Robert Whittaker (British Army officer)

Major-General Robert Frederick Edward Whittaker, CB, CBE, TD, (18 June 1894 – 17 February 1967) was a City of London banker and a senior officer in Britain's part-time Territorial Army (TA). He rose to the position of chief of staff at Anti-Aircraft Command during World War II.

Whittaker was educated at Ardingly College. On leaving school in 1911, Whittaker began a career in banking. He became a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers in 1940, and was General Manager (Administration) of Lloyds Bank from 1952 until his retirement in 1957.

While at Ardingly Whittaker had been a member of the Officers' Training Corps 1909–11. He joined the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) after World War I broke out in 1914, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on 13 March 1915 in No 1 Company of the Kent RGA (Territorial Force) based at Fort Clarence in Rochester. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 June 1916 and saw active service.

When the Territorial Force was reformed as the Territorial Army (TA) in the early 1920s, Whittaker was one of the first officers appointed to a new RGA unit, the 53rd (City of London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade. The regiment was drawn mainly from those working in the financial sector in the City of London, one whole battery being recruited from the Lloyd's of London insurance market. Whittaker was re-commissioned, in the rank of Major on 22 November 1922 and became Officer Commanding of 158th (City of London) Battery. Whittaker was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on 1 January 1931 and appointed Commanding Officer of 53rd (CoL) AA Bde on 31 October 1933. He was awarded the Territorial Decoration. On 30 October 1936 he was promoted to Colonel and in 1938 he was awarded the OBE.

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