Hugh Anthony Prince


Hugh Anthony Prince CBE was an Indian Army and British Army officer who became Chief of the Military Planning Office for the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.

Military career (Indian Army)

The son of Dr H. T. Prince FRCS LRCP, Prince was educated at Eastbourne College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He won a cadet scholarship to Sandhurst and distinguished himself there in physical training. Prince was appointed to the Unattached List of the Indian Army on 27 August 1931. He was admitted into the Indian Army and appointed to the 2nd battalion 6th Gurkha Rifles on 22 October 1932. Promoted Lieutenant 27 November 1933, he was appointed Quartermaster 9 November 1935 then Adjutant 1 November 1938. Identified in contemporary photos on exchange duties with the Royal Canadian Regiment in Camp Niagara, Ontario 1936 through summer 1937 and commemorated with a spectacular trophy of a dinner bell mounted between two polished cow horns. Promoted Captain 27 August 1939. He took part in operations on the North West Frontier of India during the period 1937-39.
He was appointed General Staff Officer 3rd grade 03/09/37 - 30/04/40, Air Intelligence Liaison Officer 15/11/40 - 15/09/41, General Staff Officer 3rd grade 16/09/41 - 15/2/42, General Staff Officer 2nd grade 16/02/42 - 09/08/43. He was Brigade-Major to an Indian Infantry Brigade 10/08/43 - 30/01/44 and General Staff Officer 1st grade, H. Q., S.A.C.S.E.A. 15/07/44 to 21/5/45. He was Instructor Staff College Quetta 25/11/45 - 16/06/47 and was appointed acting Major 16/02/42 - 15/05/42, temporary Major 16/05/42 - 17/07/43 & 30/01/44 - 29/4/44 and War Substantive Major 30/04/44. He was promoted to Major on 1 July 1946. He was Acting Lieutenant-Colonel 30/01/44 - 29/4/44 and temporary Lieutenant-Colonel 30/04/44 - 22/11/47.
Prince was Mentioned in Despatches.

Military career (British Army)

Prince transferred to The King's Regiment 23 November 1947. He was appointed temporary Lieutenant-Colonel 9/12/48 to 24/05/53 and S.C.O., B. T. B. 9/12/48 - 24/04/49. He was General Staff Officer 1st grade War Office 05/05/49 - 09/08/50 and Assistant Adjutant & Quarter Master General to an Infantry Division as part of the British Army on the Rhine, Germany 09/04/51 - 04/02/53.
Prince was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel 16 January 1954 and was Temporary Brigadier 05/07/56 to 13/06/61. He was appointed to command a brigade as part of Western Command 05/07/56 to 08/07/59 and was promoted to Colonel 14 June 1957. He was D. D. P. S., War Office 07/09/59 to 27/02/61 and was appointed CBE in the London Gazette of 31 December 1960.
He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier 14 June 1961 and Brigadier, A/Q. H. Q. Eastern Command 24/03/61 to 28/02/64. He was appointed to Major-General 1 July 1964 and was Chief of the Military Planning Office, S. E. A. T. O. 1 July 1964 in Bangkok.
He retired on 17 October 1966.

Family

He married in firstly, in 1938, Elizabeth, daughter of Dr Walter Bapty, of Victoria B.C. His first wife died in 1959. There were two sons of the first marriage. He married secondly, in 1959, Claude-Andree, daughter of Andre Romanet, by whom he had a son.
He died at Arles, France in November 2005, aged 94: the funeral took place at Chester Cathedral on 18 November 2005.