Mark Carnegie-Brown, brother of Neil Carnegie-Brown (H, 1951) and Adam Carnegie-Brown (H, 1953), and uncle of Bruce Carnegie-Brown (H, 1977) and Ian Carnegie-Brown (H, 1979), died peacefully on 1 August 2024, aged 87.

Mark joined the army (Scots Guards) straight after leaving College. The following is an abridged version of the obituary published by the Scots Guards.

Mark attended RMA Sandhurst from January 1956 to December 1957. He was posted initially to the Second Battalion in January 1958 as a Platoon Commander in Right Flank, in Chelsea Barracks.

From early 1962, Mark served for two years with 2SG in Kenya, having just got married in London prior to the Battalion’s move to Kenya. Later, while serving as No.1 Troop Commander, Guards Parachute Company based at Pirbright and Windsor, Mark had six months active service in Borneo in a Special Forces role operating out of base camp in Brunei.

In early 1967, he moved with the Second Battalion to join 24 Guards Brigade in Germany (based initially in Iserlohn and then in Munster) ending up commanding Left Flank. His high point there was a memorable large-scale exercise in the Libyan desert ending with each Company carrying out a live-firing Company attack with live fire support from tanks of 14/20 Hussars and Royal Artillery field guns.

From 1973 to1974, Mark commanded the Guards’ Parachute Company (the Company was later, in 1976, disbanded under Defence cuts with many of its members volunteering for transfer to ‘G’ Squadron SAS). In 1975 he was Battalion Second in Command back in 2SG, on active service in Belfast followed by a tour in Belize and then a six-month posting to the US Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia.

As a Lieutenant Colonel, he commanded 1SG, based at Chelsea Barracks from 1976 to 1979. 1977 was the Silver Jubilee year and consisted of a New Colours Parade presented by Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace followed by the Queen’s Birthday Parade. He then completed a highly successful tour of active service in Armagh, Northern Ireland, where he was awarded a Mentioned-in-Despatches.

Mark was promoted to Colonel in 1984. He served in the MOD and then in 1985 as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Gibraltar. This was followed by a stint in HQ UKLF based in Wilton and then as Chief of Staff to Major General Christopher Airey in Horse Guards. (He recalls his windows being blown
out by an IRA mortar attack on No.10 Downing Street while he was conducting a Heads of Department meeting!)

Retiring from the Army in September 1991, he spent the next eleven years working in The Mansion House in the City of London, initially as The City Marshal and then for the last five years as the Sword Bearer. On retirement from The Mansion House in 2002, he was awarded an OBE for services to the Mayoralty and to The Corporation of London.

Mark was predeceased by his beloved wife Jane and leaves behind his children Jonathan and Sarah, and his grandson Tom.