Jim Philips joined the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars in North Africa in 1943 having earlier been one of a small handful of Oxford undergraduates who trained in the armoured section of the University Senior Training Corps.
When the Regiment moved to Italy in April 1944 he was given command of 4th Troop in ‘A’ Squadron commanded at that time by Maj John Vaughan. He served with distinction and was wounded in the Gothic Line battles in the autumn of 1944.
After the war, he joined the Colonial Service for a short period as a District Officer in Ipoh in Malaya and subsequently returned to Oxford to complete his degree. He became a solicitor and joined the law firm in which Stuart (James) Fryer, who had commanded HQ Squadron in the Regiment, was a senior partner.
It can truly be said that Jim Philips was ‘laid-back’ long before that expression was coined; he was tremendously likeable and a firm friend. Until his illness he was a faithful participant at 4th Hussar Dinners, thereby giving great enjoyment to his fellow officers.
