28140 Brigadier John Ormsby Evelyn VANDELEUR, DSO*, MiD, Irish Guards

Personal Number: 28140
Rank: Lieutenant-Colonel
Name: John Ormsby Evelyn VANDELEUR
Unit: Irish Guards


London Gazette : 13 April 1934
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34041/page/2389/data.pdf
I. G'ds.—
Capt. T. G. Lindsay to be Adjt., vice Capt. J. O. E. Vandeleur. 1st Mar. 1934.

London Gazette : 8 February 1938
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34480/page/810/data.pdf
FOOT GUARDS.
I. G'ds.—Capt. J. O. E. Vandeleur is restd. to the estabt. 30th Jan. 1938.

London Gazette : 17 June 1938
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34522/page/3891/data.pdf
FOOT GUARDS.
I. G'ds.—
Capt. J. O. E. Vandeleur is seed, for serv. with the British Mil. Mission to the Egyptian Army. 20th Apr. 1938.

London Gazette : 23 September 1938
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34554/page/6011/data.pdf
MEMORANDA
Capt. J. O. E. Vandeleur, I. G'ds., is granted the local rank of Maj. whilst empld. with the Brit. Mil. Mission attached to the Egyptian Army. 27th July 1938..

London Gazette : 4 February 1941
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35063/supplement/675/data.pdf
I. G'ds.
Capt. J. O. E. Vandeleur (28140) to be Maj. 31st Jan. 1941.

London Gazette : 21 May 1943
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/36023/supplements/2215/page.pdf
Maj. J. O. E. Vandeleur (28140) to be Lt.-Col. 15th May 1943.

London Gazette : 21 December 1944
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36850/supplement/5853/data.pdf
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the following awards in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North West Europe: —
The Distinguished Service Order.
Lieutenant-Colonel John Ormsby Evelyn Vandeleur (28140), Irish Guards (York)

London Gazette : 1 March 1945
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36961/supplement/1171/data.pdf
The KING has -been .graciously pleased to approve the following awards in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North West Europe:—
Bar to the Distinguished Service Order.
Brigadier (acting) John Ormsby Evelyn Vandeleur, D.S.O. (28140), Irish Guards (Y ork).

London Gazette : 4 April 1946
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37521/supplement/1690/data.pdf
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve that the following be Mentioned in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North-West Europe:—
I. G'ds.
Brig, (temp.) J. O. E. VANDELEUR, D.S.O. (28140).

London Gazette : 30 July 1946
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37669/supplement/3882/data.pdf
FOOT GUARDS.
I. G'ds
Lt.-Col. J. O. E. VANDELEUR, D.S.O. (28140) on completion of period of service in command remains on full pay (supern.), 15th May 1946.

London Gazette : 1 December 1951
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/39407/supplement/6515/data.pdf
Col. (temp. Brig.) J. O. E. VANDELEUR, D.S.O. (28140) late Ft. Gds., retires on ret. pay, 13th Dec. 1951, and is granted the hon. rank of Brig.

 

The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Image Details
Name Vandeleur, John Ormsby Evelyn
Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Service No: 28140
Regiment: 3 Battalion Irish Guards
Theatre of Combat or Operation: North West Europe 1944-45
Award: Distinguished Service Order
Date of Announcement in London Gazette: 21 December 1944
Date 1944
Catalogue reference WO 373/49

 

The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Image Details
Name Vandeleur, John Ormsby Evelyn
Rank: Lieutenant Colonel, Acting Brigadier
Service No: 28140
Regiment: 3 Battalion Irish Guards
Theatre of Combat or Operation: North West Europe 1944-45
Award: Bar to Distinguished Service Order
Date of Announcement in London Gazette: 01 March 1945
Date 1945
Catalogue reference WO 373/51

 

Personal Number:
Rank: Major
Name: J O E VANDELEUR
Unit: 1 Irish Guards
GSM & Clasp: GSM, Palestine Clasp 1936 - 1939
TNA Reference: WO 100/503

 

Obit for John Ormsby Evelyn Vandeleur [14 November 1903 – 4 August 1988] Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion Irish Guards

[Name of the publication or date not known, but this may have been printed in The Times.]

BRIG J.O.E. VANDELEUR
Hero of Arnhem advance

Brigadier "Joe" Vandeleur, DSO, who died on August 4 at the age of 84, was a distinguished and colourful soldier whose Second World War flair and leadership was such that it featured in the film A Bridge Too Far, when he was portrayed by Michael Caine.

