Lieutenant-Colonel Norman E Menzies MBE

Lieutenant Colonel Norman Edward Menzies was born on September 2 1939 in West Ham, east London (the day before the Second World War was declared). He was the third of four sons and had three sisters. His father worked in the Woolwich arsenal and was himself the son of a soldier in the Royal Artillery. In 1941 the Menzies family was evacuated to Little Bardfield in Essex. 

Menzies qualified for grammar school but his parents could not afford the uniform. Thus he went to the local secondary modern and left at 14 to work with a builder. He volunteered for the Parachute Regiment in 1958 and, after being informed that he would have to serve for 3 years instead of two, stayed for 34 years. At the Airborne Forces Depot, Aldershot, Menzies was promoted to Lance Corporal and subsequently Corporal in 1959. He went on to instruct other paratroopers. He met his wife, 19 year-old Lance Corporal Pat Milner of Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, at this time; they married in 1960. His wife now survives him. Together they had a daughter named Dawn and a son named Kevin. 

By 23, Menzies was a Sergeant in the Middle East with 1 Para. His obituary recalls: 

"Just short of 6ft and the image of a clean-cut airborne soldier, he also became something of a military model, appearing in newspaper advertisements and playing a starring role in the Paras’ recruiting film". 

At 33, Menzies was appointed Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of the Parachute Logistic Regiment. He subsequently served as company second i/c in 1 Para and was then Quartermaster of 2nd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment in Armagh. Finally in 1980 he became QM of 3 Para. It was in this role that Menzies would earn his MBE in the Falklands on October 8 1982. 

By 1976 Menzies was now a WO1 and was selected on a short service commission to be a Lieutenant on July 19. The following year he was selected for a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on April 26 1977. On April 1, 1978, Menzies was promoted to Captain from Lieutenant. After serving in the Falklands, Menzies was made a Major on July 19, 1984 whilst still in the regular army. He received his final rank of Lieutenant Colonel on May 1, 1989. On August 31, 1992, Menzies retired from the regular army and was appointed to the reserve of officers.  

Menzies was 42 when Argentina declared war in April 1982. 3 Para were immediately called up for action under command of 3 Commando Brigade. His obituary speaks to his selfless attitude in these crucial moments: 

"As the officer responsible for the battalion’s logistics, Menzies knew the old joke: the QM’s is called “stores”, not “issues”, but before they had even sailed every man in 3 Para knew that Menzies’ maxim was precisely the opposite. Indeed, his propensity to receive (by fair means or foul) and issue, sometimes even before the need was recognised, would be a powerful contribution to 3 Para’s morale in their 60-mile march across East Falkland and the culminating, bloody, assault on Mount Longdon"

Lieutenant Colonel Sir Hew Pike later recommended Menzies for an award, citing the "innumerable difficulties and hazards, caused by terrain, climate and enemy action" that the battalion faced. He continued:

“Without his organising ability and sheer determination the operation would certainly have ground to a halt. As it was, the rapid advance across the island was matched by superb and highly flexible support...his devotion in meeting the relentless needs of the battalion has been unstinting, and supremely successful...Never can a quartermaster have served his battalion better on operations". 

The embedded journalist Robert Fox also commended Menzies' "rat-like cunning necessary to be a QM", whilst the brigade and landing force commanders both wrote on Menzies' recommendation "very strongly supported". Menzies was, according to Pike, "two paces ahead of everyone, probably on account of his upbringing [...] no problem every defeats this superb officer". 

After the Falklands, Menzies served as QM of 4 Para (TA) and took an operational staff job in Hong Kong. He left the army in 1992 and subsequently held directorships with Securitas, Pinkerton and Wilson James, the latter of which oversaw security arrangements for the athletes' village at the London Olympics in 2012.

Menzies died of cancer on August 12, 2023, aged 83.