Major General James Robert Chiswell, CB, CBE, MC (born 29 March 1964) is a former British Army officer.

James Chiswell
Major General Chiswell in 2014
Born (1964-03-29) 29 March 1964 (age 60)
Berlin, Germany
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1983–2018
RankMajor General
Service number515950
CommandsUnited Kingdom Special Forces
1st (UK) Armoured Division
16 Air Assault Brigade
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Battles / warsSierra Leone Civil War
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Military Cross
Spouse(s)
Linda Metcalf
(m. 2006)

Early life and education

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Born in Berlin to Major General Peter Chiswell, James Chiswell was educated at Allhallows College and King's College London.[1]

Military career

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Chiswell was commissioned into the Parachute Regiment in 1983.[2][3] He took part in Operation Barras in Sierra Leone in September 2000 for which he was awarded the Military Cross.[4]

Chiswell became Commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment in 2004 and led his battalion in Iraq.[3] He was then sent to Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood as Assistant Chief of Staff with responsibility for current operations.[3] He went on to be Liaison Officer to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C. in 2008 and Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade in December 2008 seeing service as Commander Task Force Helmand when the brigade was deployed to Afghanistan in October 2010.[3] Chiswell was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in September 2011 in recognition of his service in Afghanistan.[5] He became General Officer Commanding 1st Armoured Division in October 2012[6] and Director Special Forces in 2015.[7] Chiswell was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2018 Birthday Honours.[8] Chiswell retired from the British Army on 22 September 2018.[9]

Personal life

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Chiswell married Linda Metcalf in 2006; they have one son and a daughter.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Chiswell, Maj. Gen. James Robert, (born 29 March 1964), General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Division (formerly 1st (UK) Armoured Division), 2012–15". Who's Who. 2013. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.257840.
  2. ^ "No. 49385". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1983. p. 7892.
  3. ^ a b c d "Major-General James Chiswell". Paradata. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  4. ^ "No. 57070". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 September 2003. p. 12067.
  5. ^ "No. 59924". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 September 2011. p. 18713.
  6. ^ "Army Commands" (PDF). 26 July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Jordan, UK discuss military cooperation". The Jordan Times. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  8. ^ "No. 62310". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 June 2018. p. B3.
  9. ^ "No. 62419". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 September 2018. p. 17067.
Military offices
Preceded by General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division
2012–2015
Succeeded by
Preceded by Director Special Forces
2015–2018
Succeeded by
  NODES
see 1