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Edwin Bramall
Edwin Bramall
Edwin Bramall
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Field Marshal Edwin Noel Westby Bramall, Baron Bramall (18 December 1923 – 12 November 2019), also known as "Dwin",[1] was a British Army officer. He served as Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1979 and 1982, and as Chief of the Defence Staff, professional head of the British Armed Forces, from 1982 to 1985.

Key Information

Early life and family

[edit]

Bramall was born on 18 December 1923 in Tonbridge, Kent, England, the son of Major Edmund Haselden Bramall (1889−1964) (son of Ernest Edward Bramall (1864–1938), managing director of Desford Colliery, Leicester)[2] by his wife Katherine Bridget Westby.[3] He was educated at Eton College,[4] where, among other accomplishments, he captained an undefeated first XI cricket team.[5]

In 1949 he married Dorothy Avril Wentworth Vernon, by whom he had one son and one daughter.[3] His elder brother Ashley Bramall was a barrister, Labour politician and Leader of the Inner London Education Authority.[6]

Military career

[edit]

Bramall was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps on 22 May 1943, during the Second World War.[7] He took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944[4] and served with the 2nd Battalion of his regiment in Northwest Europe during the later stages of the war, receiving the Military Cross on 1 March 1945, shortly before the end of World War II in Europe.[8]

Bramall was promoted to lieutenant on 18 June 1946[9] and served in the occupation of Japan from 1946, before becoming an instructor at the School of Infantry in 1949.[3] Promoted to captain on 18 December 1950,[10] he was stationed in the Middle East from 1953[11] and was then promoted to major on 18 December 1957.[12] Continuing his military career, he served two years as an instructor at the Staff College, Camberley, from 1958, and then was appointed to serve on Lord Mountbatten's staff in 1963.[11]

The Normandy landings, in which Bramall took part, during the Second World War

Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1965 New Year Honours,[13] and promoted to lieutenant colonel on 25 January 1965,[14] he was appointed Commanding Officer of the 2nd Green Jackets, The King's Royal Rifle Corps: the Battalion was deployed to Borneo during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation in the first half of 1966 where his actions earned him a mention in despatches.[15] He was given command of the 5th (Airportable) Infantry Brigade in November 1967[16] with promotion to brigadier on 31 December 1967.[17]

Bramall was made General Officer Commanding the 1st Division on 6 January 1972,[18] with the substantive rank of major general from 6 April 1972,[19] Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong with the rank of lieutenant general on 1 December 1973[20] and appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1974 New Year Honours.[21] He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces on 15 May 1976[22] and was promoted to full general on 25 June 1976.[23]

Bramall at Westminster Abbey in 2002

He was appointed Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel and Logistics) on 20 March 1978,[24] advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1979 New Year Honours,[25] before being made ADC General to the Queen on 26 June 1979[26] and appointed Chief of the General Staff on 14 July 1979.[27] In this role he strongly supported the plan in May 1982 to land troops at San Carlos Water and then advance rapidly from those positions at the early stages of the Falklands War.[16]

Bramall was promoted to field marshal on 1 August 1982,[28] and appointed Chief of the Defence Staff on 1 October that year.[29] In this capacity he developed the concept of the "Fifth Pillar" pulling together the activities of defence attachés to form a structure for intervention in smaller countries.[4] He retired in November 1985.[16] He was also Colonel of the 3rd Battalion the Royal Green Jackets from December 1973, Colonel of the 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) from 14 September 1976[30] and Colonel Commandant of the Special Air Service from 19 May 1985.[31]

Later career

[edit]
Lord Bramall in the robes of a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter, June 2006.

Following his retirement from active military duty Bramall served as Lord Lieutenant of Greater London from 1986[32] to 1998.[3] He was invested as a Knight Companion of the Garter in 1990.[33] He served as President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1988.[34][35] and was an Honorary Life Vice President of the MCC.[36] His other interests included painting and travel and he was a vice-president of the welfare organisation SSAFA Forces Help.[3]

An April 2012 interview of Bramall.

