Sir Geoffrey Musson was Adjutant-General in the Ministry of Defence at the time of the second round of infantry regiment amalgamations and reductions in 1967-68. He faced a dilemma, some might argue a conflict of interest, because his own regiment, The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry of which he was Colonel, was a candidate for amalgamation. He advocated a way out of the difficulty which did not satisfy all concerned.
Then, as now, the infantry organisation preferred by the Army Board was one of large regiments each comprising at least three battalions. This allowed flexibility of posting for officers and senior ranks and, should a serious shortfall in strength occur in any one of them, reinforcement of one battalion from another.
The downside of this arrangement was that the regiments absorbed into a larger one lost their titles and, so it was argued, their links with history and with a county or region from where their recruits were drawn.
Musson prevailed on his regiment to adopt the preferred formula and “The Light Infantry” came into being, comprising only three battalions. Association with the counties was kept up but the individual regimental titles were lost, including that of the Durham Light Infantry with a fighting reputation second to none in the Army.
Geoffrey Randolph Dixon Musson was educated at Shrewsbury School and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, from where he was granted a commission into the KSLI in 1930. After Dunkirk, he was brigade major of an infantry brigade in England, then served on the staff of a division until given command of 2nd Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in North Africa in 1943.
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In Italy as part of the 10th Infantry Brigade’s crossing of the Gari river in May 1944, 2nd DCLI had to make an assault crossing, establish a bridgehead on the far bank and cover the construction of ferries to allow the rest of the brigade to cross. This accomplished, 2nd DCLI together with the 17th/21st Lancers advanced and captured Point 63, overlooking and dominating Route 6 and Cassino to the north. Musson’s thorough planning and expert handing of his battalion, and his courage during the attack, were rewarded with an immediate DSO.
Promoted to take command of the 36th Infantry Brigade in December 1944, after the winter lull he led it in the last great battle of the Italian campaign, the breakthrough into the valley of the Po in April 1945. Despite poor roads his brigade made good speed and reached the south bank by last light on April 12. Six days later, it was heading north-westwards towards Highway 16 and on the 18th attacked in moonlight to secure crossings over a canal and two villages beyond it.
After serving as Commander Vienna Area in mid-1946, Musson was a member of the directing staff at the Staff College, Camberley, until 1948 and then served in the Staff Duties branches of HQ British Army of the Rhine and the War Office. Command of an infantry brigade in Korea, after the 1953 armistice, followed and he stayed on in Korea as the Commonwealth Representative on the Armistice Commission until the end of 1955.
He commanded the School of Infantry at Warminster, 1956-58, and then, successively, the 7th Armoured Division and 5th Infantry Division in Germany. His diplomatic skills were called for when, as Chief of Staff Headquarters Middle East Land Forces, he took part in the negotiations with Archbishop Makarios for the establishment of the British Sovereign Base Area on Cyprus.
He returned to the War Office as Vice Adjutant-General in 1963 and was appointed Adjutant-General after three years as GOC-in-C Northern Command in York. His final three years in the Army were devoted, with his Royal Navy and RAF counterparts, to bringing Service rates of pay into line with those of comparable workers in civilian life. Although this was achieved in principle, economic circumstances have prevented implementation on a number of occasions since then.
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In retirement he was a vice-chairman of the National Savings Committee and chairman HM Forces Savings Committee, 1970-78, chairman of the Regular Forces Employment Association and president of the Victory Services Club, 1978-80.
His wife Elspeth, whom he married in 1939, survives him with their son. A daughter predeceased him.
General Sir Geoffrey Musson, GCB, CBE, DSO, Adjutant-General of the Army, 1967-70, was born on June 9, 1910. He died on January 10, 2008, aged 97