Brigadier Donald Harley Nott DSO OBE MC DL
Appointed Colonel of the Regiment on 20th April 1961. Brigadier Nott was commissioned into The Worcestershire Regiment in 1928 and in his first ten years service with the 2nd Battalion on The Rhine and in UK, Malta, China and India proved himself a highly effective peacetime soldier. His record of achievements in Army Rifle Association non-central matches remain unsurpassed in the Regiment: at various times his platoon won the Hopton Cup, his company won the Connaught Cup and the Officers’ team he captained won the King George V Cup. An all round sportsman he played rugby for the Army and played hockey at County level as well as leading the 2nd Battalion hockey team to victory in the Malta League for three years in succession. He was also a regular contributor of sketches and cartoons to Firm. In five action-packed years from 1938 he earned a high reputation as a fighting soldier, by winning the MC in Palestine “for gallant conduct and inspiring leadership”, the DSO and a Mention in Despatches with Wingate in Abyssinia and a bar to the MC commanding 'D' Company, 1st Battalion The Worcestershire Regiment at Point 187 (Tobruk). In the latter engagement on 14 June 1942 his company “bore the brunt of three successive tank and infantry assaults” during one of which he “regardless of heavy machine-gun fire from the German tanks rushed forward personally to organise the defensive fire of his forward sections”. |
Brigadier D. H. Nott |
After the capture of the Tobruk garrison by the Germans a week later he spent the rest of the war as a prisoner, apart from five adventurous months on the run in Italy in company with Major Robin Tuckey and Captain Ian Bains of the Regiment. He commanded 9th Bn The Worcestershire Regiment briefly on release and after being Commandant of Eaton Hall OCS, took command of 4th (Uganda) Battalion The Kings African Rifles in 1952. Most of his tour was spent on operations against the Mau Mau in Kenya for which he was awarded the OBE, apart from a brief spell in Uganda on internal security duties and to receive new Colours from HM The Queen.
He was promoted on completion of this tour and commanded a TA Brigade before retiring in 1960. He subsequently served as Colonel of the Regiment from 1961 to 1967 and retained a lively interest in the personalities and activities of the Regiment until his death.
Brigadier Nott died on 5th February 1996 aged 87 years.
This photograph below shows Brigadier Nott as a young Lieutenant in 1936 on his way to India
2nd Battalion King George V Cup 1936
Back standing: 2nd Lieut. B. T. S. Clarke, Lieut. B. F. Wilson, Lieut. G. G. H. Peace
Front sitting: Capt. A. T. Burlton, Lieut. D. H. Nott. Lieut. J. C. Home
This photograph was taken on board the troopship taking the Battalion from China to India
In 1966 Brigadier D. H. Nott being received at an informal audience by His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie 1, Emperor of Ethiopa
on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Emperor's return to his capital, 3rd May 1941.