Military

Lieutenant-General Sir Terence Airey KCMG CB CBE

(1900 – 1980).  Attended Gresham’s from 1913 – 1916 (Old School House).

In the course of his career, during which he served in the Sudan, Abyssinia, North Africa and Italy, Sir Terence was Mentioned in Despatches 4 times and awarded the US Legion of Merit, the French Légion d’Honneur and the Croix de Guerre.  Towards the end of the War, he was involved with Allen Dulles, the US Director of the OSS in Switzerland, in a secret mission to negotiate the surrender of German forces in Italy.

General Sir Robert Bray GBE KCB DSO and Bar

(1908 – 1983).  Attended Gresham’s from 1922 – 1926 (Woodlands).

Sir Robert was Deputy Supreme Commander, NATO Allied Command Europe, from 1967 to 1970.

Major-General Alistair Duncan CBE DSO

(1952 – 2016).  Attended Gresham’s from 1961 to 1970 (Crossways and Farfield).

Alastair Duncan was Director Infantry, Chief of Staff of the UN Mission to Sierra Leone and headed the UN Protectorate Force, Bosnia.  He was appointed Colonel of The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire.

Lieutenant-General Sir William Holmes KBE CB DSO and Bar

(1892 – 1969).  Attended Gresham’s from 1904 – 1909 (Woodlands).

Sir William was Commander 9th Army and GOC Egypt during the Second World War.

Major General Patrick C Marriott CB CBE DL

Attended Gresham’s from 1971 to 1976 (Farfield).

Major General Patrick Marriott began his military career with the 17th /21st Lancers before commanding the Queen’s Royal Lancers. He served in Iraq as Commander of all the troops in the south of that country. From 2009 he was the Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He became a CBE in 2003 and Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2012 New Year’s Honours List.

Brigadier Sir Philip Toosey CBE DSO TD JP

(1904 – 1975).  Attended Gresham’s from 1917 to 1922 (Old School House & Woodlands).

Brigadier Philip Toosey was the Senior Allied Officer in the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp Tamarkan, at Tha Maa Kham in Thailand during World War II. The story of the men at this camp was made famous in a book and, later, in the hugely successful, oscar winning film, The Bridge on the River Kwai. Neither book nor film were accurate in their depiction of the relationship between the senior officer and the Japanese, causing outrage amongst former prisoners of war, although Toosey himself initially refused to speak out against the film. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his earlier heroism during the defence of Singapore. Although ordered by his superiors to join the evacuation of Singapore (12 February 1942), Toosey refused so that he could remain with his men during their captivity. He attended Gresham’s from the age of thirteen.

Thomas Wintringham

(1898 – 1949).  Attended Gresham’s from 1912 to 1915 (Farfield).

Having served in the ranks in the RFC in the 1st World War, Tom Wintringham joined the Communist Party in 1923 and commanded the British battalion of the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. An important figure in the formation of the Home Guard during the 2nd World War, he was also a prominent left-wing journalist, author, film producer and historian.