# Richard Trant

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{{Short description|British Army general}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = [General](/source/General_(United_Kingdom))
|name= Sir Richard Trant
|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB|DL}}
|image=
|caption=
|birth_name=Richard Brooking Trant
|birth_date=30 March 1928
|death_date={{death date and age|2007|10|3|1928|3|30|df=y}}
|birth_place=[Thurlestone](/source/Thurlestone), England
|death_place=
|burial_place=
|burial_label=
|nickname="Dick"
|allegiance={{flagicon|United Kingdom}} United Kingdom
|branch=23px [British Army](/source/British_Army)
|service_years=1947–1986
|rank=[General](/source/General_(United_Kingdom))
|unit=
|commands=[3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery](/source/3rd_Regiment_Royal_Horse_Artillery)<br/>[5th Airportable Brigade](/source/5th_Infantry_Brigade_(United_Kingdom))<br/>[South East District](/source/South-Eastern_District_(British_Army))
|battles=[Korean War](/source/Korean_War)<br/>[Falklands War](/source/Falklands_War)<br/> [The Troubles](/source/The_Troubles)<br/> [Aden](/source/Aden)
|awards=[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath)
|relations=
|other_work=Commissioner at the [Royal Hospital Chelsea](/source/Royal_Hospital_Chelsea)<br/>Chairman of the Cornwall Heritage Trust<br/>Chairman of the Devon and Cornwall Historic Society<br/>President of the [Royal Cornwall Show](/source/Royal_Cornwall_Show)
}}

[General](/source/General) '''Sir Richard Brooking Trant''', [KCB](/source/Order_of_the_Bath), [DL](/source/Deputy_Lieutenant) (30 March 1928 – 3 October 2007) was an officer in the [British Army](/source/British_Army).  He was Land Deputy Commander in the [Falklands War](/source/Falklands_War), and served as [Quartermaster-General to the Forces](/source/Quartermaster-General_to_the_Forces) from 1983 to 1986.

==Military career==
Trant was born in [Thurlestone](/source/Thurlestone) in [south Devon](/source/south_Devon) and educated at Newquay Grammar School.<ref name=times>[https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/northern-ireland-travel/general-sir-richard-trant-5qvchrkp6p5 Obituary: General Sir Richard Trant] The Times, 12 February 2007</ref> He attended the Bangalore Officer Training School in 1947, receiving an emergency commission in the [Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry](/source/Duke_of_Cornwall's_Light_Infantry).<ref name=times/> He transferred to a regular commission in the [Royal Regiment of Artillery](/source/Royal_Regiment_of_Artillery) in 1949, and served with [anti-aircraft](/source/anti-aircraft) units in the United Kingdom.<ref name=times/> He joined the [32nd Medium Regiment](/source/32nd_Medium_Regiment) in Hong Kong in 1952, and served in the [Korean War](/source/Korean_War) with [74th Medium Battery](/source/74th_Medium_Battery) in 1953.<ref name=times/>

He returned to Europe in 1957, joining A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) of the [1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery](/source/1st_Regiment_Royal_Horse_Artillery), serving with the [British Army of the Rhine](/source/British_Army_of_the_Rhine).<ref name=times/> He was posted back to India in 1961, to study at the [Indian Army Staff College](/source/Indian_Army_Staff_College) in [Wellington Cantonment](/source/Wellington_Cantonment), and then served as GSO 2 to the Federal Regular Army in [Aden Protectorate](/source/Aden_Protectorate).<ref name=times/> He returned to England in 1964, to study at the [Joint Services Staff College](/source/Joint_Services_Staff_College_(UK)).<ref name=times/> He commanded C Battery of [3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery](/source/3rd_Regiment_Royal_Horse_Artillery), and then became an instructor at the [Staff College, Camberley](/source/Staff_College%2C_Camberley).<ref name=times/> He took command of 3RHA, and after another year at [Camberley](/source/Camberley) as Colonel GS of the Staff College Division, he became commander of the [5th Airportable Brigade](/source/5th_Infantry_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)) in 1972, when the unit was temporarily sent to [Northern Ireland](/source/Northern_Ireland), to reinforce British forces at the height of [the Troubles](/source/the_Troubles).<ref name=times/>

He was Deputy Military Secretary in the [Ministry of Defence](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)) for two-year before being promoted to [Major General](/source/Major_General) and appointed Command Land Forces in [Northern Ireland](/source/Northern_Ireland), [Operation Banner](/source/Operation_Banner), in 1977.<ref name=times/> He was appointed CB in 1979. [Earl Mountbatten of Burma](/source/Louis_Mountbatten%2C_1st_Earl_Mountbatten_of_Burma) was killed just after Trant left to become Director Army Staff Duties in the Ministry of Defence.<ref name=times/> During this period, the Army, in common with the other British armed forces, faced significant cuts in funding following the Defence Review conducted by [Secretary of State for Defence](/source/Secretary_of_State_for_Defence) [John Nott](/source/John_Nott) in 1981.<ref name=times/>