Bramall was created a life peer as Baron Bramall, of Bushfield in the County of Hampshire in 1987.[37][38] Bramall spoke out in the House of Lords against the involvement of the United Kingdom in the Second Iraq War warning that "unlike naked aggression, terrorism cannot be defeated by massive military means" but by "competent protection and positive diplomacy".[39]

On 27 August 2006 it was reported that Bramall, then aged 82, hit Lord Janner of Braunstone, then 78, after Bramall made what witnesses claim were a series of "anti-Israel" comments during an argument over the Lebanon conflict. Janner sought the advice of fellow peers about how and whether to make a formal complaint against Bramall, before deciding to accept an apology after which Janner said the matter was resolved.[40]

On 25 April 2013 Bramall retired from service in the House of Lords.[41] He died at the age of 95 on 12 November 2019, at his home in Crondall, Hampshire.[42][43][44]

Operation Midland

[edit]
Main article: Operation Midland

Bramall was one of several senior establishment figures targeted by convicted perjurer Carl Beech: following fabricated complaints made by Beech officers of the Metropolitan Police searched Bramall's home near Farnham on 4 March 2015 as part of the Operation Midland child sexual abuse investigation.[45] Bramall released a statement after the search, saying: "Categorically, never have I had a connection or anything to do with the matters being investigated."[46] On 30 April 2015, under the same investigation, Lord Bramall attended a police station in Surrey by appointment. While officers interviewed him for two hours, they did not charge or arrest him.[47]

On 15 January 2016, the police confirmed that there was insufficient evidence to bring any charges and he would face no further action.[48] Bramall's wife Lady Bramall died in July 2015, without knowing that he would not be charged.[49] In October 2016, after what The Guardian described as a "chorus of calls" for an official apology to Lord Bramall,[50] the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe apologised to Bramall.[51]

On 1 September 2017, it was reported that the Metropolitan Police had paid substantial compensation to Bramall for having raided his home "after accepting that the searches had been unjustified and should never have taken place."[52]

Beech was subsequently arrested and committed to stand trial on 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud in May 2019; he was convicted on all charges, and in July 2019 was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment.[53] The court was told that "immeasurable distress" had been caused to those falsely accused as well as "obvious reputational damage".[54] Bramall said of the ordeal: "I can honestly say however I was never as badly wounded in all my time in the military as I have been by the allegations made by [Beech] that formed the basis of Operation Midland."[55]

Arms

[edit]
Coat of arms of Edwin Bramall
Notes
Baron Bramall since 1987
Coronet
A coronet of a Baron
Crest
Statant lion barry Or and Azure supporting a UK Field Marshal’s Baton erect proper.
Torse
Mantling Or and Sable.
Escutcheon
Per fess embattled Sable and Or between three Stafford knots a lion rampant all counterchanged.
Supporters
Dexter: A Malayan Tiger holding in the dexter paw a Kukri, all proper.
Sinister: a Chinese Dragon proper, holding in the sinister claw a Maltese Cross Vert.
Motto
PERSTA ET PROESTA
Latin: "Stand fast and step ahead"[56]
Orders
The Order of the Garter.
The collar as Grand Cross Knight of the Order of the Bath.
The badge as Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Banner
Heraldic banner of Baron Bramall, Knight Companion of the Garter, as shown in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Symbolism
The arms are based on those previously used by his family and by others of similar name. The Stafford knots refer to probable ancestors from Staffordshire. The embattled division of the shield refers to his military career. The supporters represent his service in Malaysia and Hong Kong. The green Maltese cross represents his position as Colonel Commandant 3rd Battalion Royal Green Jackets. The kukri represents his position as Colonel 2nd Gurkhas. The striped (barry) lion in the crest refers to the coat of arms of the Manners (Duke of Rutland) family, from whom his wife claims descent.[57]

References

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Bibliography

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Edwin Bramall

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from Grokipedia
Field Marshal Edwin Noel Westby Bramall, Baron Bramall, KG, GCB, OBE, MC (18 December 1923 – 12 November 2019), was a senior British Army officer who commanded in the Second World War and subsequent conflicts, rising to become Chief of the General Staff from 1979 to 1982 and Chief of the Defence Staff from 1982 to 1985, during which he supported the military response in the Falklands War. Commissioned into the King's Royal Rifle Corps in 1943, Bramall participated in the Normandy landings on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and earned the Military Cross for leading an assault through a German-held forest near Caen amid intense sniper and mortar fire. His post-war service included roles in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, staff positions in the Middle East, and commands such as Commander British Forces in Hong Kong, before his elevation to field marshal in 1982. Following retirement, Bramall was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Greater London from 1986 to 1998, created a life peer as Baron Bramall in 1987, and installed as a Knight of the Garter in 1990, while remaining active in the House of Lords until 2013. In 2015, he endured a police raid and investigation under Operation Midland for alleged involvement in a non-existent VIP paedophile ring, based on testimony from a witness whose claims were fabricated; no evidence was found, the case collapsed without charges, and the Metropolitan Police issued an apology and paid compensation for the unwarranted intrusion that exacerbated his wife's terminal illness.

