Lieutenant-Colonel C.F.C. Coleman
4th Battalion, Welch Regiment

Brigadier Coleman has command his brigade throughout the campaign in North West Europe with an unbroken series of successes. The extraordinary success of his Brigade is very largely due to his ability, energy, personality and disregard of his own personal safety … He can certainly be said to have played a great part in the liberation of Holland

(Order of the Bronze Lion or Medal of the Bronze Cross, 15 Oct 1945)

Born on 16 April 1903 in Stonehouse, Devon, Cyril Frederick Charles Coleman was commissioned into the Welch Regiment after completing RMC, Sandhurst in 1923. With prewar service in China, Malaya and India, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the 4th Battalion, Welch Regiment in September 1941. Just as the 53rd Welsh Division deployed to France, on 21 June 1944, Coleman was promoted to brigadier of the 160th Infantry Brigade. His predecessor, General Lashmer Whistler had been elevated to command 3rd Infantry Division.

Command of the 4th Welch passed to Major G.A. Burnett until the arrival of Lieutenant-Colonel J.W. Channing-Williams from the 1st East Lancashire Regiment on 1 July. Coleman led the 160th Brigade from the Normandy campaign until the end of the war in Europe. He received the D.S.O. for leadership during the push into the Low Countries in October 1944. Major-General Robert Knox Ross of 53rd Division wrote in the recommendation:

Thanks largely to his plan but still more to his personal drive and initiative, the operations of his Brigade were entirely successful—much more so indeed than I had expected and allowed for in a Divisional plan. I attribute the very great success of his Brigade to Brig. Coleman’s personal example. Never for a moment where the enemy allowed time to recover. Whenever the advance appeared to slow up, Brig. Coleman was personally on the post, regardless of his own safety, ensuring the maintenance of the momentum of the attack.

Coleman was promoted to major-general in 1948 and was commandant of the British Sector in Berlin from 1951 to 1954. He ended a thirty-six-year army career as general officer commanding Eastern Command in 1959. He was colonel of the Welch Regiment until 1965 and Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Guernsey until 1969.

He died on 17 June 1974 in Bentworth, Hampshire.