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← Older revision		Revision as of 08:51, 8 August 2022
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	[[Brigadier (United Kingdom)\|Brigadier]] '''Henry Joseph Patrick Baxter''' {{post-nominals\|country=GBR\|CBE\|GM}} (8 April 1921 – 10 January 2007<ref name="unithistories.com">{{cite web\|url=http://www.unithistories.com/officers/IndianArmy_officers_B01.html\|title=Officers of the Indian Army 1939–1945 -- B\|first1=Hans\|last1=Houterman\|first2=Jeroen\|last2=Koppes\|date=\|work=World War II Unit Histories & Officers\|accessdate=9 August ~~2022~~}}</ref>) was an Irish <ref name=r69/> born fourth generation soldier who overcame the handicap of being blind in one eye to join the army and rose to command one of the largest and most controversial regiments in the [[British Army]].		[[Brigadier (United Kingdom)\|Brigadier]] '''Henry Joseph Patrick Baxter''' {{post-nominals\|country=GBR\|CBE\|GM}} (8 April 1921 – 10 January 2007<ref name="unithistories.com">{{cite web\|url=http://www.unithistories.com/officers/IndianArmy_officers_B01.html\|title=Officers of the Indian Army 1939–1945 -- B\|first1=Hans\|last1=Houterman\|first2=Jeroen\|last2=Koppes\|date=\|work=World War II Unit Histories & Officers\|accessdate=9 August 2015}}</ref>) was an Irish <ref name=r69/> born fourth generation soldier who overcame the handicap of being blind in one eye to join the army and rose to command one of the largest and most controversial regiments in the [[British Army]].

	==Indian Army==		==Indian Army==

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{{EngvarB|date=October 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Henry Baxter
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1921|04|08}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2007|01|10|1921|04|08}}
| birth_place = [[County Kilkenny]], Ireland
| death_place =
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial_coordinates = 
| nickname =
| birth_name =
| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| branch = {{army|United Kingdom}}
| serviceyears =
| servicenumber = 363915
| rank = [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|Brigadier]]
| unit =
| commands = [[Ulster Defence Regiment]]
| battles =
| battles_label =
| awards =
| spouse = 
| relations =
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}}
[[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|Brigadier]] '''Henry Joseph Patrick Baxter''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE|GM}} (8 April 1921 – 10 January 2007<ref name="unithistories.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.unithistories.com/officers/IndianArmy_officers_B01.html|title=Officers of the Indian Army 1939–1945 -- B|first1=Hans|last1=Houterman|first2=Jeroen|last2=Koppes|date=|work=World War II Unit Histories & Officers|accessdate=9 August 2022}}</ref>) was an Irish <ref name=r69/> born fourth generation soldier who overcame the handicap of being blind in one eye to join the army and rose to command one of the largest and most controversial regiments in the [[British Army]].

==Indian Army==
Harry Baxter was born a "child of the regiment" to the [[Royal Irish Fusiliers]].<ref name=d37-8/> Despite being blind in his right eye as the result of a childhood shooting accident in [[India]], he was determined to join the army in 1939. The medical officer who tested him was impressed to meet someone who was trying to cheat his way "into" the army that he passed him fit for the Indian Army.<ref name=d37-8>Doherty, pp. 37–8.</ref> He gave up a scholarship place at Oxford University and received an emergency commission as a 2nd Lt. in the Indian Army on 11 October 1942 with the number 363915. Baxter's service in India was mostly wartime and he served in Burma.<ref name=r69>Ryder, p. 69.</ref> His Emergency Commission was changed to a Permanent Commission in the British Army on 25 May 1946 when he joined the [[Royal Irish Fusiliers]] (RIrF) as a lieutenant.<ref name="unithistories.com"/><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37577 |supp=y |page=2506 |date=21 May 1946}}</ref>

===Royal Irish Fusiliers===
In 1947 Baxter transferred to the RIrF on a regular (permanent) commission and served in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], [[Egypt]], [[Greece]], Germany and finally [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]] where he was [[Mentioned in Despatches]]<ref name=r69/><ref>{{London Gazette |date=24 May 1957 |issue=41079 |supp=y |page=3157}}</ref> During this time he spent four years on Extra Regimental Engagement (ERE) to [[Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Mountbatten]]'s staff. Between 1963 and 1966 he was the commander of the [[North Irish Brigade]]'s depot in Eglinton Camp [[County Londonderry]] and St Patrick's Barracks [[County Antrim]] and also spent a period as a staff officer with the [[Berlin Brigade]] before being appointed Brigadier UDR. He was appointed [[OBE]] in the 1968 Queen's Birthday Honours list.<ref name=r70>Ryder, p. 70.</ref>

====George Medal====
Baxter was awarded the [[George Medal]] for his actions at [[Gough Barracks]], [[Armagh]] when, as a major, he and Captain Henry Chavasse removed a viable bomb from outside the armoury and drove it to a safe place for disposal. The detonator of the bomb exploded whilst it was in transit but the device did not explode.<ref>Ryder, pp. 69–70.</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=41632 |supp=y |page=1061 |date=10 February 1959}}</ref>

===Ulster Defence Regiment===
Baxter assumed command of the [[Ulster Defence Regiment]] (UDR) in April 1973 from Brigadier [[Denis Ormerod]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=46046 |supp=y |page=9388 |date=7 August 1973}}</ref> Like Ormerod, Baxter was a [[Roman Catholic]] commanding a locally raised and predominantly Protestant regiment during a time of intercommunal strife.<ref>Potter, p. 102.</ref>

He was in command during the notable [[Ulster Workers' Council]] strike in 1974 which was considered to be a "turning point" in the regiment's history and "coming of age" comments listed by Major John Potter in his unofficial history of the regiment.<ref>Potter, p. 132.</ref>

Having a brigadier as regimental commander was unusual in the modern British Army but the size of the Ulster Defence Regiment with its 11 [[battalion]]s and over 9,000 men and women (at its peak) demanded an officer of higher rank than [[colonel]].

Baxter was the commander of the UDR at the time of the [[Miami Showband killings]], when several soldiers of the regiment were involved in the killing of musicians outside the town of [[Banbridge]].

He returned to the UDR in 1977 as Colonel Commandant of the regiment until 1986.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=47346 |supp=y |page=12788 |date=10 October 1977}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=50485 |supp=y |page=5183 |date=14 April 1986}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Doherty|first=Richard|title=In the Ranks of Death: The Irish in the Second World War|year=2010|publisher=Pen & Sword Military|location=Barnsley|isbn=978-1-84415-966-6|pages=37–8}}
* {{cite book|last=Potter|first=John|year=2001|title=A Testimony to Courage: The Regimental History of the Ulster Defence Regiment 1969–1992|publisher=Pen & Sword Books|location=Barnsley|isbn=0-85052-819-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Ryder|first=Chris|year=1991|title=The Ulster Defence Regiment: An Instrument of Peace?|publisher=Methuen Publishing|location=London|isbn=0-413-64800-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/ulsterdefencereg0000ryde}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, Harry}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from County Kilkenny]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Recipients of the George Medal]]
[[Category:British people in colonial India]]
[[Category:Ulster Scots people]]
[[Category:Ulster Defence Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Royal Irish Fusiliers officers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Malayan Emergency]]
[[Category:People from County Kilkenny]]
[[Category:British Army brigadiers]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency]]
[[Category:People educated at Churcher's College]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]

Harry Baxter - Revision history

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