Born in
Worcester,
Worcestershire, England, on 16 June 1915, the son of Thomas Henry Wheeler, Norman Wheeler was educated at Water Kloof House in South Africa, St Helen's College in
Southsea and the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Wheeler was
commissioned as a
second lieutenant into the
Royal Ulster Rifles of the
British Army in 1935. From 1937 to 1939 he served as an intelligence officer with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles in
Palestine during the
Arab revolt. During the
Second World War, Wheeler served as
adjutant to the regimental depot, and attended the
Staff College, Camberley. After serving as a
General Staff Officer Grade 3 with the
Canadian Corps, he was a
brigade major to the
38th (Irish) Brigade before serving with the
Special Operations Executive running operations in
Albania. He then returned to the 2nd Battalion of his regiment to fight in
North West Europe, from shortly after
D-Day landings in June 1944 until
Victory in Europe Day in May 1945. After the war Wheeler became assistant adjutant and quartermaster general for the
6th Airborne Division in Palestine during the
Palestine Emergency. He was appointed military assistant to
Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1949, a member of the UK Services Liaison Staff in Australia in 1951, and a member of the General Staff at Headquarters
Northern Army Group in 1954. In 1958 he was made
commanding officer of the 1st Battalion the Royal Ulster Rifles and deployed as part of the response to the
EOKA campaign in
Cyprus. He went on to be commander of the
39th Infantry Brigade at
Lisburn in 1959, chief of staff of the
I Corps in Germany in 1962, and
general officer commanding the
2nd Division in 1964. His last appointments were as chief of staff for Contingencies Planning at
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe from 1966 and as chief of staff at
British Army of the Rhine Headquarters from 1969, before retiring in 1971. In retirement Wheeler became deputy managing director of Associated Independent Stores. ==Family==