James Baird

Lieutenant-General Sir James Parlane Baird (12 May 191526 May 2007) was a British Army officer and doctor. He served as Director General Army Medical Services from 1973 to 1977.

Early life Baird was born on 12 May 1915 in Morayshire, Scotland. His father, the Rev David Baird, was a minister of the United Free Church of Scotland. He was educated at Bathgate Academy, a school in Bathgate, West Lothian. He graduated in 1937 Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB). with his service number being 115469. He was initially posted to a field ambulance unit in Scotland, He spent the later part of the war serving in military base hospitals; specifically in Suez, Cairo and Malta. From 1947 to 1948, he was Officer-in-Charge of the medical division of Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot Garrison. He served in Austria from 1948 to 1949 and in 1950 he was on exchange to the Medical Corps of the US Army based in Texas. He completed his Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1958. In 1959, he was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London.

He was appointed Professor of Military Medicine at the Royal Army Medical College in 1965. He served as Director of Medicine from 1969 to 1971. On 5 April 1973, he was appointed Director General Army Medical Services and granted the acting rank of lieutenant-general. He was promoted to lieutenant-general on 29 May 1973.

He retired from the British Army on 30 March 1977.

Later life Following his retirement from the military, Baird continued his involvement in postgraduate medical education. He was a medical adviser to the Council for Postgraduate Medical Education and deputy director of the British Postgraduate Medical Centre. He retired in 1984.

He is survived by his daughter, Fiona, and his son, Alastair. His grandson, named James after him, is also a doctor.

Honours and decorations Baird was mentioned in dispatches on 13 January 1944 'in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East'.

In June 1966, he was appointed Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John (OStJ). In April 1972, he was promoted to Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John (CStJ). In the 1973 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE).