Major Gerald Broke Whitworth

The Silver Bugle – Obituaries – WHITWORTH. Major Gerald Broke Whitworth (71188) died on Solstice, 21st June 1997 at the age of 80. He was born on 12th March 1917, son of Robert Henry Whitworth. His mother was Gertrude Whitworth (neé Leveson-Gower, the family of the Dukes of Sutherland). He was educated at Charterhouse and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry on 28th January 1937. After a year with the 1st Battalion at Gibraltar he was posted to the 2nd Battalion in Burma and served as platoon commander and animal transport officer, until the outbreak of war, when he had a short spell censoring telegrams at Mandalay. On 10th September 1940 he was attached to HQ Army in Burma in Rangoon as Intelligence Officer. On 31st June, he was appointed GSO III (Int). During the retreat in 1942 he served as GSO III with 17th Indian Division and 1 Burma Corps.

He returned to the Battalion on 24th May 1942 and from 30th January 1943 to the end of August was Chief Instructor at 21 (Mixed) Reinforcement Camp, Gauhati. Later he returned to the 2nd Bn. KOYLI as Company Commander. On 16th April 1944 he was appointed 2nd in Command of 2nd Bn. KOYLI.

On 17th June 1944 he sailed from Bombay for the U.K. and on 28th October 1944 joined the 1/4th KOYLI in Holland and took over 'D' Company. After clearing up to the River Maas the batallion spent the cold and wet winter on the 'Island' facing Arnhem. On 2nd April 1945 49 Division to which 1/4th KOYLI belonged cleared the eastern end of the 'Island.' The KOYLI securing a bridgehead over the Wetering Canal and attacked Arnhem on 14th April and 'D' Company occupied the area of the Zoo. He remained with the 1/4th KOYLI in Germany, Italy and Austria until its disbandment in September 1946 when he was posted to the 1st Battalion in Minden. While in Austria he met and married Dr. phil. Gertrude Henriette Pierer, daughter of a family of industrialists and landowners in Styria. Early in 1946 he was Mentioned in Dispatches for service in Northwestern Europe. In early May 1948 he was posted as Staff Captain 'A' at Bicester Garrison, where he remained for two years until posted to the 1st Batallion the Durham Light Infantry at Dortmund. He remained four years with the DLI at Dortmund, Berlin, Brancepeth preparing for Korea, Korea and Egypt as company Commander. On returning to England after leave and attending an Intelligence Course he was posted to HQ Salisbury Plain District at Bulford as GSO III (Cadets).

Two years later in the Spring of 1957 he joined the 1st Bn. KOYLI in Cyprus, where he was in charge of Headquarters Company. In 1958 he moved as 2nd in Command with the Advance Party to Strensall and then again to Paderborn in Germany. Later the Battalion moved to Hilden. His last two years 1960-62 were spent as SSO in Minden and in March 1963 he retired.

Gerald was a keen sportsman taking part in the usual games in his younger years, after the war high jumping in the KOYLI and for the DLI. Gerald and Henriette were also skiers and mountaineers, which was partly the reason for them settling in Austria. He played polo in Burma, Egypt and at Tidworth. He managed the battalion stables at Hilden, the civilian stables next door to the camp at Cyprus and the garrison stables in Minden. At Paderborn he bought a rather difficult ex-steeplechaser, 'Stew Pot' and took part in many show jumping meetings and one day events, caming second in the BAOR One-Day-Event in 1959. He was also an ardent fisherman and went on two trips north of Myitkyina in Burma catching 'Mahseer.' He supplied his company mess in Germany with trout after the war. He also fished in Scotland, Ireland and Alaska. He was a keen shot at jungle fowl and snipe in Burma and pheasant with the DLI in Germany and Korea.

He and his family retired to Kitzbühel in 1963 where he represented Messrs. Guildway of Guildford, makers of prefabricated houses for eight years. He is survived by his wife, his daughter Alexandra Beatrice Whitworth, M.D. who specialized as a psychiatrist at Innsbruck University Hospital and is now working at Salzburg State Hospital, his son Anthony Neville Whitworth who designs databases and information systems for clients world-wide and lives in the Alaskan bush, and his grandson Merlin who traveled in a dog sledge at six weeks of age. Gerald died weeks after seeing his grandson for the first time, ten days after attending the KOYLI Regimental Officer's Club Luncheon at Claridge's in honour of HRH The Queen Mother, and only a few months before celebrating his fiftieth wedding anniversary with his wife.