LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOHN STEWART MAKEIG-JONES OBE HLI

Discussion in 'British Army Units - Others' started by gmyles, Dec 21, 2022.

  1. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Extracted from Journal of The Royal Highland Fusiliers – 2007 Edition.
    OBITUARY - LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOHN STEWART MAKEIG-JONES OBE HLI
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    Lieutenant Colonel John Makeig-Jones, who died recently in Devon at the age of 89, succeeded to command of the 2nd Battalion The Highland Light Infantry on the beaches of Sicily at the age of 26. He had up to then been 2IC of the Battalion, which had been formed into a Beach Landing Group for the invasions, its commanding officer raised to full Colonel’s rank.

    Shortly after the first waves of landing craft had touched down the Commanding Officer, Colonel Douglas Thorburn DSO OBE MC, landed with his battle HQ, went forward to reconnoitre and was killed – almost certainly by a sniper. John Makeig-Jones automatically assumed command, which was promulgated a few days later.

    For three years, until June 1946, John Makeig-Jones remained in command of the 2nd Bn HLI, always leading the Battalion with dedication and conspicuous success. He was an outstanding commanding officer in many ways. He was completely imperturbable, never losing his temper or his steadiness in times of stress. He had a ready sense of humour and a quiet deprecating sense of gratitude for his own good fortune in getting command. He was greatly admired by all his officers who felt that whatever honest mistake they might make he would always stand by them; but heaven help anyone who did not pull his weight. At least two rather more senior officers were sent out to take command of 2 HLI, but John remained its CO. His Generals saw no reason for any change of command.

    John Makeig-Jones, who was born on 20th February 1917 in Devon, was commissioned, via Eton and Sandhurst, into the Indian Army in August 1937. However, his initial (statutory) attachment was to 2 HLI (The 74th Highlanders). John so much enjoyed this (and had made so many friends) that he applied for a permanent transfer into The Highland Light Infantry. It was granted.

    The 74th (and John) was in Palestine in 1938, the next year in Egypt and in 1940 in the Western Desert (Mersa Matruh). In Eritrea, during the Battle of Keren, John Makeig-Jones was wounded while commanding “A” Company but rejoined his company a month later. He was Mentioned in Dispatches for this campaign. In 1942, after Egypt, then Iraq and a brief spell in Cyprus, the 74th returned to the Western Desert. John was with the 74th throughout – with a brief attachment as a liaison officer to Corps Headquarters.

    Soon came the Cauldron Battle, after which the 74th was down to half its officers and two-thirds of its men. Ad hoc columns were then formed – to harass the Germans and rescue lost and wounded men. John Makeig-Jones was given command of one of these columns with the orders to relieve a company of the HLI and a battery of 25-pounders in a box south of Mersa Matruh. Unfortunately, he was intercepted by a Corps Commander who sent the column off with a new task. Very few of the Mersa Matruh men managed to get back to our lines.
    Early in 1943 the 74th was changed into a large unit called a Beach Group, its task to land and secure the assaulted beach. This the 74th did, near Avola, south of Syracuse in Sicily. It was then that Colonel Douglas Thorburn was killed by a sniper’s bullet and Makeig-Jones took command. Sicily soon fell and the next step was the invasion of Italy. However, before the assault across the Straits of Messina there was a visit by the GOC, General Montgomery. When the latter was met by Colonel John Makeig-Jones Montgomery asked how old he was? The reply was “twenty-six”. As Montgomery would not have any full Colonel in the 8th Army under thirty, not much later MakeigJones received a letter from HQ 8th Army reducing him to the rank of Lt Colonel – but leaving him in his present job.

    After the landing in Italy and the Salerno landing an armistice with the Italians was announced. The Beach Landing Group was disbanded and the 74th reformed as an infantry battalion. Egypt was its next posting – and almost immediately Lebanon, to be trained as a Mountaineer Ski Battalion. This was wonderful news, but all (save for a handful of older key personnel) had to be under the age of twenty-eight and also of A1 physical fitness. The 74th had to lose about 150 Jocks and three Officers – who were replaced by Argylls.

    But after six months of rock climbing and skiing the 74th returned to Italy – to find no prospect of mountain operations. It was attached to 2 Commando Brigade on the island of Vis, in the middle of the Adriatic, and raid after (sea-borne) raid began. Most were by small patrols commanded by a captain or subaltern, some of company strength, and just occasionally a full-blown battalion raid.

    In the autumn of 1944 Makeig-Jones took the 74th back to Italy, only for it to be sent to Greece again. In the daily skirmishes there with the Communist (Russian-inspired) ELAS the Battalion lost one of its best officers and about twenty-five Jocks. But in January 1945 the 74th were back in Italy – in the mountains. After Peace and then Austria and back to Greece again (and after twenty-seven years abroad), the 74th came home in November 1947, to be “placed in suspended animation”.

    Lt Colonel John Makeig-Jones handed over command on 6th June 1946 and returned to the UK. He retired from the Army about a year later to farm in Devon. After eight years there he moved to Kenya with his family – and held various farming appointments until 1966. That year the Kenya Government’s policy swung strongly in favour of promoting ethnic Africans into senior posts irrespective of their lack of knowledge or ability.

    Upon returning to England he settled in Barnstaple and purchased a small company called Devon Paints Ltd, which he expanded to include production and marketing of specialist paints for Government and MOD requirements. He retired as Company Director at the age of seventy.

    John Makeig-Jones married Mona Avril Saunders in Kavala, Greece, on 5th January 1946, where she was working for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency. He is survived by his wife and two sons and a daughter, Stewart, Antonia and Robin.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2022
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  2. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Commanding an Infantry Battalion at just 26. Remarkable.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2022
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  3. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    OBE Recommendation

    For particularly good service and devotion to duty in command of 2 H.L. I. Lt-Col. Makeig-Jones commanded his battalion with skill and resource under difficult and trying conditions in Greece. He then brought the battalion to Italy where it was successfully introduced at short notice into active operations under quite different conditions. During the final phases of the Italian campaign he worked under several different formations and showed a fine spirit of co-operation throughout. By his cheerful good humour and skilful leadership he has been an example and an inspiration to all ranks under his command

    Lt-Gen J. Harding
    GOC 13 Inf Corps
     
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  4. pete

    pete Junior Member

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