Major Pat Stubbs died on the 4th of June 1974 aged 54 years after a long illness borne with great courage.
Educated at Wellington and the Royal Military College, he joined the 3rd The King’s Own Hussars on active service in Palestine in 1947 after some 9 years with the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkhas (The Sirmoor Rifles). His war service with the 1st Battalion took him to Iraq, Persia and the Western Desert where he saw numerous actions, and finally at Medinnine when leading a patrol he was shot down.
Despite a shattered leg, he crawled back almost a mile with valuable information for which he gained an immediate award of the Military Cross.
His 15 years with the Regiment from 1947-62 included command of ‘HQ’ Squadron, ‘B’ Squadron (twice), Training Major of the North Somerset Yeomanry and he was Second in Command from 1954-55 and 1959-60.
He left the Army for a career in London which included several years with the British Export Council, and latterly with the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.
Pat was a man of great integrity and his loyalty to the Regiment was total. Warm, sincere and generous, he always found time to help others and his wise counsel was much sought after by his officers and soldiers. He was a truly delightful companion or host and one felt happy and relaxed in his company.
After the war, he was unable to follow his chief sports of rugby and pentathlon at which he had excelled at Wellington and Sandhurst, but he continued to enjoy others and spent many happy hours sailing both yachts and dinghies.
He will be greatly missed with affection by his wide circle of friends who will wish to extend their deepest sympathy to Ann his wife, Jacqueline and Richard.
