124473 John Alastair Livingstone TIMPSON, MC, MiD*, Scots Guards attached Long Range Desert Group

Personal Number: 124473
Rank: Major
Name: John Alastair Livingstone TIMPSON, MC, MiD*
Unit: Scots Guards


London Gazette : 2 April 1940
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34821/supplement/1901/data.pdf
FOOT GUARDS.
The undermentioned Cadets, from Sandhurst and 163rd Officer Cadet Training Units, to be 2nd Lts. 23rd Mar. 1940:—
S. G'ds
John Alastair Livingston TIMPSON (124473).

London Gazette : 11 March 1943
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35934/supplement/1176/data.pdf
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the following awards in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the field:-
The Military Cross.
Lieutenant (temporary Captain) John Alastair Livingstone Timpson (124473), Scots Guards.

London Gazette : 24 June 1943
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36065/supplement/2858/data.pdf
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve that the following be Mentioned in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East during the period ist May, 1942, to 22nd October, 1942: -
S. G'ds.
Lt. (temp. Capt.) J. A. L. Timpson, M.C. (124473).

London Gazette : 24 August 1944
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36668/supplement/3931/data.pdf
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve that the following be Mentioned in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Italy : —
Maj. J. A. Timpson (124473).

London Gazette : 6 December 1949
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/38775/supplement/5771/data.pdf
S. G'ds.
Lt. (War Subs. Capt.) John Alastair Livingston TIMPSON (124473) from Emerg. Commn. to be Capt., 1st Jan. 1949.

 

Recommendation for Award for Timpson, John Alastair Livingstone Rank: Lieutenant... | The National Archives
Reference: WO 373/46/60
Name Timpson, John Alastair Livingstone
Rank: Lieutenant
Service No: 124473
Regiment: Scots Guards attached Long Range Desert Group
Theatre of Combat or Operation: Middle East Special Operations and Escapes
Award: Military Cross
Date of announcement in London Gazette: 11 March 1943

 

London Gazette : 24 June 1943
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36065/supplement/2853/data.pdf


https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36065/supplement/2858/data.pdf

 

See also:

• Person Page
• John Alastair Livingston Timpson (1915-1997) - HouseHistree
  
• Major John Timpson
  
• MAJOR John Timpson, who has died aged 82, was an officer in the Scots Guards (in which his fam-ily served for four generations) who won an MC when seconded to Long Range Desert Group in 1942. The Long Range Desert Group had been founded in 1940 for the purpose of deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines during the desert war in North Africa. Employing the skills acquired by desert explorers of earlier decades it travelled in jeeps or trucks through a barren area 1000 miles by 1200 miles acquiring vital intelligence of German and Italian strengths and plans: the temperature range was 0-120F. It also piloted SAS teams to remote air fields, where they destroyed aircraft on the ground.
  John Alastair Livingston Timpson was born on May 22, 1915, and was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. In March 1936 he won a bet that he could not walk from Cambridge to St Paul's Cathedral in London and back within 24 hours, a distance of 106 miles. He accomplished it within 23 hours 2mins, winning #275 in the process. One of those betting against him was David Stirling, then an undergraduate at Trinity, but later also to join the Scots Guards and to be the founder of the SAS.
  After beginning a career in gold mining in South Africa, Timpson returned to the UK in 1939 to join the Scots Guards, and soon afterwards was selected for the 5th Battalion, an unorthodox creation made of up of experienced skiers and explorers who had volunteered to help Finland, which had been attacked by Russia. Most of these ''Guardsmen'' in the 5th Batallion were officers from other units who had dropped their ranks to join as private soldiers. However, the Russians won the war before the battalion could display its skills and Timpson was then posted to the 2nd Battalion of the Scots Guards in Egypt.
  He soon volunteered to join the LRDG and in December 1942 was commanding a unit briefed to know the number and type of vehicles and troops retreating after the Battle of Alamein. His task involved travelling 800 miles through barren desert into ter-ritory where the Arabs were pro-German and anti-British, and setting up a concealed roadside watch which stayed in position for 13 days despite heavy and bitterly cold rainfall.
  His party had already lost half its numbers through a battle with enemy armoured cars on the way in, and as his base camp was 20 miles from the watching post, changing the watches every eight hours (which he supervised personally) involved hazardous drives and walks of 20 miles in which he was frequently chased and fired on by enemy patrols. Once he evaded capture by hiding for several hours in a wadi (water course) full of icy running water, and on another occasion pretended to be a German officer. Astonishingly, his squadron managed to transmit vital messages even when totally surrounded by Germans.
  After a year's service with the LRDG Timpson rejoined the Scots Guards, was wounded in Tunisia, recovered, went on to fight in Italy, was wounded twice more, and was twice mentioned in dispatches.
  After returning to civilian life after the war he became a stockbroker. He married Phoebe Houstoun-Boswall in 1940. They had two sons. The marriage was dissolved in 1956. In 1964 he married Aline Hobhouse.

His brother:

• 17697 Lieutenant-Colonel Theodore Livingston TIMPSON, MiD, 1 Queen Victoria's Rifles

 

London Gazette : 24 August 1944
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36668/supplement/3926/data.pdf


https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36668/supplement/3931/data.pdf