Ken Perkins

Kenneth Perkins was born on 15 August 1926 and died on 23 October 2009. He was a British Army officer who attained the rank of Major General. Perkins served as the commander of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces, succeeding General Sir Timothy Creasey in this role.

Perkins' military career began in the British Army, with his promotion to second lieutenant on 1 November 1947. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of lieutenant on 15 August 1953. On 25 October 1955, he was promoted to captain and was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) during the same year. His service number was 369841.

In 1958, Perkins attended the Pakistani Army Staff College in Quetta. His progression through the ranks continued with his promotion to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1967. Between December 1973 and January 1975, he served as the Director of Defence Operational Plans, a role within the Defence Operations.

On 21 April 1975, Perkins was confirmed as a Major General, a rank he had held on an acting basis since 8 April 1974. At this point, he was serving as the Commander of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces, a position he held from 1975 to 1977.

Following his tenure in Oman, Perkins was appointed as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations) at the Ministry of Defence on 16 June 1977. In 1980, towards the end of his appointment, he was deployed to Zimbabwe, which had recently become independent, to assist with integrating the new Zimbabwean Armed Forces, including the incorporation of former anti-Rhodesian rebels into the residual military structure.

Perkins received the accolade of Companion of the Bath (CB) in the 1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours. His final role in the military was as the Director of Military Assistance Overseas, a post he held from April 1980 until April 1982.