David House

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Lieutenant-General Sir David George House (8 August 1922 – 14 July 2012) was a senior British Army officer who later served as the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod in the House of Lords from 1978 to 1985. He is remembered for his leadership in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

David House was born in Steyning, Sussex, and educated at Regent’s Park School in London. He joined the British Army in 1941 and was commissioned into the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He fought in the Italian Campaign in World War II and finished the war as a captain.

After the war, he held a series of commands and staff roles. He led the 1st Green Jackets in Penang (1964) and in West Berlin (1965), and he served in Borneo during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. He rose through the ranks, becoming colonel in 1965, brigadier in 1966, and chief of BRIXMIS (1967–1969). He then held several senior positions, including Deputy Military Secretary (1969–1971) and Major General (1971).

From 1971 to 1973 he was Deputy Chief of Staff of the British Army of the Rhine, then Director of Infantry (1973–1975). In 1975 he became General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland, with the rank of lieutenant general. His time in command saw the ending of a provisional ceasefire in January 1976 and a rise in violence. He retired from active service at the end of 1977.

On 10 January 1978, he was appointed Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, a ceremonial role in the House of Lords, which he held until 14 January 1985. He died in 2012 and was buried in Aldborough, North Yorkshire. He had married Sheila Betty Darwin in 1947, and they had two daughters, Jennifer and Elizabeth.

Honours he received include the Military Cross (1945) for gallant services in Italy, Mentioned in Despatches (1965) for actions in Borneo, and multiple royal and national orders: Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1964), Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1967), Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (1975), Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (1977), and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (1985). He also served as Colonel Commandant of The Light Division (1973–1977) and of the Small Arms School Corps (1974–1977).