Colonel Sir Richard Dawnay Martin-Bird CBE TD DL (19 July 1910 – 3 December 1992) was a British Army officer who was Vice-Chairman of the Territorial, Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Association.
| Born | 19 July 1910 |
|---|---|
| Died | 3 December 1992 (aged 82) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1939–1956 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands | 127th (Manchester) Brigade |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Efficiency Decoration |
Martin-Bird was educated at Charterhouse School and worked in the family business after leaving school. On 29 April 1939 he was commissioned into a Territorial Army battalion of the Manchester Regiment. During the Second World War he served with the regiment in Malta, the Middle East and Italy. Following the war, on 1 May 1947 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and took command of the 8th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment.[1] He was awarded the Efficiency Decoration on 3 November 1950. In 1953 Martin-Bird was promoted to colonel and took command of 127th (Manchester) Brigade, retiring from the Army in 1956.[2]
He was made an Aide-de-Camp to Elizabeth II in June 1961 and became a Deputy Lieutenant for Lancashire in August 1964. In 1969 he was made honorary colonel of his former battalion.[3] He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1971 New Year Honours and a Knight Bachelor in the 1975 Birthday Honours in recognition of his work in the Territorial, Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Association.[4][5] Martin-Bird served as High Sheriff of Greater Manchester in 1976.[6] He was a Director and Chairman of Yates's and was President of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association between 1978 and 1979.
References
edit- ^ "No. 38034". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 August 1947. p. 3658.
- ^ "No. 41974". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 March 1960. p. 1715.
- ^ "No. 45055". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 March 1970. p. 2848.
- ^ "No. 45262". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1971. p. 8.
- ^ "No. 46593". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 June 1975. p. 7369.
- ^ "No. 46857". The London Gazette. 23 March 1976. p. 4338.
