John Strawson (British Army officer)

John Strawson
Colonel of the Regiment, QRIH
Nickname(s)	General John
Born	(1921-01-01)1 January 1921 Ealing
Died	21 February 2014(2014-02-21) (aged 93) Salisbury, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1939 -
Rank	Major General
Commands held	4th Queen's Own Hussars Queen's Royal Irish Hussars 39 Infantry Brigade Chief of Staff, UKLF
Battles/wars	Battle of Greece Operation Crusader Operation Overlord
Awards	CBE US Bronze Star
Other work	Author

Major General John Strawson CBE (1 January 1921 – 21 February 2014) was a British Army officer, best known for his service during the Second World War in the Middle East and Italy, and afterwards in Germany and Malaya. Following the amalgamation of the 4th and 8th Hussars as The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars, he commanded the Regiment in Malaysia and Germany. For his leadership during the Borneo campaign he was awarded the O.B.E.

Later he commanded at brigade level and was Chief of Staff, United Kingdom Land Forces. For this latter service he was awarded a C.B.E. He had previously been awarded the US Bronze Star for his leadership during the Italian campaign of 1944-45. In civilian life he became a prolific author, especially on military matters.

John Strawson was born in Ealing in 1921. His father was the headmaster of an East London secondary school whose health was ruined by four years of service on the Western Front during the Great War. He died prematurely in 1936, leaving Strawson, his brothers Galen and Peter and sister Margaret in impoverished circumstances. Unlike Peter, who successfully achieved a bursary to St John's College, Oxford, and went on to become one of the most famous philosophers of Britain, John was, by necessity, obliged to join the Civil Service; leaving to join the army at the outbreak of hostilities in 1939.

Strawson was commissioned into the 4th Queen's Own Hussars as a Cornet in 1942 and joined the regiment at Kokini Trimithia, near Nicosia, where it was temporarily out of the line for refit. He joined the 4th Hussars at a time when most of its officers had been captured by the Germans during the ill fated Greek campaign. The regiment had been overrun and forced to surrender with only a small number escaping. As a result, many of his brother officers were drafted in from other cavalry regiments.