Col Noel Wall died on 11 August 2003 in his 90th year.
Noel joined The 7th Queen’s Own Hussars, before mechanization, in Hounslow in 1934. He proudly said that he joined The 7th Hussars on the ‘1- 2-34’. He served with the Regiment from the outbreak of World War Two until 1942.
Most of this service was in the Middle East, and he was in turn Intelligence Officer, Adjutant, ADC to the GOC, and, after attending the Staff College in Haifa, was appointed Brigade Major 7th Armoured Brigade.
It was during this time that he was awarded the Military Cross. Part of the citation reads ‘at Sidi Rezegh he frequently left his tank to convey messages over an intervening space, under heavy fire of all natures, to his brigadier’.
He returned to the UK in 1943 to work on the planning for the Normandy operations. Due to the heavy casualties that The 7th Hussars received in Italy, he rejoined the Regiment as Second in Command in 1944. He was appointed to command the Derbyshire Yeomanry in 1945 and stayed with them until 1948 carrying out internal security duties in the Middle East.
He attended the Joint Services Staff College in 1949 and was GSO1 (Staff Duties) at Salisbury immediately after this. During this period, he was awarded the OBE as ‘His continuous hard work deserved the highest recognition’.
From 1953 to 1956 he commanded 3rd The King’s Own Hussars.
A highlight of this period was the first visit to her Regiment by Princess Margaret as Colonel-in-Chief. From then until his retirement in 1966 he filled various staff posts including Colonel OIC RAC Records, Colonel Q Movements Far East and the Army Security Vetting Unit at Woolwich.
After his retirement, he claimed to have taken no employment! The reasons he gave for this were, ‘Leave, house finding, rehabilitation, sorting out self, kit and furniture etc, after 32 years in the Army!’
In fact, he worked for the British Tourist Board and the Security Service.
He finally settled in Marylebone. Racing was a major interest for him and he attended many meetings often organising the tickets for others. He supported the Cavalry Club loyally until he became housebound.
He regularly attended Regimental and Association Troop functions. He was always a generous host and he did many unheralded acts of kindness for soldiers, past and present, and for their families.