Early life

Education and upbringing

Edwin Bramall was born on 18 December 1923 in Tonbridge, Kent, into a family with military traditions stemming from his father's service as an artillery major in the First World War. Bramall received his education at Eton College, a leading public school known for fostering leadership and discipline among its pupils. There, he distinguished himself on the sports field, participating in activities that emphasized physical fitness and teamwork, which aligned with the era's emphasis on character-building through extracurricular pursuits. His upbringing occurred amid the interwar years in Britain, characterized by economic recovery from the slump and escalating international tensions leading to the Second World War, which cultivated a generational ethos of and preparedness among young men of his class. Bramall departed Eton prematurely to enlist, completing officer training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, before receiving his commission as a in the on 22 May 1943, at the age of 19.

Family influences

Edwin Bramall was the son of Major Edmund Haselden Bramall (1889–1964), a officer who served in the First World War and later in the Second, and Katherine Bridget Bramall (née Westby). Major Bramall, born in , to a family connected with the cotton trade, brought a background of imperial enterprise and military experience to the household in Rusthall, , where the family resided. Bramall's elder brother, Sir Ernest Ashley Bramall (1916–1999), pursued a distinct path as a , Labour MP for Bexley (1946–1950), and Leader of the Inner London Education Authority (1984–1987), reflecting diverse family orientations toward public life. While lacking an extended lineage of military officers, the immediate family's dynamics—shaped by the father's wartime service and the era's emphasis on British resilience amid interwar challenges—instilled an environment conducive to values of duty and fortitude, indirectly guiding Bramall's early character formation.

Military career

Second World War service

Bramall was commissioned as a into the in May 1943 and joined the 2nd Battalion as a platoon commander. The battalion landed on Juno Beach in Normandy on 7 June 1944, the day after D-Day, and engaged in the Normandy campaign, including operations around the Falaise pocket. In July 1944, during fighting at Fontaine-Étoupefour, Bramall survived a direct hit by a German mortar on his company's half-track headquarters vehicle, sustaining a gash to his thigh that required evacuation to Britain for surgery, though he was the only survivor of the blast's immediate effects. He returned to duty and was wounded again by a bullet through the shoulder while crossing the Somme. As the Allied advance continued into late 1944, Bramall's pushed toward the Dutch-Belgian border. In , he led a daylight under fire near the border, engaging German positions with grenades and a gun, disabling a machine-gun post, capturing a prisoner, and securing vital intelligence on enemy dispositions. A week later, his liberated the village of in , , amid ongoing combat. For his leadership and valor in the border action, Bramall was awarded the , gazetted in 1945 and presented by in .

Post-war deployments and commands

Following the end of the Second World War, Bramall served in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, acting as divisional deputy assistant adjutant-general in Okayama until 1947. He then took postings in the Middle East, including staff duties in the Canal Zone, Egypt, with the King's Royal Rifle Corps from 1953 to 1956, during the period leading up to the Suez Crisis. Subsequently, as a company commander with the 1st Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps in Derna, Libya, from 1956 to 1958, he gained experience in arid operational environments amid ongoing decolonization challenges. Bramall also saw action during the , the British-led counter- campaign against communist guerrillas from 1948 to 1960, applying small-unit tactics in jungle terrain to disrupt insurgent supply lines and secure local populations. These operations contributed to the eventual marginalization of the insurgency through coordinated civil-military efforts, with British forces emphasizing mobility, intelligence-driven patrols, and "hearts and minds" strategies that limited guerrilla recruitment. In training roles, Bramall served as an instructor at the School of Infantry starting in 1949, focusing on practical infantry skills, and later at the , from 1958, where he stressed adaptive tactics over rigid doctrine to prepare officers for post-Suez. Promoted to on 25 January 1965 and appointed an Officer of the in the that year, Bramall assumed command of the 2nd Battalion, (successor to the ). The battalion deployed to amid the (1963–1966), where Bramall led operations to repel Indonesian incursions across porous borders, employing disciplined patrols, rapid response forces, and local intelligence to maintain defensive lines with minimal casualties—British losses totaled around 30 killed against over 500 Indonesian. His emphasis on versatile , informed by prior jungle experience, supported the broader strategy that deterred escalation and facilitated diplomatic resolution, earning him a mention in despatches for gallant service.

