LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR EDWARD IAN CLAUD JACOB
GBE, CB, Commander US Legion of Merit

Born 27th September 1899 - Died 24th September 1993

 

 

The only son of Field Marshal Sir Claud William Jacob, he was born at Quetta, India (now in Pakistan) on 27th September 1899, and died on 24th September 1993. He was known as Ian Jacob. On 27th August 1924 he married Cecil Bisset Treherne, daughter of Surgeon Major-General Sir Francis Harper Treherne KCMG. Cecil was born on 7th January 1902 and died on 1th January 1991. They had two sons:

He trained as an officer at the Staff College, Camberley (where he passed his examinations with record marks) and later at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich. He also studied at King's College, Cambridge.

He served as Military Assistant Secretary to the War Cabinet for the duration of WWII. He implemented Churchill's communications during his thirteen wartime journeys outside of the United Kingdom. He was much valued by Churchill, who promoted him from Colonel to Lieutenant-General over the course of the war.

After the war he sought employment with the BBC. He was appointed Controller of European Services following his retirement in 1946 from the army. In 1947 he was appointed Director of the restructured Overseas Service in which position he continued until 1952. In 1950 he helped to establish the European Broadcasting Union and served as its first President until 1960.

Churchill was reelected in 1951 and in addition to being Prime Minister took the office of Secretary of State for Defence. He immediately asked William Haley to second Ian from the BBC to use him in an advisory role, this time under the title of Chief Staff Officer. In 1952 Haley announced he was to leave the BBC to become editor of the Times. Ian was the prefferred choice to succeed him, not least by the BBC staff. As he was still officially seconded to the Ministry of Defence, Sir Basil Nichols was made acting Director-General of the BBC until Ian could be released back to the BBC. He was made DG on December 1952.

He was a great fan of television, although many BBC staff were not. This was a time of financial prosperity for the BBC. His approach policy towards news coverage was not always popular with the government. Anthony Eden objected to the BBC's coverage of reporting of the 1956 Suez Crisis. Ian refused to compromise: " If the BBC is found for the first time to be surpressing significant items of news, its reputation would rapidly vanish and the harm to the national interest would enormlously outweigh any damage caused by displaying to the world the workings of a free democracy." Eden responded by cutting the budget of the Overseas Service. However this punitive measure was lifted after Eden's resignation in 1957.

Ian was replaced as DG in 1960 by Hugh Carleton Greene. His retirement date was 31st December 1959. The following day he was made GBE in the New Year's Honours.

He was co-author (along with amongst others Lord Ismay) of the 1963 report on the Central Program of Defence. He was a trustee of the Imperial War Museum between 1966-1973, and a councillor in Suffolk for two periods (1960-1969 and 1974-1977).

On a personal level, I knew Ian and met him at his house in Woodbridge on several occasions. He was a charming, likeable and highly intelligent man.

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