Lieutenant General Sir David Tod Young KBE, CB, DFC (17 May 1926 – 9 January 2000) was a senior British Army officer who served as General Officer Commanding Scotland from 1980 to 1982.
Sir David Young | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 May 1926 |
| Died | 9 January 2000 (aged 73) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1945–1982 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Service number | 354597 |
| Unit | Royal Scots Glider Pilot Regiment |
| Commands | General Officer Commanding Scotland 12th Mechanised Brigade 1st Battalion the Royal Scots |
| Battles / wars | Second World War Malayan Emergency Operation Banner |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Flying Cross |
Military career
editEducated at George Watson's College in Edinburgh, Young was commissioned into the Royal Scots in 1945.[1] He was seconded to the Glider Pilot Regiment in 1949 and qualified as a pilot.[2]
He served in the Malayan Emergency in the early 1950s and won his Distinguished Flying Cross operating at low levels over rugged jungle terrain with 656 Air Observation Squadron.[2]
He was selected to be Commanding Officer (CO) of the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots in 1967.[2] In 1970 he was appointed commander of the 12th Mechanised Brigade and in 1972 he became Deputy Military Secretary at the Ministry of Defence.[1] He moved on to be Commander Land Forces at HQ Northern Ireland in 1975 at the height of the Troubles[3] and then became Director, Infantry, in 1977.[1] He was made General Officer Commanding Scotland and Governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1980, before retiring from regular service in 1982.[1] He became Colonel Commandant of the Ulster Defence Regiment from 1986 to 1991.[2]
In retirement he became Chairman of Cairntech Limited.[1] He was also Chairman of the Scottish Committee of Marie Curie Cancer Care.[1]
Family
editHe married Joyce Marian Melville in 1950; they had two sons.[1] Following the death of his first wife, he married Joanna Oyler in 1988.[1]