Edgar Peacock

Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Henry William Peacock, (11 February 1893 – March 1955) was a decorated British Officer commanding special forces operations behind Japanese lines in Burma during the Second World War. He had previously served in Burma for many years as Deputy Conservator of Forests, and Game Warden.

Early life Edgar Peacock was born in Nagpur, India on 11 February 1893. He entered the Indian Forest Service in 1914, training at the Forest Research Institute College at Dehra Dun and, upon graduation, took up his first posting in the Hinthada area.

In 1924, Peacock married his wife, Geraldine, in Rangoon, and then returned to his work as a Forest Officer. This included lengthy tours in the jungle on which his wife and new baby, Joy, accompanied him.

During operations on the Chindwin front, Peacock was awarded a Military Cross after an incident in which one of his officers, Captain J Gibson, was seriously wounded by a grenade. Peacock crossed through enemy lines to get help before immediately crossing back through enemy lines to collect Captain Gibson, and then crossing through enemy lines for a third time to bring him to safety. He received a bar to his MC for later work in leading his guerilla force to destroy a column of Japanese soldiers moving through the area. After the war he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for "outstanding courage and resource" in turning "a small hunted party into the controlling force" in his area of operations.

Medals