General Sir Patrick Howard-DobsonGCB · 1921–2009
Patrick Howard-Dobson as a young soldier

His Life

Born 12th August 1921 · Died 8th November 2009

“General Pat” managed throughout his life to combine a love of music and sport with both his formal career as a soldier and his ‘retired’ career supporting a host of national and regional organisations. A glance at the years below shows just how effectively he blended these rare gifts together.

1931–33

Chorister, King’s College Choir School, Cambridge — a period he described as “all too short a stay in paradise”.

1933–40

Framlingham College: Head Boy; Captain of Cricket. Scored 1,000 runs in the 1940 season — a record unbroken for many a year.

1941

Commissioned into the Yorkshire Hussars; on arrival in Egypt was snapped up by the 7th Queen’s Own Hussars.

1942–43

The Burma Campaign — the long fighting retreat from Rangoon to India, the last 150 miles on foot.

1944–45

The Italian Campaign, alongside American and Polish forces. Awarded the US Silver Star and Poland’s Virtuti Militari, its highest award for bravery.

1946

Talked into a regular commission by his commanding officer — which allowed him to marry his girlfriend, Barbara Mills.

1947–50

Regimental duty, Germany. Daughter, Susan, born 1949. Pat & Bar compete in many horse trials.

1950–53

Passes Staff College. Regimental duty, UK. Son, Peter, born 1951. Golf and cricket predominate.

1955–57

Regimental duty, Hong Kong. President, Hong Kong Cricket Club. Son, Simon, born 1955.

1957–60

Tidworth — the 7th & 3rd Hussars combine to form The Queen’s Own Hussars. Joint Services Staff College, 1958. Serious cricket: MCC, Free Foresters, I Zingari.

1960–63

Directing Staff, Staff College — more of the same, time permitting.

1963–65

Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding his Regiment in Germany and the UK. Told to “do something about the choir” — so joined it, then became Choirmaster. The family takes up skiing.

1965–67

Brigadier, commanding Twenty Armoured Brigade in Germany. Still time for cricket, golf, squash, hockey — and a new love, sailing.

1969–71

Major-General and Chief of Staff, Far East Command, Singapore. Honorary Colonel of the Queen’s Own Hussars from 1969 to 1975.

1972–74

Commandant, The Staff College, Camberley — completing the full house: Student, Directing Staff and Commandant. President, Society of Old Framlinghamians, 1973–75. Appointed CB, 1973.

1974–76

Military Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, in the rank of Lieutenant-General. Appointed KCB. He and his Lady begin to patrol the Channel and North Sea each summer aboard “White Knight”.

1977–79

Quartermaster General — a post once held by Samuel Pepys in Marlborough’s army of 1703. He and Bar buy their own small yacht, “Ready About”, for retirement cruising.

1979–81

Full General and Vice-Chief of Defence Staff, Personnel and Logistics. Appointed GCB, 1979. Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty the Queen, 1978–81. Freeman of the City of London.

1981

Retires from the Army; in 1986 moves to Snape, near Saxmundham, Suffolk — the plan being to spend far more time sailing. There were to be many more demands on his time.

1981–87

National President, Royal British Legion. Becomes a Governor of Framlingham College.

1981–88

Chairman of the Race Committee, Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races; later Vice-Patron of the Tall Ships Youth Trust until 2006 — an excellent excuse for still more sailing.

1987–91

Chairman of Governors, Framlingham College.

1988–98

President, King’s College School Cambridge Association.

2002

“Installed”, with a dozen of the most senior members of the Order of the Bath, in the Henry VII Chapel of Westminster Abbey. His arms feature the pierced crowns of St Edmund, an owl for the Staff College, and the rearing white stallion of the Queen’s Own Hussars.

Patrick sailing in retirement

Snape, and the sea

Pat and Bar remained stalwarts of the East Coast sailing, golfing and musical fraternity after moving to Snape in the mid-’80s. They made their final two-handed Channel crossing in “Ready About” in the summer of 1998 — at the tender age of 77, and only then because their grown children convinced them, against their will, that they’d had one too many ‘eventful’ crossings.

Bar died in August 2004 after a long, stroke-induced decline, leaving an enormous hole in Pat’s life. He began to be affected by Alzheimer’s not long afterwards. Its progression was slow and gentle and, with a wonderful care team, he was able to remain in his own home, and to take part in many local events, until just before he died.

The causes he served

Retirement, for Patrick, was anything but. He gave his time to a great many national and regional organisations, right up until his death — and there were a good few more than these. A number of them carry on the work he cared about. If any of them moves you, this is simply where to find them.

Causes that welcome support

Each name links to that organisation’s own page — any gift goes directly to them, never through this site.

Other places he belonged