| George Philip Bradley Roberts | |
|---|---|
| 5 Nov 1906 - 5 Nov 1997 | |
| Nickname | Pip |
| Place of birth | Quetta, India (now in Pakistan) |
| Place of death | East Sussex |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Tank Regiment, British Army |
| Years of service | 1926 - 1949 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Commands | 3rd Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment (4 Jan 1942) 22nd Armoured Brigade Group & 22nd Armoured Brigade (23 Jul 1942 - 20 Jan 1943) 7th Armoured Division (acting, 20 Jan 1943 - 25 Jan 1943) 26th Armoured Brigade (13 Mar 1943 - 19 Jun 1943) 30th Armoured Brigade (20 Jul 1943 - 6 Dec 1943) 11th Armoured Division (6 Dec 1943 - 1946) 7th Armoured Division (1947 - 1948) Hanover District, Germany (1948) Director, Royal Armoured Corps (1948 - 1949) |
| Battles/wars | World War II - North Africa - Normandy - Northern Europe |
| Awards | [1] |
| Other work | Unsuccessfull Conservative Party candidate for Wimbledon (Jul 1945); Director of Scribbans-Kemp (1949-1964); Honorary Colonel, Kent and County of London Yeomanry Squadron, The Royal Yeomanry Regiment, TAVR (1 May 1962 - 31 Jul 1970); Justice of the Peace (1960 - 1970) |
Major-General George Philip Bradley Roberts CB, DSO, MC, (1906 - 1997), better known as "Pip", was a British commander of an armoured division during World War II. Roberts is considered to be possibly the best British armoured commander in the Second World War and achieved the distinction of being promoted from captain at the start of the war, to major-general by the end. At 37 he was one of the youngest British major-generals, and commanded the famous 11th Armoured Division (the "Black Bull") in North West Europe in 1944 and 45. Roberts was born in Quetta, India, in 1906 and was educated at Marlborough College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Royal Tank Corps in 1926. He was posted to Egypt with the Royal Tanks Corps from 1928 to 1931. Roberts was an instructor at the Tank Driving and Maintenance School at Bovington, Dorset, from 1933 to 1937. He was again posted to Egypt for 1938 and 1939. Roberts commanded the "Desert Rats" immediately after the war's end until their disbandment in January 1948. He then became Director of the Royal Armoured Corps and retired from the Army in September 1949. His book From the Desert to the Baltic is an account of all his wartime battles.
References
- Roberts, GPB. From The Desert to the Baltic.
