Bala Bredin

Major-General Humphrey Edgar Nicholson Bredin, CB, DSO & Two Bars, MC & Bar (28 March 1916 – 2 March 2005), known as Bala Bredin, was a British Army officer whose military service took him from 1930s Palestine via Dunkirk, North Africa and Italy to the Cold War in Germany.

[3] At Kfar Hittim, he executed three prisoners brought to him by Jews, proclaiming:'"In the name of the King of England, I find you guilty of murder and sentence you to death'.

"[3]During the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine Bredin was a subaltern with the 2nd Royal Ulster Rifles in Upper Galilee.

They marched from Louvain to Dunkirk, repulsing German attacks en route, before boarding an Isle of Man steamer.

Bredin received his beer as they were about to land in Kent and he thought to himself, "...we can't lose the war with people like that about".

He was tasked with breaching the Gustav Line, the German defensive position, leading the 78th Division in the engagement.

A subsequent bravery citation relating to his actions of 15 May 1944 read -[1] Throughout this operation he commanded his battalion with the utmost skill and inspired his men by his examples of personal gallantry under heavy fire.

Bredin was injured while on the start line for the attack but carried on with the engagement until loss of blood led to his fainting and he was evacuated.

The action resulted in the over-running of enemy artillery position with guns destroyed and prisoners of war taken.

This was the forum where he challenged defence cuts in 1991 and questioned remarks by Field Marshal Lord Carver relating to the cavalry.

Bredin said that field marshals never retire; "they had to defeat the Queen's enemies in the murky future and to harass the politicians accordingly".