Lieutenant General Sir Charles Gairdner

GBE KCMG KCVO CB

He commanded the 10th Hussars from 1937 to 1940, and was Colonel of the Regiment from 1949 to 1952. After the Second World War he was head of the United Kingdom Liaison Mission to Japan, and Prime Minister’s personal representative. Between 1951 and 1968 he was Governor of Western Australia and then Tasmania. He died in 1983, aged 85.*

Highly Decorated

*From information next to the painting

13 Comments CherryPie on Feb 17th 2015

13 Responses to “Lieutenant General Sir Charles Gairdner”

  1. Ginnie says:

    That is one decorated man, Cherry! By the looks of his face, he actually looks like a pleasant man, too!

  2. Men just love to show off ;)

  3. Amfortas says:

    Back in the day when Lt Generals were Independant Governors of entire regions of Empire ( the Roman day that is) they had real ‘clout’. Now it is little more than a desk job in Whitehall or the Pentagon, over-ridden at the whim of newspaper editors. The Uniforms have changed a little but the bling remains. And of course they get the ‘Keep Calling Me God’ gong. :)

    • CherryPie says:

      A chap looks very smart in his dress uniform and bling ;-) The highest ranking officer I have met and talked to was a Major General, although he was wearing his every day kit not his dress uniform ;-)

  4. He’d look very different in his jim-jams and slippers. (I often think that when clothing and ornamentation are used to try to make a person look impressive, not that I am saying he is not impressive, knowing nothing about him until now).

  5. james higham says:

    Between 1951 and 1968 he was Governor of Western Australia and the Tasmania.

    Not simultaneously, I trust.

  6. Astrid says:

    It is good that he had such a huge chest, all the decorations nicely in order. What a great painting and what a carrier. People like that are born with the right genes.
    I bet he was a tough but wonderful person to be with.