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The Lord Carver
24 April 1915 - 9 December 2001
Field Marshal The Lord Carver Picture: Crown Copyright
Place of birth	Bletchingley, Surrey
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1935—1976
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands	1st Royal Tank Regiment 6th Infantry Brigade Group Far East Command Southern Command
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	GCB, CBE, DSO, MC

Field Marshal Richard Michael Power Carver, Baron Carver GCB, CBE, DSO, MC (24 April 1915 - 9 December 2001) was a British soldier.

Educated at Winchester College, Michael Carver was commissioned into the Royal Tank Corps in 1935^[1]. During World War II he was involved in the battle for Tobruk where he won his MC. In 1943 he was appointed commanding officer of 1st Royal Tank Regiment, leading them in Italy and then Normandy in 1944. Later in 1944, he was promoted to command the 4th Armoured Brigade^[2].

In 1960 he was given command of 6th Infantry Brigade Group^[3].

Between 1964 and 1968 he was Director of Army Staff Duties where he famously substantially reduced the size of the Territorial Army^[3].

In 1967 he became Commander in Chief Far East and in 1969 he became General Officer Commanding Southern Command^[4].

He was Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1971 and 1973, and Chief of the Defence Staff between 1973 and 1976^[5]. He was knighted in 1966 and became a life peer as Baron Carver, of Shackleford in the County of Surrey in 1977.

Following his retirement from the Army he wrote a number of books on military history and was a vocal critic of Britain's Trident missile programme, believing that as the American nuclear strike capability was sufficiently powerful it was inefficient for Britain to have an independent program.

• Carver, Michael: Imperial War Museum Book of the War in Italy: A Vital Contribution to Victory in Europe 1943-1945
• Carver, Michael & Robertson, Ian G.; The National Army Museum Book of the Turkish Front 1914-18: The Campaigns at Gallipoli, in Mesopotamia and in Palestine
• Carver, Michael; Twentieth-Century Warriors: The Development of the Armed Forces of the Major Military Nations in the Twentieth Century
• Carver, Michael: War Since 1945
• Carver, Michael: The Seven Ages of the British Army
• Carver, Field Marshal Lord: El Alamein
• Carver, Field Marshal Lord: Britain's Army In The 20th Century

• Heathcote, T.A. (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736-1997. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-696-5

• Guardian obituary
• BBC obituary
• Independent obituary

v • d • e Chiefs of the General Staff
Sir Richard Hull • Sir James Cassels • Sir Geoffrey Baker • Sir Michael Carver • Sir Peter Hunt • Sir Roland Gibbs • Sir Edwin Bramall • Sir John Stanier • Sir Nigel Bagnall • Sir John Chapple • Sir Peter Inge • Sir Charles Guthrie • Sir Roger Wheeler • Sir Michael Walker • Sir Mike Jackson • Sir Richard Dannatt

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