Richard Webb (New Zealand Army officer)

Lieutenant General Sir Richard James Holden Webb, KBE, CB (21 December 1919 – 24 January 1990) was a senior commander in the New Zealand Army. He served as Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the New Zealand Army, from 1970 to 1971, and in New Zealand's most senior military post as Chief of Defence Staff from 1971 until his retirement in 1976.

Sir Richard Webb
Born(1919-12-21)21 December 1919
Nelson, New Zealand
Died24 January 1990(1990-01-24) (aged 70)
Kawakawa, New Zealand
AllegianceNew Zealand
Service/branchNew Zealand Army
Years of service1939–1976
RankLieutenant General
Commands heldChief of Defence Staff (1971–76)
Chief of the General Staff (1970–71)
Battles/warsSecond World War
Korean War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Mentioned in Despatches
Legion of Merit (United States)
RelationsSelwyn Toogood (brother-in-law)

Early life and family

Born in Nelson, New Zealand, on 21 December 1919, Webb was the second child of George Robert Holden Webb and Jessie Muriel Webb (née Hair).[1][2][3] He was educated at Nelson College from 1930 to 1937, where he was a prefect and a member of the 1st XV rugby team in his final year.[4]

In 1950, Webb married Barbara Anne Griffin, and the couple went on to have two children.[1][3] Webb had two sisters, including Cynthia who married broadcaster Selwyn Toogood.[5][6]

Military career

Webb entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra, Australia, in 1939 as an officer cadet sponsored by the New Zealand government.[7] On graduation, he was commissioned into the Regiment of New Zealand Artillery and served with the 6th Field Regiment, 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force during the Second World War.[3]

Webb later served with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan and K Force in the Korean War,[3] where he was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the United States Legion of Merit.[3][8] As a major, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1957 New Year Honours.[9]

Webb succeeded Major General Robert Dawson as Chief of the General Staff (CGS), the professional head of the New Zealand Army, on 1 April 1970 and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours two months later.[10][11] The post lasted only eighteen months as Webb was selected as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in 1971. He handed over as CGS to Major General Leslie Pearce on 28 September and, promoted lieutenant general, succeeded Lieutenant General Sir Leonard Thornton as CDS.[3][10] Webb was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1972 Queen's Birthday Honours,[12] a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1974 New Year Honours,[13] and retired from the New Zealand Army in 1976.[3]

Later life

Webb died in Kawakawa, New Zealand, on 24 January 1990, aged 70. He was accorded a full military funeral at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, and his ashes interned at St. John the Baptist (Anglican) Churchyard in Waimate North.[3]

References
  1. Petersen, G.C., ed. (1971). Who's Who in New Zealand (10th ed.). Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 342.
  2. Pedersen, Sue (27 April 2003). "Graham family". Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  3. "Richard James Holden Webb". Online Cenotaph. Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  4. "School list of Nelson College". Nelson College Old Boys' Register (4th ed.). Nelson College Old Boys' Association. 1956. p. 438.
  5. "Webb alias Wolworth" (PDF). Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  6. Toogood, Selwyn (1979). Out of the Bag. Auckland: Methuen.
  7. "Australian Military Forces". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. 30 March 1939. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  8. "No. 39484". The London Gazette. 4 March 1952. p. 1279.
  9. "No. 40962". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1957. p. 46.
  10. "Chronological List of New Zealand Army Chiefs". Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth. regiments.org. Archived from the original on 30 November 2007.
  11. "No. 45119". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 13 June 1970. p. 6406.
  12. "No. 45680". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 3 June 1972. p. 6293.
  13. "No. 46163". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 1 January 1974. p. 36.
Military offices
Preceded by
Lieutenant General Sir Leonard Thornton		 Chief of Defence Staff
1971–1976		 Succeeded by
Air Marshal Sir Richard Bolt
Preceded by
Major General Robert Dawson		 Chief of the General Staff
1970–1971		 Succeeded by
Major General Leslie Pearce
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