Harold Pyman

Sir Harold Pyman
Gen. Sir Harold Pyman
Born	1908
Died	1971
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	General
Commands held	3rd Royal Tank Regiment 56th (London) Armoured Division 11th Armoured Division I Corps
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order

General Sir Harold English 'Pete' Pyman GBE KCB DSO (1908–1971) was a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1960s. He was the eldest son of Harold English Pyman and Christian Jane Scott, and the great-grandson of George Pyman.

Military career

File:Lt General Bucknall 1944 IWM B 5468.jpg

Pyman (right) as Brigadier with Lt. General Bucknall in summer 1944

Pyman was commissioned into the Royal Tank Corps in 1929. He took part in operations on the North West Frontier of India in 1937.

He served in World War II initially as an Instructor at the Staff College in Quetta in India from 1939 moving on to be a General Staff Officer in 7th Armoured Division in North Africa in 1942. He was appointed Commanding Officer of 3rd Royal Tank Regiment in North Africa in 1943. He was then a Brigadier on the General Staff for Home Forces and then on the General Staff for XXX Corps in France in 1944. He was Chief of Staff of 2nd Army in North West Europe from later in 1944 to 1945.

After the War he was on the General Staff of Allied Land Forces in South East Asia but moved on to be Deputy Director of Staff Duties at the War Office in 1946 and then Chief of Staff for Middle East Land Forces later in 1946. He was appointed General Officer Commanding for 56th (London) Armoured Division in 1949 and Director General Fighting Vehicles at the Ministry of Supply in 1951.

He became General Officer Commanding 11th Armoured Division in Germany in 1953 and Director of Weapons and Development at the War Office in 1955 before becoming General Officer Commanding 1st British Corps within British Army of the Rhine in 1956 and Deputy Chief of Imperial General Staff in 1958. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe in 1961; he retired in 1964.

Bibliography

• Call to Arms by Sir Harold Pyman, Leo Cooper, 1971, ISBN 978-0-85052-063-7

Military offices
Preceded by Henry Foote	GOC 11th Armoured Division 1953–1955	Succeeded by John Anderson
Preceded by Sir Hugh Stockwell	GOC 1st (British) Corps 1956–1958	Succeeded by Sir Michael West
Preceded by Sir Richard Hull	Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1958–1961	Succeeded by Sir John Anderson
Preceded by Sir Horatius Murray	Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe 1961–1963	Succeeded by Sir Robert Bray