Senior leadership roles


Bramall was appointed the 1st Armoured Division, stationed with the in , effective 4 January 1972, receiving the substantive rank of major-general on 6 April 1972. He commanded the division until 1973, focusing on enhancing conventional capabilities amid tensions with the . In this role, Bramall stressed balanced forces combining armor, , and , conducting intensive training exercises to bolster NATO's forward defense posture and reduce dependence on nuclear options for initial deterrence. Promoted to lieutenant-general, Bramall assumed command of British Forces in in 1973, serving until 1975. There, he directed garrison operations and contingency planning against potential threats from , integrating local defense units with British troops to improve rapid response and logistical interoperability during a period of heightened regional instability. His leadership emphasized practical reforms in force structure to maintain credible deterrence without escalating to broader conflict. On 15 May 1976, Bramall was appointed UK Land Forces and promoted to full general on 25 June 1976. In this position, he advocated merit-based advancement over seniority in officer promotions to foster competence amid evolving threats, while critiquing administrative bottlenecks in the that impeded efficient resource allocation and operational planning. These efforts aimed to streamline army organization for sustained readiness, bridging field command experience with higher strategic oversight.

Chief of the Defence Staff

Bramall served as from 1979 to 1982, providing leadership to the during the , where he supported the amphibious landing at San Carlos on 21 May 1982 to enable the recapture of the islands from Argentine forces despite logistical constraints. He was promoted to on 1 August 1982 in recognition of his service. On 1 October 1982, Bramall was appointed Chief of the Defence Staff, succeeding Lord Lewin as the professional head of the . In this role, he coordinated strategy across the , , and , advising the government on defense policy and emphasizing integrated procurement to maintain conventional capabilities amid fiscal pressures. His tenure focused on applying lessons from the Falklands conflict to enhance inter-service readiness and commitments. Bramall retired from active service on 25 November 1985 after 42 years in the Army, handing over to Sir John Fieldhouse. His leadership as CDS was credited with bolstering overall military morale and operational effectiveness following the uncertainties of the post-Vietnam era.

Post-retirement activities

Defense policy positions

Following his retirement as Chief of the Defence Staff in October 1985, Bramall consistently advocated for prioritising investment in conventional forces over disproportionate emphasis on nuclear capabilities, arguing that the latter offered limited utility against post-Cold War threats such as insurgencies and . In debates, he criticised successive governments for reductions under the "" rationale, warning that such cuts eroded the UK's ability to sustain expeditionary operations without allied support, potentially inviting opportunistic aggression from revisionist powers lacking equivalent burden-sharing in . He supported the Thatcher-era reforms, including the 1981 Defence Review's focus on NATO's central front, but cautioned against post-1990 complacency that mismatched ambitious foreign policy commitments—such as interventions in the —with verifiable troop strengths and logistics. Bramall testified and spoke extensively on the need for balanced, sustainable forces, highlighting overstretch as a direct causal result of resource shortfalls during the 1990-1991 and ensuing deployments. In a 1992 Lords debate on army combat forces, he emphasised that persistent overstretch undermined readiness, with too few battalions and support elements to rotate effectively across multiple theatres without depleting reserves or morale. By the late , he linked this to broader policy failures, where peacekeeping obligations in Bosnia and strained an army reduced to under 150,000 regulars post-Options for Change, arguing empirically that ideological aversion to higher spending ignored the realities of hybrid threats requiring adaptable ground troops over strategic ambiguity. In nuclear policy, Bramall evolved from upholding the deterrent during the to critiquing its post-1991 relevance, co-authoring a with retired generals asserting that "nuclear weapons have shown themselves to be completely useless as a deterrent to the threats and scale of violence we currently face," such as non-state actors, and urging diversion of £20-30 billion from renewal to conventional enhancements like and . He opposed unilateral akin to 1980s Labour proposals, viewing it as naive given adversaries' retained arsenals, but prioritised causal realism: without multilateral reductions or robust conventional backups, nuclear reliance risked complacency, as empirical data from and demonstrated conventional forces' primacy in stabilising operations over existential threats.

