My brother-in-law Maj Gen Michael Swindells has drowned while swimming off the coast of the Italian island of Elba, aged 85. The army and his family were Mike’s life. Son of George and Marjory Swindells, Mike was born in Bollington, Cheshire, and after education at Rugby school was commissioned in the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Guards as a national service officer. On demobilisation he joined the family textile business. However, he did not find that fulfilling and foreseeing the demise of the Manchester textile industry decided to rejoin his regiment. He later commanded a troop of four tanks during the Korean war.
In 1955 he was appointed adjutant of the Cheshire Yeomanry, a territorial regiment, and in the same year married my sister Prue. After the Yeomanry he passed his staff college exam and had a varied military career until the time came, in 1969, for him to command a regiment – the 9th/12th Royal Lancers. For five years after his retirement from the army in 1990, he was colonel of the regiment.
From 1987, Mike was controller of the Army Benevolent Fund for 11 years and national chairman of the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Association. Just before he died, his association with the army finally ended, when the British Korean Veterans’ Association, of which he was president, was wound up.
In the midst of all his post-retirement activity, Mike found time to help Prue provide bed and breakfast in their beautiful house in Wilcot, a village in Wiltshire. He became an expert breakfast cook, was treasurer of the parish church and created a fine garden. Eventually the B&B became too onerous and the maintenance of the house created problems, so Prue and Mike moved to a smaller home in Devizes.
Mike delighted in taking his dogs for long walks over the Wiltshire downs. He had always been an active sportsman. As a young man he played polo. He was a keen salmon fisherman. To celebrate his 80th birthday he went on a skiing holiday. There, ignoring strict instructions from his daughters to avoid risks, he insisted on tackling a difficult slope and had a bad fall. It led on to two hip operations. In spite of this, he was planning another walking holiday in the Himalayas next year. He enjoyed India greatly. He said one of the most memorable occasions of his life was a day he spent with the 61st cavalry of the Indian army, one of the world’s few mounted regiments.
Mike’s success was I am sure due to his remarkable ability to get on with people, and his gift for friendship. The death of his 20-year-old son Adam in a road accident affected Mike deeply, but he bore that tragedy with great dignity.
Prue, their two daughters, Diana and Georgina, and four grandchildren survive him.
