Gerald Hopkinson

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Gerald Hopkinson

Birth nameGerald Charles Hopkinson
Born27 May 1910[1]
Died2 June 1989 (aged 79)
AllegianceFile:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Branch British Army
Service years1930–1962
RankMajor-General
Service number47586
UnitRoyal Tank Regiment
Commands44th Royal Tank Regiment
4th Mechanized Brigade
1st Royal Tank Regiment
33rd Armoured Brigade
4th Division
ConflictsWorld War II
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Military Cross

Major-General Gerald Charles Hopkinson CB DSO OBE MC (27 May 1910 – 2 June 1989) was a British Army officer who commanded the 4th Division after seeing service in World War II.

Early life

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Hopkinson was born in Wellington, Somerset to Captain Charles Reginald Thompson Hopkinson of the East Surrey Regiment, who was killed in action in September 1914, a month after the British entry into World War I, and Beryl Mary Stewart.[3][4]

Military career

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Educated at Haileybury,[5] Hopkinson was commissioned in to the Royal Tank Corps in 1930.[6] He served in World War II[7] as Commanding Officer of the 44th Royal Tank Regiment[8] and then, briefly, as acting Commander of 4th Armoured Brigade in early 1945.[9] He became Commanding Officer of 1st Royal Tank Regiment in 1952.[10] He was appointed Commander of 33rd Armoured Brigade in 1953, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 4th Division in 1957 and Director of the Royal Armoured Corps in 1959 before retiring in 1962.[11]

References

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  1. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007
  2. ^ 1911 England Census
  3. ^ Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813–1914
  4. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Recommendations for Honours and Awards
  8. ^ Chadwick (1970), The Royal Tank Regiment, p114
  9. ^ Orders of Battle Archived 14 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ^ Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine