VE Day 2025

Story of Colonel Maxwell Embury OBE, MBE, DL

Resident at the Mallands Residential Care Home, Newton Abbot

Colonel Maxwell Dennis (Max) Embury, a former Commandant of Devon Army Cadet Force (ACF), recently celebrated his 100th birthday on 3rd March 2025.

A special celebration was laid on for Colonel Max at the Mallands Care Home in Abbotskerswell, where he now resides, with current ACF members attending, along with the Deputy Lieutenant of Devon, Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Peter Ridgway, KBE, CB, KStJ, DL., who presented Max with his card from the King.

The Colonel has had a long association with both the British Army and the Cadets, having joined the British National Cadet Force, forerunner to the ACF, as a Cadet in Newton Abbot in 1939 at the age of fourteen. He rapidly rose through the ranks to become Cadet Company Sergeant Major and was subsequently appointed Under Officer. 

Called up for war service in 1943, his subsequent service with the Life Guards from 1943 through to November 1947 took him to North Africa, Algeria and Italy, where, in an armoured reconnaissance regiment for 5th Corps, he participated in numerous well-known engagements.

After being released from World War 2 service, he returned to the ACF. He was appointed to a commission as Officer Commanding 'A' Platoon, 4th Cadet Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, before taking duties as Battalion Second-in-Command and later serving twelve years as the Battalion Commander.

In 1952 he commanded a guard of honour for the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Newton Abbot. The event took place on 2nd July when Col Embury was asked to escort the new Queen on the red carpet as she alighted the train and to Courtenay Park where 150 Cadets from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force were assembled. Recalling the event he said, 'Training for the Cadets had been going on for six months before the visit and included marching from the barracks through Newton Abbot to Courtenay Park. The Queen said she would inspect the Cadets and afterwards asked me to commend them for the quality of their attendance, movement and smartness.'

In 1957 Max received Army Cadet Force Certificate of Good Service and in 1965 was awarded an MBE.

Appointed County Training Officer in 1967, he was responsible for the complete re-organisation of the training syllabus and for setting up the new county training centre, before being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and appointed as Deputy Commandant (Training).

In 1980 Max was promoted to full Colonel rank and to the post of County Commandant, Devon Army Cadet Force, the first ACF officer to hold the appointment. 

Colonel Max finally retired as an active officer in the ACF in 1984 and was appointed OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours of that year. However, he continued his association with the ACF, serving for four years as Chair of the Southwest Sports Committee until 1988. In 1985 he was appointed Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Devon, an appointment which he still proudly holds.  

Article from the Mid Devon Advertiser