Colonel Mark Adkin

Obituary for Colonel Mark Adkin

Mark Adkin died on 6 January 2021 after a short illness aged 84. Born and raised in Bedford where his family were gunsmiths he attended Bedford School before going to RMA Sandhurst. He was commissioned into The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment in July 1956 and posted to the 1st Battalion in Goslar in BAOR.

In August 1957 he carried The Queen’s Colour on the Regiment’s last Blenheim Day Parade before the Battalion moved to Dortmund in 1958 to amalgamate with 1st Battalion The Essex Regiment to become 1st Battalion The 3rd East Anglian Regiment. Following the Battalion’s return from Malaya in early 1962 he was posted to The Depot at Bury St Edmunds. From there he was seconded to the Special Mobile Force Mauritius in early 1964, returning to the UK where he served briefly with 4/5 Essex (TA) before re-joining the Battalion (now 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment) for their 1966-67 tour in Aden.

In November 1967 Mark left the Army and joined The Overseas Civil Service, formerly the Colonial Office where he became one of Britain’s last serving District Officers, firstly in the Solomon Islands and then the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. At the end of his contract with the Civil Service he joined the Barbados Defence Force in the rank of Major and while there he took part in the US Invasion of Grenada in 1983. This was the catalyst for his first book, Urgent Fury which was published in 1989.

Mark had always had a deep interest in military history and in retirement he became an acclaimed and respected military historian writing a total of some 20 books. In particular his Companion Series which covered both individual battles and campaigns such as Waterloo, Trafalgar, Gettysburg and The Western Front are regarded as the definitive authorities on these events.

Regimentally he remained active as a member of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment Association and The Pompadour Officers’ Dinner Club. He was Deputy Honorary Colonel TA for Bedfordshire from 1997-99 and a member of the Regimental History Committee which published Aden to Afghanistan in 2014 where his knowledge of the intricacies and pitfalls of writing and publishing proved invaluable. He was also an active member of his local church.

Mark first marriage in 1959 to Ann Jones ended sadly with her untimely death in 1963. There was a daughter, Diana from this marriage; her son, Ben served with 3rd Battalion The Rifles.

In 1972 Mark married Sandhira Caulee who survives him. Their son, Robert, born in 1983 took a Short Service Commission in The King’s Royal Hussars before starting his career in business. He is married with two children.