His action was at Arnhem in September, 1944, when Vandeleur led the 30 Corps advance which aimed to link up with the British and American airborne forces while he was commanding the Irish Guards Battle Group. His conduct then, and indeed throughout the campaign in North West Europe in that year, earned him widespread respect and admiration.

A Bridge Too Far, produced by Sir Richard Attenborough in 1977, met with some criticsm over the portrayal of some of the participants, but Vandeleur was happy with his role as portrayed by Caine, whom he considered "first class". Even critics of some of the other parts felt that Caine's interpretation of Vandeleur was "delightful".

John Ormsby Evelyn Vandeleur - his initials inevitably resulted in him being familiarly known as "Joe" - was a member of an old Irish family. He was born in Nowsher, on the North West Frontier of India, where his father, Lieut. Col. C.B. Vandeleur, DSO, was serving. He was educated at Cheltenham College and th Royal Military College, and was commissioned in the Irish Guards in 1924.

He was seconded to the Sudan Defence Force from 1928 to 1931, commanding a camel company and a motor machine gun battery.

His experiences there left a lasting impression on him and he several times tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade the authorities to allow him to return.

He did, however, serve in Egypt and got himself attached to the 1st Battalion in Palestine, where he had his first experience of fighting.

In 1941 he commanded the 3rd Battalion and, three years later, as the senior commanding officer, he took charge of the reorganized Irish Guards Battle Group.

His first orders then to the new group were: "Enemy Information - one word, chaos. Our intention: the Irish Group will dine in Brussels tomorrow night!"

By 9pm the following night they were in the city and, in line with his order, the officers sat down to dinner in the largest cafe in a main square, interrupted by a message that Germans were holding out in a house down the road. "They were fixed up quickly and we returned to dinner," Vandeleur later recalled.

The Group moved on through Belgium and under Vandeleur's leadership the Escaut Canal Crossing, near Lommel was successfully captured intact, after a brief but sharp battle. It became known as "Joe's Bridge".

Four days after this, the Irish Guards Group was visited and congratulated by Lieut-General Sir Brian Horrocks, the Corps Commander, who then gave them what they regarded as the dubious honour of leading 30 Corps advance to link up with the Airborne Forces at Arnhem - the historic "Operation Market Garden" assault behind the German lines in the Netherlands.

Vandeleur's men were hampered by canals, streams, ditches, narrow roads and German resistance, as they advanced to relieve the remnants of the Airborne Division.

The leading tanks were destroyed and infantry reduced. Eventually the Irish Group was withdrawn into reserve. The dash had failed only eight miles short of Arnhem. German resistance had been under-estimated and the difficulties of the terrain for armoured vehicles not fully appreciated by senior commanders.

Vandeleur commanded the regiment from 1946 to 1948. On his retirement in 1951 he was granted the honorary rank of Brigadier.

He was twice married but both wives pre-deceased him. There were no children.

 

JOE'S Bridge Memorial

 

Last here in September for the Anniversary. Note the two studs above the Memorial which is where the Irish Guards Cap Badge used to be and has been prised away. By the looks of it someone had had a go at taking the whole panel, note the missing bolt in the top left hand corner which has scrape marks around it as if done by a crowbar.

It's not the only one. The 2nd Army Memorial up the road on the Bridge over the Dommel outside of Valkenswaard has been nicked, not for the first time. Sadly, it's apparently not going to be replaced.

 

London Gazette : 4 April 1946
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37521/supplement/1672/data.pdf


https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37521/supplement/1690/data.pdf

 

For all your hard work dbf.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

Second cousins: JOE Vandeleur (left) GAM Vandeleur (right)

 

He does have a privately published autobiography:

A Soldier's Story by J. O. E. Vandeleur; Publisher, privately printed for the author by Gale & Polden, 1967.



I do not have a copy. It's meant to be quite good, but it only runs to 132 pages.

 

From memory -
A fair few chapters at the beginning are taken up with his Anglo-Irish family's military genealogy: some of it covering Waterloo (a connection which leads to an impetuous decision that he later regretted) and others his father's service.
The rest covers his own service in an easy conversational, anecdotal tone: from cash-strapped subaltern to brigade commander. Some particular attention is paid to actions significant to the 3rd Battalion eg their brutal blooding at 'Sourdeval' in August 1944 as well as reference to the handling of a similarly costly action in February 1945 after he'd left. However, it's definitely not a detailed blow-by-blow report but neither is it an unrepentant justification of all his decisions.
Rather like spending a few hours at the bar with an old campaigner.

 

Campaign Stars & Medals : 4:0

• 1939-45 Star
• France & Germany Star
• Defence Medal
• War Medal 1939-45