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{{Short description|British Army general (1916–2005)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Humphrey Edgar Nicholson Bredin
| honorific_suffix =
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1916|03|28|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2005|03|02|1916|03|28|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Peshawar]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| death_place =
| placeofburial =
| nickname = Bala
| allegiance = United Kingdom
| branch = [[British Army]]
| serviceyears = 1936–1971
| rank = [[Major general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]]
| servicenumber = 62703
| unit = [[Royal Ulster Rifles]]
| commands = Director of Volunteers, Territorials and Cadets [[North West District (British Army)|North West District]] [[42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division|42nd (Lancashire) Division/District]] [[BRIXMIS]] [[Brigade of Gurkhas|99 Gurkha Brigade Group]] [[2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment]] Eastern Arab Corps 2nd Battalion, [[London Irish Rifles]] 6th Battalion, [[Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers]]
| battles = [[1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab revolt in Palestine]] [[Second World War]] [[Cyprus Emergency]] [[Malayan Emergency]]
| awards = [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] [[Distinguished Service Order]] & [[Medal bar|Two Bars]] [[Military Cross]] & Bar [[Mentioned in Despatches]] (2)
| relations =
| laterwork =
}}
[[Major general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] '''Humphrey Edgar Nicholson Bredin''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|CB|DSO2|MC1}} (28 March 1916 – 2 March 2005), known as '''Bala Bredin''', was a [[British Army]] officer whose military service took him from 1930s [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] via [[Dunkirk]], [[North Africa]] and [[Italy]] to the [[Cold War]] in Germany.

==Early life==
Bredin was born at [[Peshawar]] on the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–2010)|North West Frontier]] of [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]] on 28 March 1916.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1484776/Maj-Gen-Bala-Bredin.html|title=Obituary: Major-General 'Bala' Bredin|date=3 March 2005|access-date=17 November 2018|newspaper=The Telegraph}}</ref> Bredin was the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel A. Bredin, of the [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]]. He was educated at [[The King's School, Canterbury|King's School, Canterbury]], and at the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]].<ref name="times">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article422429.ece |title=Obituary: Major General 'Bala' Bredin|work=The Times|date=9 March 2005|accessdate=17 November 2018}}</ref> It was at Sandhurst that Bredin acquired the nickname Bala. This was the name of [[Bala Hissar, Peshawar|a fort in Peshawar]] as well as a [[racehorse]] owned by [[Aga Khan III|the Aga Khan]].<ref name=":0" /> After graduating from Sandhurst, Bredin was commissioned into the [[Royal Ulster Rifles]] in 1936. He deployed with the regiment to Palestine where he was quartered in a village called Bala.<ref name=":0" />

== Military career ==

===Palestine===
During the [[1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine]] Bredin was a [[Subaltern (military)|subaltern]] with the 2nd Royal Ulster Rifles in Upper [[Galilee]]. The Army was charged with protecting Jewish settlements and tracking down Arab insurgents. Bredin took part in [[counter-insurgency]] with Major [[Orde Wingate]]'s [[Special Night Squads]]. He was awarded the [[Military Cross]] in a clash at a notorious ambush point on the [[Tulkarm]]-[[Nablus]] road, in April 1938, and a [[Medal bar|Bar]] to the award a month later in a similar action.<ref name="times" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34539|page=5051|date=5 August 1938}}</ref> The citation recorded that, "he had already proved adept at this work which is both arduous and dangerous".<ref name=":0" /> He was also mentioned in dispatches for his services in Palestine.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34582|page=8177|date=23 December 1938}}</ref>

=== Second World War ===
[[File:Dunkirk 1940 HU1135.jpg|thumb|339x339px|Officers of the Royal Ulster Rifles awaiting evacuation at Bray Dunes near Dunkirk, May 1940. The photograph is credited to Bredin.]]
Bredin participated in the [[Battle of France]] in 1940, serving with the Royal Ulster Rifles. They marched from Louvain to [[Dunkirk]], repulsing German attacks en route, before boarding an [[Isle of Man]] steamer. While on board Bredin came across a steward and asked for a beer, to which the steward replied, "Yes, sir, but I can't serve you till we are three miles out". Bredin received his beer as they were about to land in [[Kent]] and he thought to himself, "...we can't lose the war with people like that about".<ref name=":0" />

