Collen Melville Richards

Collen Melville Richards
Collen Melville Richards
Birth name	Collen Edward Melville Richards
Born	1888
Died	1971
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1911–1946
Rank	Brigadier
Service number	5049
Commands held	5th West African Brigade (1942); 2nd (West Africa) Brigade (1941–42); 24th (Gold Coast) Brigade (1940–41); Royal West African Frontier Force (1939–42); 4th Gold Coast Brigade (1939–40); Gold Coast Regiment (1939)
Battles/wars	First World War; Second World War
Awards	Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Distinguished Service Order; Military Cross; Officer of the Order of the Nile (Egypt)

Brigadier Collen Edward Melville Richards, CBE, DSO, MC (1888–1971) was a senior officer in the British Army who served during the First and Second World Wars.

Joining the East Lancashire Regiment in 1911,^[1] Richards served during the First World War and was awarded the Military Cross in 1916 and the Distinguished Service Order in 1919.^[2]^[3] For his "good services" during the Aliab Dinka Uprising of 1919–20, Richards was appointed an Officer of the Order of the Nile by the Sultan of Egypt.^[4] In the Second World War, he commanded the 24th Gold Coast Brigade (12th African Division) during the East African Campaign and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1944 Birthday Honours.^[5] Richards retired from the army on 2 February 1946.^[6]

Command history[edit]

^ "No. 28498". The London Gazette. 26 May 1911. p. 4001.
^ "No. 29438". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 January 1916. p. 580.
^ "No. 31370". The London Gazette. 3 June 1919. p. 6820.
^ "No. 13839". The Edinburgh Gazette. 11 August 1922. p. 1343.
^ "No. 36544". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 1944. p. 2574.
^ "No. 37451". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 February 1946. p. 753.
^ Ammentorp, Steen. "Richards, Collen Edward Melville". generals.dk. Retrieved 15 October 2016.