Page 9 - Cadet Review Autumn 2023

COLONEL TONY WILSON OBE TD
Colonel Tony Wilson, a long-time supporter of all three Cadet Forces in Yorkshire and the Humber, and across the Northeast sadly passed away in July 2023.
Tony was born in Cheshire in 1940 and his family moved to Yorkshire in 1945; following his schooling he started a career as a land agent in 1958 becoming the Head Agent at South Dalton in the East Riding of Yorkshire in 1967. He also worked for the Sledmere Estate concurrently with South Dalton for four years from 1989 and finally retired in 2005, continuing to live in Sledmere.
He started his military journey as a cadet at Worksop College CCF in 1953 and on leaving
school he enlisted in the Territorial Army as a Green Howard, being commissioned in 1959. From then
on he balanced work with the commitment of the
TA and in 1972 was one of the founder members of the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Volunteers, going
on to command the 3rd Battalion from 1979 to 1981. Throughout this time he was well known to the ACF in the East Riding and latterly Humberside, and it was no surprise when he was asked to join Humberside and South Yorkshire ACF as a Deputy Commandant and assumed command of the county in 1993 serving as Commandant until 1997.
Never one to stand still, Tony was the first
Colonel Cadets for 15 (North East) Brigade, setting the standard for the rest of the country to follow
in due course, once he had proved the value of
the appointment. In addition to this he was also appointed as Honorary Colonel of Cleveland ACF and was a staunch supporter of both Yorkshire and the Humber RFCA and the Yorkshire Cadet Trust, being a member of the RFCA and its predecessor from 1978 and Vice Chairman from
2007 to 2012.
Tony was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service with the Reserves and Cadets, in 2007, an honour well deserved.
Together with his career as a land agent and the military he was an accomplished horseman, riding
to hounds across Yorkshire and competed in a Reserve Forces Officers
riding competition, between the nations of Belgium, France, The Netherlands and the UK; winning a Gold Medal in 1976.
Tony was
a great supporter of the cadets through his Chairmanship of the RFCA Joint Service Cadet Committee
In addition to this he was also the voice of the Driffield and Great Yorkshire Shows, regularly to be found at the Arena, commentating and announcing, and at many other horse riding events, together with being a Horse Trials Controller. Outside of this he was an accomplished model maker and his collection was immense.
Tony was a great supporter of the cadets through his Chairmanship of the RFCA Joint Service Cadet Committee and his sound advice and no nonsense approach, as he did not suffer fools gladly, was appreciated by many who followed in his footsteps to command; he will be greatly missed by his many friends across Yorkshire and further afield.
His funeral took place at Sledmere Church in early August and it could be safe to say
he is exactly where he would
have wished to be for his
final journey, with a packed church full of villagers, friends and military contemporaries.
As CO 3rd Battalion
Colonel Tony Wilson as Company Commander and with two more future ACF Commandants,
Colonel Chris Wood, standing far left, and Colonel David Tasker, sitting right
The Yorkshire
Colonel Tony Wilson having received the Cadet Force Medal
in 2006, with SSI Sheila Hobbs at HSY ACF Presentation Day
Volunteers
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