Public service and arts involvement

Following his retirement from military service, Bramall served as from 1986 to 1998, acting as the monarch's representative in ceremonial and civic duties across the capital. Bramall chaired the board of trustees of the from 1989 to 1998, overseeing its operations and contributing to initiatives such as the establishment of its permanent exhibition. He also held the presidency of the from 1988 to 1989, during which he chaired the International Cricket Conference. In the arts, Bramall pursued painting, with two of his works selected for the Royal Academy's summer exhibition in 1940 when he was aged 16. Post-retirement, he contributed to public discourse on leadership through writings and speeches informed by his frontline experience, including The Bramall Papers: Reflections in War and Peace, which addressed ethical command principles and morale in combat.

Operation Midland controversy

Allegations and police investigation

The allegations against Edwin Bramall originated from claims made by Carl Beech, who contacted in 2014 before being referred to the , alleging membership in a Westminster VIP paedophile ring involving ritualistic and murders during the 1970s and 1980s. Beech specifically accused Bramall of raping him as a child and participating in group abuses at military locations and other sites, framing Bramall as part of an elite network including politicians and security officials. These uncorroborated testimonies, later proven fabricated when Beech was convicted in 2019 of , possessed no supporting physical evidence, contemporaneous records, or independent witnesses at the time. Operation Midland, initiated by the in November 2014 to probe Beech's narrative amid heightened scrutiny following the Jimmy Savile scandal, treated the claims with presumptive credibility despite their reliance on a single source's inconsistent accounts. On 4 March 2015, officers raided Bramall's home, confiscating documents, computers, and other items, notwithstanding his age of 91 and his wife's ongoing . Bramall was interviewed under caution on 30 April 2015 at a near his residence, where detectives confronted him with Beech's assertions of child rape and ritual killings, prompting Bramall to dismiss them as "ridiculous" and "outrageous" while citing his documented postings abroad during the alleged periods as . The probe exhibited empirical shortcomings, including failure to verify Beech's timelines against Bramall's service records—which placed him in command roles in and elsewhere incompatible with the claimed UK-based events—and disregard for character references from contemporaries attesting to Bramall's integrity. No forensic traces, victim corroboration beyond Beech, or material links emerged during the searches or subsequent inquiries, underscoring the operation's dependence on credulous acceptance of fantastical, unverified narratives fueled by public panic over institutional cover-ups. This approach reflected broader investigative overreach, prioritizing complainant belief over evidentiary thresholds in a climate of post-Savile urgency.

Exoneration and institutional failures

In January 2016, the Metropolitan Police informed Lord Bramall that no further action would be taken against him following their investigation into allegations made by Carl Beech, known as "Nick," with the overall Operation Midland concluding in March 2016 without any charges brought against him or other named individuals. This effectively exonerated Bramall, as no evidence supported the claims of his involvement in historical child abuse. Beech, whose testimony formed the basis of the accusations against Bramall and other prominent figures, was later convicted in July 2019 on 12 counts of , one count of , and voyeurism offenses, receiving an 18-year prison sentence for fabricating the allegations and related fabrications. The conviction highlighted the absence of corroborative evidence in , with Beech's claims exposed as deliberate lies spanning from 2012 to 2016. The issued a formal apology to Bramall in 2016, following the Henriques , admitting errors in the investigation that caused undue distress; however, the delay in full clearance—despite early dismissal of charges—meant Bramall's wife, Dorothy, died in April 2015 without witnessing his complete vindication, exacerbating the personal toll. In 2017, paid Bramall £100,000 in compensation for reputational damage, distress, and related costs, though this fell short of his full legal expenses incurred from defending against the probe. The Henriques Review, conducted by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques and published in November 2016, identified 43 specific failures in Operation Midland, attributing them primarily to poor judgment, inadequate evaluation of known facts, and a prejudicial presumption of complainant credibility over evidential scrutiny. This approach, Henriques argued, stemmed from post-Jimmy Savile institutional pressures to prioritize victim narratives, fostering a confirmation bias that assumed guilt among establishment figures without rigorous verification, such as failing to challenge inconsistencies in Beech's accounts or timelines. Officers even misled judicial authorities to secure search warrants, underscoring systemic lapses in due process. Such errors reflected broader causal missteps, where media-amplified skepticism toward authority—prevalent in coverage of historical abuse inquiries—overrode empirical standards, leading to unwarranted invasions of privacy and prolonged reputational harm without accountability for initial accusers. The review recommended abandoning policies mandating belief in allegations at face value, a stance echoed in subsequent critiques of police practices.