He was promoted to [Lieutenant General](/source/Lieutenant_General) in 1982, and became [GOC](/source/General_Officer_Commanding) [South East District](/source/South-Eastern_District_(British_Army)), taking charge of the British Army's rapid reaction forces for operations outside the [NATO](/source/NATO) area shortly before [Argentina](/source/Argentina) invaded the [Falkland Islands](/source/Falkland_Islands).<ref name=times/> He succeeded [Royal Marines](/source/Royal_Marines) [Major General](/source/Major_General) [Jeremy Moore](/source/Jeremy_Moore) as adviser to the overall commander, Admiral Sir [John Fieldhouse](/source/John_Fieldhouse), based at [Northwood](/source/Northwood_Headquarters), when Moore flew south to become overall commander of British land forces in theatre.  He was advanced to KCB in 1982.

Promoted to [Full General](/source/Full_General), Trant became [Quartermaster-General](/source/Quartermaster-General_to_the_Forces) in 1983, succeeding Sir [Paul Travers](/source/Paul_Travers), and joined the [Army Board](/source/Army_Board).<ref name=times/>

He became a [Freeman](/source/Freedom_of_the_City) of the [City of London](/source/City_of_London) in 1984, and retired from the Army in 1986.<ref name=times/> He became a senior military adviser to Belfast aircraft manufacturer [Short Brothers](/source/Short_Brothers), later joining the boards of [Hunting Engineering](/source/Hunting_Engineering) and Wilson Hogg Robinson.<ref name=times/> He was vice-president of the Defence Manufacturers' Association from 1989 to 1996.

He was [colonel commandant](/source/colonel_commandant) of the [Royal Army Educational Corps](/source/Royal_Army_Educational_Corps) from 1979 to 1982, of the [Royal Regiment of Artillery](/source/Royal_Regiment_of_Artillery) from 1982 to 1987, of the [Royal Army Ordnance Corps](/source/Royal_Army_Ordnance_Corps) from 1984 to 1989, and of [Honourable Artillery Company](/source/Honourable_Artillery_Company), and also [honorary colonel](/source/Colonel_(United_Kingdom)) of [3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery](/source/3rd_Regiment_Royal_Horse_Artillery).   He was also a commissioner at the [Royal Hospital Chelsea](/source/Royal_Hospital_Chelsea) for 6 years.  He served as a [Deputy Lieutenant](/source/Deputy_Lieutenant) of Cornwall from 1997, and was also a [Cornish bard](/source/Cornish_Gorseth), Chairman of the [Cornwall Heritage Trust](/source/Cornwall_Heritage_Trust) for 14 years, chairman of the Devon and Cornwall Historic Society, Patron of [St Bartholomew's church](/source/St_Bartholomew's_Church%2C_Lostwithiel) in [Lostwithiel](/source/Lostwithiel), and president of the [Royal Cornwall Show](/source/Royal_Cornwall_Show) in 2004.<ref name=tele>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1566632/General-Sir-Richard-Trant.html Obituary: General Sir Richard Trant] ''The Daily Telegraph'', 19 October 2007</ref>

Trant married, Diana Clare Edwards (known as "Tink"), in 1957.  They had a son and two daughters.  He was survived by his wife and their three children.<ref name=tele/>

==References==
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
{{reflist|30em}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[Sir Paul Travers](/source/Paul_Travers)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[GOC South East District](/source/Aldershot_Command)|years=1982–1983}}
{{s-aft|after=[Sir Geoffrey Howlett](/source/Geoffrey_Howlett)}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[Sir Paul Travers](/source/Paul_Travers)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[Quartermaster-General to the Forces](/source/Quartermaster-General_to_the_Forces)|years=1983–1986}}
{{s-aft|after=[Sir Charles Huxtable](/source/Charles_Huxtable_(British_Army_officer))}}
|-
{{s-bef | before = [Sir Victor FitzGeorge-Balfour](/source/Victor_FitzGeorge-Balfour)}}
{{s-ttl | title = Colonel Commandant and President, [Honourable Artillery Company](/source/Honourable_Artillery_Company)| years = 1984–1992}}
{{s-aft|after=[Sir Michael Wilkes](/source/Michael_Wilkes)}} 
|-
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trant, Richard}}
Category:British Army generals
Category:1928 births
Category:2007 deaths
Category:Military personnel from Devon
Category:People from South Hams
Category:People from Newquay
Category:Bards of Gorsedh Kernow
Category:British Army personnel of the Falklands War
Category:Deputy lieutenants of Cornwall
Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Category:Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry officers
Category:Academics of the Staff College, Camberley
Category:Royal Artillery officers
Category:British Army personnel of the Korean War

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Richard Trant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Trant) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Trant?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.