Roy Redgrave (Major General)

Early Life and Family

Sir Roy Michael Frederick Redgrave KBE MC was born on 16 September 1925 at the Athénée Palace Hotel in Bucharest, Romania. He was the son of Micheline Capsa, one of the two daughters of General Mihail Capsa, and Robin Roy Redgrave, a British national. His father's family was notable for being related to the Redgrave family of actors, with his grandfather being actor Roy Redgrave.

Redgrave grew up in Doftan, north of Bucharest, where his father worked for Romanian oil companies. At the outbreak of World War II, he was in England, attending Sherborne School.

Military Career

Redgrave joined the Royal Horse Guards as a trooper in 1943 during World War II. He was stationed with troops of the 1st Household Cavalry Regiment in Aldershot and later served in the Netherlands in 1945.

After the war, Redgrave managed the Hyde Park Horse Camp for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. In the late 1950s, he was deployed to Cyprus during the EOKA resistance campaign.

Redgrave held various command positions throughout his career:

* Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Regiment (1962)
* Commanding Officer of the Royal Horse Guards (1964)
* Commandant of the Royal Armoured Corps Centre (1974)
* Commander of the British Sector in Berlin (1975-1978)

He went on to serve as Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong from 1978 until his retirement in 1980.

Personal Life

Redgrave passed away on 3 July 2011.