Theodore Birkbeck

Theodore Birkbeck
Born	1911
Died	1976 (aged 64−65)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1932−1966
Rank	Major-General
Service number	44960
Unit	Border Regiment
Commands	11th (Kenya) Bn, King's African Rifles 3rd Bn, Parachute Regiment 70th East African Infantry Brigade 49th (North Midlands and West Riding) Division
Battles / wars	Second World War Palestine Emergency Mau Mau Uprising
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order

Major-General Theodore Henry Birkbeck CB, CBE, DSO (1911–1976) was a British Army officer.

Military career

Born the son of Major-General Sir William Birkbeck and Mabel Shaw, Birkbeck was transferred from a Territorial Army commission into the Border Regiment on 17 November 1932.^[1] He saw action in operations against the Italian Army in Somaliland during the East African campaign and then as commanding officer of the 11th (Kenya) Battalion, King's African Rifles, in Burma in autumn 1944 during the Burma campaign of the Second World War.^[2]

After the war he became commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment in Palestine during the Palestine Emergency in 1947,^[3] commander of 70th East African Infantry Brigade in August 1955 during the Mau Mau Uprising and Deputy Military Secretary at the War Office in December 1958.^[4] He went on to be General Officer Commanding 49th (North Midlands and West Riding) Division and North Midland District of the Territorial Army in July 1960 and Director-General of the Territorial Army in September 1962 before retiring in February 1966.^[4]

Memorial in St Alkelda's Church, Giggleswick

References

1. "No. 33884". The London Gazette. 18 November 1932. p. 7340.
2. "Private Papers of Major-General T. H. Birkbeck CB CBE DSO". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
3. Cook, Chris (2006). The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources since 1945. Routledge. p. 20. ISBN 978-0415327404.
4. "Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 16 June 2020.

Military offices
Preceded by Richard Goodwin	GOC 49th (North Midlands and West Riding) Division 1960–1962	Succeeded by Peter Glover