British Army’s Sir Hugh Stockwell Dies

SWINDON, England — Sir Hugh Stockwell, commanding general of British land forces in the abortive 1956 Anglo-French invasion of the Suez Canal Zone, died Thursday. He was 83.

British and French forces, conspiring with Israel, invaded the canal zone on Nov. 5, 1956, after President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt nationalized the waterway. They withdrew under U.S. and Soviet pressure, and Sir Anthony Eden resigned as Britain’s prime minister.

Stockwell, who was knighted in 1949, was the son of an army officer, attended Sandhurst and joined the British Army commandos. He was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order for his exploits during the Norwegian campaign early in World War II.

After service in India and Burma in 1946-’47, Stockwell commanded the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine in 1947-’48 at the height of the Jewish war for independence.

From 1952-1954 he was commanding general in Malaya, fighting jungle terrorists.

After the Suez campaign, Stockwell was military secretary to the secretary of state for war from 1957-’59 and deputy supreme commander of NATO forces in Europe from 1960 to 1964.