John Westall

General Sir John Chaddesley Westall, KCB, CBE (2 July 1901 – 30 September 1986) was a New Zealand Royal Marines officer who served as Commandant General Royal Marines from 1952 to 1955.

General Sir John Westall KCB CBE
Westall in 1953
Born	(1901-07-02)2 July 1901[1] Napier, New Zealand
Died	30 September 1986(1986-09-30) (aged 85)[2] Christchurch, New Zealand
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Marines
Years of service	1919–1955
Rank	General
Commands	Commandant General Royal Marines Infantry Training Centre, Royal Marines
Battles / wars	Second World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Military career

Born in Napier, New Zealand,^[3] Westall joined the Royal Marines in 1919.^[4] He served in the Second World War as a Staff Officer in intelligence activities in Singapore and Malaya from 1939 and as a Staff Officer in intelligence activities in India and Burma from 1942, before becoming a Staff Officer at the Director of Naval Intelligence Department in the Admiralty in 1944.^[4]

After the war he became commander of the Infantry Training Centre, Royal Marines and then a Staff Officer in intelligence activities in Cape Town from 1947.^[4] He was appointed Chief Staff Officer at Plymouth in 1948, commander of the Royal Marine Barracks at Plymouth in 1949 and commander of the Royal Marine Barracks at Deal in 1950.^[4] He went on to be chief of staff to the Commandant General Royal Marines in 1951, and Commandant General Royal Marines in 1952 before retiring in 1955.^[4]