It is with great sadness that Bloxham School heard of the death of Old Bloxhamist, General Sir Edward Burgess
The death has been announced of General Sir Edward Burgess at the age of 87, one of the most distinguished of Old Bloxhamists.
General Sir Edward served as President of the Royal British Legion; he and his wife Jean led the first war widows’ pilgrimage to Kohima, a scene of fierce fighting in 1944, in what the Times described as an ‘epic journey.’
After Bloxham and Lincoln College, Oxford and Sandhurst, Edward ‘ known as Ted ‘ was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1948. During a distinguished military career, he served as Director of Army Recruiting and Commander, UK Field Army before taking up the prestigious appointment as Nato’s Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe between 1984 and 1987.’ In this role, Burgess enjoyed a close relationship with the American General Bernie Rogers, and a more testing one with Britain’s defence secretary, Michael Heseltine. Remarkably, the post is currently occupied by another Old Bloxhamist, General Sir Adrian Bradshaw.