# John Churcher
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{{Short description|British Army general (1905–1997)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [Major-General](/source/Major_general_(United_Kingdom))
| name = John Churcher
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CB|DSO*}}
| image = John-Bryan-Churcher.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Churcher in 1950
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1905|9|9}}[''England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007'']
| birth_place = [Reading, Berkshire](/source/Reading%2C_Berkshire), England[''1911 England Census'']
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1997|8|2|1905|9|9}}
| death_place = [Colchester](/source/Colchester), [Essex](/source/Essex), England
| burial_place =
| allegiance = United Kingdom
| branch = [British Army](/source/British_Army)
| service_years = 1925–1959
| rank = [Major-General](/source/Major-general_(United_Kingdom))
| service_number = 31905
| unit = [Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry](/source/Duke_of_Cornwall's_Light_Infantry)
| commands = {{ubl|[3rd Infantry Division](/source/3rd_(United_Kingdom)_Division) (1954–1957)|[5th Infantry Division](/source/5th_Infantry_Division_(United_Kingdom)) (1947)|[3rd Infantry Division](/source/3rd_(United_Kingdom)_Division) (1946–1947)|[2nd Infantry Division](/source/2nd_Infantry_Division_(United_Kingdom)) (1946)|[50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division](/source/50th_(Northumbrian)_Infantry_Division) (1946)|[43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division](/source/43rd_(Wessex)_Infantry_Division) (1946)|[159th Infantry Brigade](/source/159th_Infantry_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)) (1944–1946)|1st Battalion, [Herefordshire Regiment](/source/Herefordshire_Light_Infantry) (1942–1944)}}
| battles = [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War)
| awards = {{ubl|[Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath)|[Distinguished Service Order](/source/Distinguished_Service_Order) & [Bar](/source/Medal_bar)|[Mentioned in Despatches](/source/Mentioned_in_Despatches)}}
| relations =
| other_work =
}}
[Major-General](/source/Major-general_(United_Kingdom)) '''John Bryan Churcher''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|CB|DSO1}} (9 September 1905 – 2 August 1997) was a senior [British Army](/source/British_Army) [officer](/source/Officer_(armed_forces)) who, during the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War), commanded the [159th Infantry Brigade](/source/159th_Infantry_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)) during the [campaign in Northwest Europe](/source/Western_Front_(World_War_II)) and later commanded the [3rd Infantry Division](/source/3rd_(United_Kingdom)_Division).
==Military career==
Churcher was born on 9 September 1905 and entered the [Royal Military College, Sandhurst](/source/Royal_Military_College%2C_Sandhurst), from where he was [commissioned](/source/officer_(armed_forces)) as a [second lieutenant](/source/second_lieutenant) into the [Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry](/source/Duke_of_Cornwall's_Light_Infantry), a [light infantry](/source/light_infantry) [regiment](/source/regiment) of the [British Army](/source/British_Army), in 1925.[{{London Gazette|issue=33016|page=686|date=30 January 1925}}]
Churcher fought in the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War) as [Commanding Officer](/source/Commanding_Officer) of the 1st Battalion, [Herefordshire Regiment](/source/Herefordshire_Light_Infantry) and then as commander of the [159th Infantry Brigade](/source/159th_Infantry_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)), serving in [North-West Europe](/source/Western_Front_(World_War_II)) as part of the [11th Armoured Division](/source/11th_Armoured_Division_(United_Kingdom)).[[http://www.generals.dk/general/Churcher/John_Bryan/Great_Britain.html Generals.dk]]
After the war, Churcher became [General Officer Commanding](/source/General_Officer_Commanding) (GOC) [43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division](/source/43rd_(Wessex)_Infantry_Division) in March 1946, GOC [50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division](/source/50th_(Northumbrian)_Infantry_Division) and Northumbrian District in August 1946, and GOC [2nd Infantry Division](/source/2nd_Infantry_Division_(United_Kingdom)) in the Far East in October 1946. He then became GOC [3rd Infantry Division](/source/3rd_(United_Kingdom)_Division) in Palestine in December 1946 and GOC [5th Infantry Division](/source/5th_Infantry_Division_(United_Kingdom)) in April 1947–in this role he had orders to disband it.[{{cite web|url=https://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201860-.pdf|title=Army Commands|accessdate=1 June 2020}}]
Churcher became [chief of staff](/source/chief_of_staff) at [Southern Command](/source/Southern_Command_(United_Kingdom)) in 1951–in this capacity he organised the response to the devastating [Lynmouth Flood](/source/Lynmouth_Flood) in 1952.[[http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//BHC_RTV/1952/09/01/BGU412240003/ ITN Source]] He returned to the command of GOC [3rd Infantry Division](/source/3rd_Division_(United_Kingdom)) in 1954 and became Director of Military Training at the [War Office](/source/War_Office) in 1957 before retiring in 1959.[
Churcher is buried at St Mary's Churchyard at [Wargrave](/source/Wargrave) in [Berkshire](/source/Berkshire).][{{cite web|url=https://www.safemusic.co.uk/13288/spirit-of-normandy-quick-march/|title=Major-General John Churcher|publisher=Safe Music|accessdate=14 February 2020}}]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{find a Grave|57757509}}
*[https://generals.dk/general/Churcher/John_Bryan/Great_Britain.html Generals of World War II]
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[George Erskine](/source/George_Erskine)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[GOC 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division](/source/43rd_(Wessex)_Infantry_Division)|years=March–June 1946}}
{{s-aft|after=[George Symes](/source/George_William_Symes)}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[Robert Naylor](/source/Robert_Francis_Brydges_Naylor)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[GOC 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division](/source/50th_(Northumbrian)_Infantry_Division)|years=August–October 1946}}
{{s-aft|after=[John Whitfield](/source/John_Yeldham_Whitfield)}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[Robert Arkwright](/source/Robert_Arkwright)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[GOC 2nd Infantry Division](/source/2nd_Infantry_Division_(United_Kingdom))|years=October–December 1946}}
{{s-aft|after=[Philip Balfour](/source/Philip_Balfour)}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[Lashmer Whistler](/source/Lashmer_Whistler)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[GOC 3rd Division](/source/3rd_(United_Kingdom)_Division)|years=1946–1947}}
{{s-aft|after=[George Wood](/source/George_Wood_(British_Army_officer))}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[Philip Gregson-Ellis](/source/Philip_Gregson-Ellis)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[GOC 5th Division](/source/5th_Infantry_Division_(United_Kingdom))|years=April–September 1947}}
{{s-non|reason=Post disbanded}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[Nigel Poett](/source/Nigel_Poett)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[GOC 3rd Division](/source/3rd_(United_Kingdom)_Division)|years=1954–1957}}
{{s-aft|after=[George Gordon-Lennox](/source/George_Gordon-Lennox)}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Churcher, John}}
Category:1905 births
Category:1997 deaths
Category:Burials in Berkshire
Category:British Army major generals
Category:British Army brigadiers of World War II
Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath
Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Category:Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry officers
Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Category:Military personnel from Reading, Berkshire
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [John Churcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Churcher) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Churcher?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.