Honors, legacy, and personal life

Military decorations and peerage

Edwin Bramall was awarded the for gallantry during operations in north-west Europe, specifically for leading a reconnaissance patrol that disabled a German tank on the Dutch-Belgian border in October 1944; the award was gazetted on 1 March 1945. He received the in the 1965 , recognizing his service during the and subsequent commands. Bramall was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 1979 , coinciding with his promotion to . Following his retirement from active military service, Bramall was created a as Baron Bramall, of Bushfield in the County of Hampshire, in 1987, enabling his participation in the as a . In recognition of his distinguished lifetime contributions to the armed forces, he was invested as a Knight Companion of the (KG) in 1990, one of the highest honors in the British honors system. Bramall also received numerous foreign honors from allied nations, reflecting international acknowledgment of British military efforts in the Second World War and NATO operations, though specific details on the full extent remain less documented in public records.

Coat of arms and posthumous recognition

Following his elevation to the peerage as Baron Bramall in 1987, Edwin Bramall was granted a personal by the , incorporating heraldic symbols tied to his Rifle Brigade service and senior military rank. The escutcheon displays two rifles in surmounted by a badge, evoking his regimental roots and gallantry awards, while the crest depicts a statant barry Or and Azure supporting a field marshal's baton proper, signifying his pinnacle achievement in the . The "Persta et Praesta" translates to "Stand and Excel," underscoring themes of resilience and excellence. Bramall's full heraldic achievement, including supporters referencing the via a , was encircled by the Garter for display on his stall plate in , following his installation as a Knight Companion of the in 1990; this permanent installation endures as a symbolic recognition of his lifetime contributions. In posthumous tribute to his service, the bridge over the Nieuwe Ley at Poppelseweg in , , was officially renamed the Edwin Bramallbrug on 25 October 2024, commemorating the 80th anniversary of his unit's liberation of the town on 27 October 1944. The renaming, proposed by the Bond van Oud-Liberators en Vrienden van de 15e/19e Huzaren, highlights Bramall's leadership as a young commander in advancing across the bridge amid combat.

Family and death

Bramall married Dorothy Avril Wentworth Vernon in 1949; the couple remained together until her death from in 2015, after 66 years of marriage. They had two children: a son, Nicolas Bramall, and a , Sara Bramall. The family demonstrated resilience during the 2015 police raid on their home, which occurred while Bramall cared for his ailing wife; Nicolas Bramall later publicly criticized the lack of accountability for the investigators' conduct. Bramall died on 12 November 2019 at his home in Crondall, , at the age of 95. His funeral included military honors, reflecting his service; a delayed public memorial service was held in 2023 at , attended by royals and military figures.

References

  1. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50397069
  2. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/11/12/field-marshal-lord-bramall-outstanding-soldier-decorated-d-day/
  3. https://www.britishnormandymemorial.org/news-story/the-death-of-field-marshal-lord-edwin-bramall/
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  7. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/nov/12/lord-bramall-former-head-of-british-armed-forces-dies-aged-95
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  19. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1992/jul/01/the-army-combat-forces
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  39. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37912886
  40. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/08/operation-midland-riddled-with-met-police-errors-report-finds
  41. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/08/henriques-report-met-apologises-to-harvey-proctor-after-admittin/
  42. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-former-head-british-army-20868883
  43. https://www.memorialatpeninsula.org/?p=9659
  44. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Edwin%2C_Baron_Bramall.svg
  45. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Edwin_Bramall%2C_Baron_Bramall%2C_KG%2C_GCB%2C_OBE%2C_MC%2C_JP%2C_DL.png
  46. https://www.goirle.nl/nieuwsoverzicht/nieuwsbericht/artikel/brug-over-de-nieuwe-ley-poppelseweg-edwin-bramallbrug
  47. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/25/lord-bramall-honoured-80-years-after-liberated-dutch-town/
  48. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50397069
  49. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-8011017/Anger-Lord-Bramalls-son-NO-police-officer-paid-price-bungled-VIP-probe.html
  50. https://www.petersfieldpost.co.uk/news/royals-attend-memorial-service-for-d-day-veteran-and-crondall-resident-lord-bramall-at-winchester-cathedral-611217
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