Brigadier Collen Edward Melville Richards, CBE, DSO, MC (1888–1971) was a senior officer in the British Army who served during the First and Second World Wars.
Collen Melville Richards | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Collen Edward Melville Richards |
| Born | 1888 |
| Died | 1971 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1911–1946 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Service number | 5049 |
| Commands | 5th West African Brigade (1942) 2nd (West Africa) Brigade (1941–42) 24th (Gold Coast) Brigade (1940–41) Royal West African Frontier Force (1939–42) 4th Gold Coast Brigade (1939–40) Gold Coast Regiment (1939) |
| Battles / wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Officer of the Order of the Nile (Egypt) |
Joining the East Lancashire Regiment in 1911,[1] Richards served during the First World War and was awarded the Military Cross in 1916 and the Distinguished Service Order in 1919.[2][3] For his "good services" during the Aliab Dinka Uprising of 1919–20, Richards was appointed an Officer of the Order of the Nile by the Sultan of Egypt.[4] In the Second World War, he commanded the 24th Gold Coast Brigade (12th African Division) during the East African Campaign and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1944 Birthday Honours.[5] Richards retired from the army on 2 February 1946.[6]
Command history
- Gold Coast Regiment – 1939
- 4th Gold Coast Brigade, West Africa and East Africa – 1939 to 1940
- Royal West African Frontier Force – 1939 to 1942
- 24th (Gold Coast) Brigade, East Africa – 1940 to 1941
- 24th Gold Coast Brigade, East Africa and South Africa – 1941
- 2nd (West Africa) Brigade, West Africa – 1941 to 1942
- 5th West African Brigade, West Africa – 1942[7]
References
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