Tony Garrett
- October 24, 2017
- 99 years
About Tony Garrett
Tony Garrett, 99, British executive, chairman of Imperial Tobacco (1973-1979).
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Full Biography
|Richard Anthony Garrett CBE (4 July 1918 – 24 October 2017) was a British business executive, chairman of Imperial Tobacco (1973–1979).
He was born near Cardiff, grew up near Bristol, and educated at the King's School, Worcester.
He joined Imperial Tobacco in 1936, initially working as a junior at the Wills plant (W.D. & H.O. Wills being a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco) in Bristol.
Already a territorial soldier, Garrett was called up at the start of World War II, and commissioned into the 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars in January 1941. As a captain with the 22nd Dragoons, he participated in the Normandy landings, landing on D+2 and fighting across the Low Countries into Germany with his tank squadron.
He was chairman of John Player & Sons (also a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco) from 1968, and chairman of Imperial Tobacco from 1973 to 1979.
Cigarette advertising on television had been banned in the UK in 1965. Himself a keen sportsman, Garrett instead promoted tobacco products through sports sponsorship deals, attaching the John Player brand name to the John Player League in cricket and to rugby league and golf tournaments, and sponsoring the Lotus F1 racing team. Garrett also led Imperial Tobacco to sponsor classical music extensively, and collaborated in the founding of the Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts (later Arts & Business).
In June 1977, Garrett invited executives of the world's leading tobacco companies to a secret meeting at Shockerwick House to formulate a defensive strategy against anti-smoking health campaigns, a programme known as Operation Berkshire.
He was later chairman of the diary publisher Dataday, the Bath International Music Festival, and the National Association of Boys' Clubs (1980–1987). He was a trustee of the Royal Opera House and Glyndebourne.
He was appointed CBE in 1987.
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Articles & News
- "Tony Garrett, chairman of Imperial Tobacco – obituary"telegraph.co.uk
- "Tony Garrett, tobacco industry leader, 1918-2017"ft.com
Reported coverage of Tony Garrett; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Garrett
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Tony Garrett's archived record and the sources above.
1.Where did Richard Anthony Garrett host his secret meeting of tobacco executives?
- A.Shockerwick Housecorrect
- B.London Headquarters
- C.Bristol Plant
- D.The Royal Opera House
Richard Anthony Garrett invited tobacco executives to a secret meeting at Shockerwick House.
Source: Operation Berkshire section
2.What organization did Richard Anthony Garrett lead from 1980 to 1987?
- A.National Association of Boys' Clubscorrect
- B.Imperial Tobacco Alumni
- C.British Sports Federation
- D.The Bath Symphony
Richard Anthony Garrett was chairman of the National Association of Boys' Clubs from 1980 to 1987.
Source: later career section
3.Which diary publisher was chaired by Richard Anthony Garrett?
- A.Letts
- B.Collins
- C.Datadaycorrect
- D.Filofax
Richard Anthony Garrett was later chairman of the diary publisher Dataday.
Source: later career section
4.In what year was Richard Anthony Garrett appointed CBE?
- A.1990
- B.1979
- C.1995
- D.1987correct
Richard Anthony Garrett was appointed CBE in 1987.
Source: later career section
5.When did Richard Anthony Garrett die?
- A.4 July 2018
- B.24 October 2017correct
- C.1 January 2020
- D.14 July 2015
Richard Anthony Garrett passed away on 24 October 2017.
Source: biography introduction
6.When was Richard Anthony Garrett born?
- A.10 January 1920
- B.12 August 1915
- C.24 October 2017
- D.4 July 1918correct
Richard Anthony Garrett was born on 4 July 1918.
Source: biography introduction
7.Where was Richard Anthony Garrett born?
- A.London
- B.Worcester
- C.Bristol
- D.Near Cardiffcorrect
Richard Anthony Garrett was born near Cardiff.
Source: early life section
8.At which school was Richard Anthony Garrett educated?
- A.Bristol Grammar School
- B.Cardiff High School
- C.The King's School, Worcestercorrect
- D.Eton College
Richard Anthony Garrett was educated at the King's School, Worcester.
Source: early life section
9.In what year did Richard Anthony Garrett join Imperial Tobacco?
- A.1928
- B.1936correct
- C.1945
- D.1952
Richard Anthony Garrett joined Imperial Tobacco in 1936.
Source: early career section
10.What rank did Richard Anthony Garrett hold with the 22nd Dragoons?
- A.Colonel
- B.Lieutenant
- C.Captaincorrect
- D.Major
Richard Anthony Garrett served as a captain with the 22nd Dragoons.
Source: military service section
11.During which event did Richard Anthony Garrett land on D+2?
- A.Battle of the Bulge
- B.Invasion of Italy
- C.Normandy landingscorrect
- D.Operation Market Garden
Richard Anthony Garrett participated in the Normandy landings, landing on D+2.
Source: military service section
12.Which subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco did Richard Anthony Garrett chair starting in 1968?
- A.W.D. & H.O. Wills
- B.Dataday
- C.Imperial Life
- D.John Player & Sonscorrect
Richard Anthony Garrett was chairman of John Player & Sons from 1968.
Source: career section
13.What years did Richard Anthony Garrett serve as chairman of Imperial Tobacco?
- A.1980-1985
- B.1965-1971
- C.1970-1976
- D.1973-1979correct
Richard Anthony Garrett served as chairman of Imperial Tobacco from 1973 to 1979.
Source: career section
14.Which racing team did Richard Anthony Garrett sponsor?
- A.Lotus F1correct
- B.McLaren
- C.Williams
- D.Ferrari
Richard Anthony Garrett sponsored the Lotus F1 racing team.
Source: sponsorship section
15.What organization did Richard Anthony Garrett help found to support the arts?
- A.National Gallery Trust
- B.Association for Business Sponsorship of the Artscorrect
- C.Classical Music Foundation
- D.British Arts Council
Richard Anthony Garrett collaborated in the founding of the Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts.
Source: sponsorship section
16.What was the name of the secret 1977 meeting held by Richard Anthony Garrett?
- A.Operation Berkshirecorrect
- B.The Tobacco Summit
- C.Project Smoking Gun
- D.Shockerwick Strategy
The 1977 secret meeting to formulate a defensive strategy against anti-smoking campaigns was known as Operation Berkshire.
Source: Operation Berkshire section
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