Captain Gerald Bryan OBE

CAPTAIN GERALD JACKSON BRYAN, CMG, CVO, OBE, MC, soldier and government administrator, died in March aged 96. He was born in Belfast and had a feisty temperament even as a boy. During his education he developed a passion for rock climbing and anything adventurous. After the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he hoped to get a regular commission in the Royal Engineers. War intervened, but he got his sapper commission in 1940 and volunteered for commando training. Gerald sailed with Layforce towards the Mediterranean in January 1941. Layforce was used to land behind the French positions in Lebanon. Fierce opposition, particularly from the Foreign Legion, was encountered, and one Allied attack on French artillery positions near the Litani River proved costly. Despite Gerald’s party capturing a 75mm gun and turning it on the enemy, all the other officers in his company were killed and, after being shot through both legs, he was captured. His wounds necessitated the amputation of one leg below the knee. He and the other British wounded were released under an armistice agreed in July 1941. Gerald was awarded the Military Cross for his action on the Litani River and returned to England.

No longer fit for active service after losing his lower leg, he was assigned to the Special Operations Executive (SOE), which developed special personal weapons and sabotage explosives at Station IX in Welwyn.

As he recovered from the injuries to his remaining leg, he applied for a more active appointment and was eventually accepted to the Colonial Service. Before that, he was promoted to acting major and director of scientific research at SOE’s headquarters in central London, until his transfer in 1944.

His first appointment was to Swaziland, where he met Wendy Hull, his future wife. They were married in 1947 and had three children: Caesar, Mary and Diana. His wife predeceased him, but his son and daughters survive him.

His tour in Swaziland ended in 1950 and he was posted to Barbados as financial secretary, tasked with securing the island’s financial stability. This was a challenge for a 29 year old, but he achieved what was required and became assistant colonial secretary until he was transferred to Mauritius in 1954.

Appointed OBE for his service there, he became the Queen’s representative with powers of governor in the British Virgin Islands.

In 1962, he became administrator of St Lucia and, in 1967, oversaw the island’s independence. He was later appointed government secretary on the Isle of Man, but this was not a happy interlude. The absence of a suitable house made for awkward living. His wife also suffered problems with her sight, which meant they had to make frequent flights to London for treatment.

After two years he was reassigned as general manager of the new Londonderry Development Commission. In 1969, he brokered a truce between the Catholic community and the RUC for the restoration of water supplies to the Bogside. The next day he saw the arrival of the army to seal off the city centre.