Richard Peck (British Army officer)

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Leslie Peck
Born (1940-05-03) 3 May 1940 (age 83)
Rushden, Northamptonshire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1957–1997
RankMajor-general
UnitRoyal Engineers
Brigade of Gurkhas
Battles/warsGulf War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath

Richard Leslie Peck (born 27 May 1937) CB is a former English first-class cricketer and British Army officer. Peck served mostly with the Royal Engineers in a military career that spanned from 1957 to 1997, rising to the rank of major-general. He also played two first-class cricket matches for the Combined Services cricket team.

Military career[edit]

Peck was educated at Wellingborough School,[1] before attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He graduated from Sandhurst in December 1957, where upon he entered the Royal Engineers as a second lieutenant.[2] In December 1959, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.[3] Promotion to captain came in December 1963.[4] He became a major in December 1969, with seniority antedated to June 1969.[5] His promotion to lieutenant colonel followed in June 1974.[6] He was promoted to the rank of colonel in December 1979,[7] and to brigadier in December 1981, antedated to June 1981.[8] Peck was appointed to the position of Chief in Engineer at the Ministry of Defence in January 1988,[9] at which point he was also promoted to the substantive rank of major-general in February 1988, with seniority to January 1987.[10] He was appointed as a companion to the Order of the Bath in the 1991 New Year Honours.[11] In the lead up to military operations in the Gulf War, Peck was involved in terrain analysis.[12] He relinquished the position of Chief in Engineer at the Ministry of Defence in August 1991.[13] Though he retired from service in December 1991,[14] he later served as colonel of the Brigade of Gurkhas, a position he had taken up in March 1993,[15] until his tenure expired in April 1996, at which point he was replaced by major-general Anthony Pigott.[16] His tenure as colonel commandant of the Royal Engineers expired in December 1997, a position he had held since October 1991,[17] at which point he was succeeded by major-general John Drewienkiewicz.[18] Following his retirement, Peck became a trustee of the Lord Kitchener Memorial Fund, which runs university scholarships for armed services members or their children.[19]

Cricket[edit]

Peck played two first-class cricket matches for the Combined Services cricket team, in 1960 against Surrey at The Oval, and in 1962 against Ireland at Belfast.[20] He scored 24 runs across these two matches, as well as taking 2 wickets.[21] These wickets came in the only over he bowled in first-class cricket, during the match against Ireland when he dismissed Stanley Bergin and Noel Ferguson for the cost of one run.[22]

He later played minor counties cricket for Berkshire, making two appearances in the 1969 Minor Counties Championship and two further appearances in the 1971 Minor Counties Championship.[23] His brother David also played cricket at first-class level.[21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Wellingborough". Guide to Independent Schools. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  2. ^ "No. 41320". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 February 1958.
  3. ^ "No. 41900". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 December 1959.
  4. ^ "No. 43188". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 December 1963.
  5. ^ "No. 45013". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 January 1970.
  6. ^ "No. 46394". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 September 1974.
  7. ^ "No. 48080". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 January 1980.
  8. ^ "No. 48852". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 January 1982.
  9. ^ "No. 51194". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 January 1988.
  10. ^ "No. 51322". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 April 1988.
  11. ^ "No. 52382". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1990.
  12. ^ Nash, Christopher (2010). "An Aspect of Terrain Analysis and the Gulf War" (PDF). Ranger – Defence Surveyors' Association. 3 (1): 32.
  13. ^ "No. 52640". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 August 1991.
  14. ^ "No. 52754". The London Gazette. 23 December 1991.
  15. ^ "No. 52537". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 May 1991.
  16. ^ "No. 54360". The London Gazette. 1 April 1996.
  17. ^ "No. 52691". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 October 1991.
  18. ^ "No. 55006". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 January 1998.
  19. ^ "Lord Kitchener National Memorial Fund". opencharities.org. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  20. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Richard Peck". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Player profile: Richard Peck". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  22. ^ "Ireland v Combined Services, 1962". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  23. ^ "Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Richard Peck". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 February 2019.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Peck_(British_Army_officer)&oldid=1164910263"