In 1944, Bredin was commanding the 6th Battalion [[Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers]] in [[Italy]]. He was tasked with breaching the Gustav Line, the German defensive position, leading the 78th Division in the engagement. A subsequent bravery citation relating to his actions of 15 May 1944 read -<ref name=":0" />
{{Quote|text=Throughout this operation he commanded his battalion with the utmost skill and inspired his men by his examples of personal gallantry under heavy fire. This difficult operation was entirely successful owing to his leadership.|sign=|source=}}
Two days later on 17 May 1944 he was ordered to attack Piumarola. Bredin was injured while on the start line for the attack but carried on with the engagement until loss of blood led to his fainting and he was evacuated. For his actions he was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]].<ref name=":0" />

After recovering from his wounds sustained in May, Bredin was placed in command of the 2nd Battalion, [[London Irish Rifles]]. The battalion were attached to the [[9th Queen's Royal Lancers|9th Lancers]] and deployed in [[armoured personnel carrier]]s known as [[Kangaroo (armoured personnel carrier)|Kangaroos]].<ref name=":0" /> In this role they captured bridges over the Fossa Sabbiosola and reached the Scolo Bolognese. The action resulted in the over-running of enemy artillery position with guns destroyed and [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] taken.<ref name=":0" />

=== Post-war ===
After the war, Bredin served in Palestine once more before a stint as an instructor at Sandhurst. He then served as with the [[Sudan Defence Force]] between 1949 and 1953.<ref name=":0" />

Bredin went on to command the 2nd [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]] at [[Suez]] and on [[Cyprus]]. It was on Cyprus that Bredin won his third DSO while carrying out [[counter-terrorism]] work. His men captured large quantities of weapons and broke up four groups.<ref name=":0" /> He was then posted home for two years before being sent to Malaya and Borneo where he commanded 99 [[Brigade of Gurkhas|Gurkha Brigade]] Group.<ref name=":0" />

In 1962, Bredin was sent to Germany as Chief of the British Commander-in-Chief's Mission to Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS). This was a position he filled for two years. From there he was moved to command [[42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division|42nd (Lancashire) Division/District]] of the [[Territorial Army (United Kingdom)|Territorial Army]] in 1965. He went on to be General Officer Commanding [[North West District (British Army)|North West District]] in 1967.<ref name=":0" /> The end of the decade saw Bredin appointed [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] (CB) in 1969.<ref name=":0" /> Between 1968 and 1971 Bredin served as Director of Volunteers, Territorials and Cadets, Ministry of Defence. It was also in this period that he was the first Colonel Commandant of the [[King's Division]]. Bredin was also Colonel of the [[Royal Irish Rangers]] from 1979 to 1984.<ref name=":0" />

== Retirement ==
In retirement Bredin was the Cancer Research campaign Essex and Suffolk appeals secretary. He was also a regular correspondent in the Daily Telegraph. This was the forum where he challenged defence cuts in 1991 and questioned remarks by [[Michael Carver|Field Marshal Lord Carver]] relating to the cavalry. Bredin said that field marshals never retire; "they had to defeat the Queen's enemies in the murky future and to harass the politicians accordingly".<ref name=":0" />

Bredin said of warfare that, "I've seen too much of war to like it". However, he believed that Britain should be prepared for any event and not rely on "peace in our time".<ref name=":0" />

==Family==
Bredin's first marriage, to Jacqueline Geare in 1947, was dissolved in 1961. He married Anne Hardie in 1961. He had one daughter from his first marriage and two daughters from his second.<ref name=times/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Noel Thomas]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division|GOC 42nd (Lancashire) Division/District]]|years=1965−1967}}
{{s-aft|after=Division disbanded}}
|-
{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[North West District (British Army)|GOC North West District]]|years=1967−1968}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charles Dunbar (British Army officer)|Charles Dunbar]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bredin, Bala}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:British Army major generals]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Malayan Emergency]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:Royal Ulster Rifles officers]]
[[Category:Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers officers]]
[[Category:British Parachute Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency]]
[[Category:Academics of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]]

Bala Bredin - Revision history

Bot at 01:54, 2 August 2022