Summary Guide

Note: The item numbers represent a subset from ISAD(G) rules (General International Standard Archival Description) promulgated by the International Council on Archives to standardise archival description world-wide. Only item numbers relevant to our specific archive are included here.

3.1 IDENTITY STATEMENT

3.1.1 Reference code: GB99 KCLMA Alexander

3.1.2 Title: ALEXANDER, Maj Gen Henry Templer (1911-1977)

3.1.3 Dates of creation of material: 1960-1970

3.1.4 Level of description: collection level

3.1.5 Extent: 1½ boxes or 0.015m³

3.2 CONTEXT

3.2.2 Biographical history: Born 1911; educated at Sedbergh School, Yorkshire and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; commissioned into the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 1931; service with 1 Bn, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 1931-1938; Lt, 1934; Capt, 1939; Instructor, Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 1939-1940; served in World War Two, 1939-1945; service in North Africa, Italy, India, Burma and North West Europe, 1939-1945; temporary Maj, 1940-1941; Bde Maj, 1941-1942; General Staff Officer 2, Combined Operations Headquarters, 1942; General Staff Officer 2 (Staff Duties), Allied Forces Headquarters, 1942-1943; War Substantive Maj, 1943; awarded MBE, 1943; temporary Lt Col, 1943-1944; Commanding Officer, 2 Bn, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), Italy, 1944; War Substantive Lt Col, 1944; Col, Operations Staff of Maj Gen Orde Charles Wingate for second Chindit expedition, Operation THURSDAY, Burma, 1944; acting Brig, 1944; awarded OBE, 1945; General Staff Officer 1, 1945-1946; Maj, 1946; Chief Instructor, School of Combined Operations, 1946-1947; General Staff Officer 1 (Operations), Hong Kong, 1948-1950; General Staff Officer 1 (Directing Staff), Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, 1950-1952; Brevet Lt Col, 1951; Lt Col, 1953; Col, 1954; Commanding Officer, 1 Bn, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 1954-1955; commanded 26 Gurkha Infantry Bde, 1955-1957; temporary Brig, 1955-1958; awarded DSO, 1957; Senior Instructor, Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, 1958; Brig, 1959; Brig General Staff, Department of the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, War Office, 1959; Imperial Defence College, 1959; awarded CBE, 1960; Chief of Defence Staff, Ghana, 1960-1961; commanded Ghanian contingent, UN Forces, Belgian Congo, 1960-1961; awarded CB, 1961; Chief of Staff, Northern Command Headquarters, York, 1962-1965; retired, 1965; British Observer, International Observer Team on Genocide, Nigeria, 1968; Col, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 1969-1974; died 1977.

Publications: African tightrope. My two years as Nkrumah's Chief of Staff (Pall Mall Press, London, 1965).

3.2.5 Provenance/source of acquisition: Placed in the Centre by the family in 1982.

3.3 CONTENT AND STRUCTURE

3.3.1 Scope and content: Papers relating to Alexander's service as Chief of Defence Staff, Ghana, 1960-1961, including correspondence from AVM Henry Algernon Vickers Hogan, Headquarters Flying Training Command, RAF, on the training of Ghanaian pilots, Aug 1960; correspondence, reports and notes on the creation of an African High Command, following a decision taken in Casablanca, Morocco to form a Charter of African States, signed by Algeria, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Republic, 1960, including typescript 'Brief for President on situation in the Congo and the role of an African High Command'. Dec 1960; correspondence with Air Cdre John Nicholas Haworth Whitworth, Air Chief of Staff, Ghana Air Force, Jan-Aug 1961; typescript 'Russian report on Ghana armed services', 1961; typescript memoranda by Alexander and by Air Cdre Whitworth, on the Soviet report on the Ghana armed forces, May-Jun 1961; typescript memorandum by Alexander to Dr Kwame Nkrumah, President of the Republic of Ghana, expressing concern on the plan to send Ghanaian cadets to the USSR for military training, Sep 1961. Papers relating to the Ghanaian Army's involvement in UN peacekeeping duties in the Congo, 1960-1961, including typescript 'Notes on non-military briefing for senior officers of the UN force in the Congo' by Ralph Johnson Bunche, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN, Jul 1960; typescript press releases on the crisis in the Congo, Jul 1960, typescript correspondence with Brig Joseph E Michel, commanding UN Ghanaian Bde, Congo, Aug 1960-Feb 1961; typescript 'Report on disturbances at Tshikapa on 18/19 Jan 1961' by Brig Joseph E Michel, commanding Ghana Bde, Congo, relating to the mutiny of troops of 3 Bn, The Ghana Regt; typescript 'Report of the evacuation of the Hon Mr Welbeck from the Congo' (Hon Nathanial Welbeck, Ghanaian diplomat), Nov 1960; typescript 'Report on visit to the Congo', by Alexander, Feb 1961. Papers relating to Alexander's dismissal as Chief of Defence Staff, Ghana, and to the removal of British personnel from the Ghana armed forces, 1961, including typescript memorandum by Alexander 'Withdrawal of British officers and other ranks from active units of the Ghana Army', Sep 1961; typescript report by Alexander to the Ministry of Defence 'Background to the sudden dismissal of British officers from the Ghana armed forces' [1961]. Papers relating to Alexander's role as a British Observer, International Observer Team on Genocide, Nigeria, 1968-1970, including typescript report by Alexander 'The war in Nigeria', 1968; printed map of Nigeria, with annotations showing territories controlled by Federal and Biafran forces, 1968; typescript 'Report and findings of the representatives of Canada, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom for the period 1 October 1969 to 31 January 1970', Feb 1970. Edition of African tightrope. My two years as Nkrumah's Chief of Staff (Pall Mall Press, London, 1965).

3.3.4 Arrangement: The collection is arranged in sections as outlined above.

3.4 CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE

3.4.2 Access: Open, subject to signature of Reader's undertaking form, and appropriate provision of a letter of introduction.

3.4.3 Copyright: Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.

3.4.4 Language: English

3.4.6 Finding aids: Summary guide entry on-line and due to be published in hard copy.

3.5 ALLIED MATERIALS

3.5.3 Related units of description: The collection of Capt Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart contains newspaper cuttings relating to Alexander's dismissal as Chief of Defence Staff, Ghana, 1961 (Ref: Liddell Hart 15/5/415).

3.6 NOTE AREA

3.6.1 Date of compilation: Jun 1999

3.6.2 Decorations: CB, CBE, DSO

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