Walter Walker (British Army officer)


Sir Walter Walker

Born(1912-11-11)11 November 1912
Died12 August 2001(2001-08-12) (aged 88)
Yeovil, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
BranchBritish Army
Service years1933–1972
RankGeneral
Service number380258
UnitSherwood Foresters
1/8th Gurkha Rifles
CommandsAllied Forces Northern Europe
Northern Command
British Troops Borneo
17th Gurkha Division
99th Gurkha Infantry Brigade
ConflictsNorth-West Frontier
Second World War
Malayan Emergency
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order & Two Bars
Mentioned in Despatches (4)
Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (Malaysia)

General Sir Walter Colyear Walker, KCB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars (11 November 1912 – 12 August 2001) was a senior British Army officer who served as Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe from 1969 until his retirement in 1972. He commanded the 4/8th Gurkhas Rifles against the Japanese Army in Burma during the Second World War and the 99th Gurkha Infantry Brigade Group from 1957 to 1959 during the Malayan Emergency. Walker was Director of Operations in Borneo from 1962 to 1965 during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. In retirement, he attracted some controversy by publicising his views on the political situation in Britain during the mid-1970s.