Life Story
Early Life and Family
Robert Elliott Urquhart was born to parents Isobel and Alexander,
both of Scottish heritage but by the time of his birth living in London.
His father is listed as a physician and surgeon on the 1911 census.
Roy grew up in a disciplined, professional household, which
likely inuenced his methodical approach to life and leadership.
He was educated at Stowe School and later attended the Royal Military
College, Sandhurst, where he trained to become a British Army ofcer.
Military Service
Urquhart was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the 1st
Battalion, Highland Light Infantry on 24 December 1920. He was
promoted to lieutenant on 24 December 1922 and to captain
on 26 March 1929. From 1933 to 1936, he served with the 2nd
Battalion while stationed in Malta, where he also held the role
of adjutant. During this period, he became friends with the actor
David Niven, who later described him in his autobiography The
Moon’s a Balloon as “a serious soldier of great charm and warmth.”
Urquhart attended the Staff College at Camberley from 1936 to 1937
before returning to the 2nd Battalion, then commanded by Lieutenant-
Colonel Horatio Berney-Ficklin, which was deployed in Palestine
during the Arab revolt. On 1 August 1938, he was promoted to major
and subsequently sent out to India as a staff ofcer. In May 1939,
he was appointed Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General at Army
Headquarters in India.