No. 52192". The London Gazette. 25 June 1990. p. 11048.
20. "No. 52659". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 September 1991. p. 14123.
21. "Remembrance Sunday - 13 November". The Harrovian. 19 November 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
22. "No. 52713". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 November 1991. p. 17247.
23. "Richard Morgan Llewellyn". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
24. "Llewellyn, Rev. Richard Morgan". Who's Who 2019. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2018. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U24730. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
25. Rees, Jenny (19 January 2005). "Ex-pupil's millions left to top Welsh independent school". Western Mail. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
26. "Former pupil appointed as school's Foundation and Marketing Director". Retrieved 9 August 2012.
27. "Patrons". War Memorials Trust. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
28. Tuohy, William (30 May 1995). "Bosnia Holds Welsh Town Hostage : Balkans: Citizens of Wrexham hold their breath awaiting word on fate of 33 hometown soldiers captured by Serbs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
29. Obituaries, Telegraph (23 December 2024). "Maj Gen the Rev Morgan Llewellyn, distinguished Army staff officer called to Holy Orders". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
30. "No. 52767". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1991. pp. 2–3.
31. "No. 59688". The London Gazette. 2 February 2011. p. 1746.
32. "No. 49639". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 February 1984. p. 1739.
33. "No. 53492". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 November 1993. p. 18675.
34. "No. 52072". The London Gazette. 12 March 1990. p. 3307.
35. "No. 54694". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 March 1997. p. 2677.

Military offices
Preceded by Peter de la Billière	General Officer Commanding Wales 1987–1990	Succeeded by Peter Davies