- SURNAME
Gubbins
- FORENAME
Colin McVean
- UNIT
SOE (Chairman of the Organisation and Chairman of the Council (CD))
- RANK
Brigadier + Major General
- NUMBER
14618
- AWARD
K.C.M.G.,C.M.G.,etc
- PLACE
Europe
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Artillery and General Staff
born 2.7.1896 Shiba,Tokyo,Japan
son of John Harington and Helen Brodie (nee McVean) Gubbins
educated Normanton Grammar School,Yorkshire
educated Cheltenham College
Royal Military Academy,Woolwich
Royal Field Artillery 1914-18 (2Lt - A/Major)
ADC to GOC Archangel Expeditionary Force,North Russia 1917-19
award M.C. 1916
award Order of St Stanislav,3rd Class (Russia) 1919
Signals Intelligence,GHQ India
graduated Staff College,Quetta 1928
GSO2,Russian Section,War Office 1931
Brevet Major 1935
MT 1 (Military Training Directorate),War Office
Military Member,International Commission to Sudetenland October 1938
Section D SIS (renamed same year MI(R) Military Intelligence (Research))1939-40 (Brevet Lt Colonel)
Chief of Staff,Military Mission to Poland August 1939
Head of Military Mission to Czech and Polish Forces under French Command October 1939
in charge of raising of Independent Companies March 1940
SOE November 1940 - January 1946
Executive Head of SOE September 1943
A/Brigadier November 1940
T/Major General 1943
managing director of a firm of carpet and textile manufacturers postwar
Deputy Lieutenant,Islands Area of the Western Isles 1976
married Norah Creina Somerville (nee Warren) Gubbins 1919 (dissolved 1944) (2 sons)
son John Michael McVean Gubbins killed with SOE - see Roll of Honour
married Anna Elise ("Tulla") (nee Jensen) Gubbins (formerly Tradin) 1950
2nd wife was widow of Rolf Torbjorn Tradin,Lt Royal Norwegian Air Force - KIA over Caen 30.5.1943 with 612 Squadron
awards WW2 as follows
K.C.M.G. 1946
C.M.G. 1944
D.S.O. 1940
Croix de Vaillance (Poland) 1941
Legion dHonneur,Officier (France) 1944
Grand Officier,Order of Leopold (Belgium)
Croix de Guerre (Belgium)
Order of the Dannebrog,First Class (Denmark)
Royal Order of St Olaf (Norway)
Grand Officer,Order of Orange Nassau (Holland)
Grand Officer,Polonia Resituta (Poland)
Commander,Legion of Merit (USA)
Commander,Order of the White Lion (Czechoslovakia)
died 11.2.1976 Stornoway,Hebrides
address at time Obbe,Isle of Harris
Scarista Cemetery,Isle of Harris
IMAGES:
Last edited by a moderator:
