Derek Lang

Lieutenant-General Sir Derek Boileau Lang KCB DSO MC (7 October 1913 − 7 April 2001) was a senior British Army officer who served in the Second World War and was later General officer commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Scottish Command.

Military career Derek Lang was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, on 7 October 1913, the son of Derek Lang. He was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. From there he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders on 31 August 1933. He served initially with the regiment's 1st Battalion before, promoted on 31 August 1936 to lieutenant, he served with the 2nd Battalion, Cameron Highlanders in Palestine during the Arab revolt. In February 1938 he was sent to Scotland where he became adjutant to the regiment's 4th Battalion, a Territorial Army unit serving as part of the 51st (Highland) Division, then commanded by Major General Victor Fortune. He was made Chief of Staff at Scottish Command in 1960, then General Officer Commanding 51st (Highland) Division in March 1962 before moving on to a posting as Director of Army Training in 1964. He retired from the British Army in 1969. After retiring from the Army he was Secretary of Stirling University from 1970 to 1973.

Family In 1942 he married Massy Dawson and together they went on to have one son and two daughters before she died in 1953; in 1953 he married A.L.S. Shields but the marriage was dissolved in 1969; then in 1969 he married E.H. Balfour who died in 1982 and in 1983 he married Maartje McQueen.

He died at Kirknewton in Midlothian on 7 April 2001.