James Chiswell

Former British Army officer

James Chiswell

Major General Chiswell in 2014

Born|  (1964-03-29) 29 March 1964 (age 60)
Berlin, Germany
Allegiance| United Kingdom
Service / branch| British Army
Years of service| 1983–2018
Rank| Major General
Service number| 515950
Commands| United Kingdom Special Forces
1st (UK) Armoured Division
16 Air Assault Brigade
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Battles / wars| Sierra Leone Civil War
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
Awards| Companion of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Military Cross
Spouse(s)|

Linda Metcalf

(m. 2006)​

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

## Early life and education

[edit]

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

## Military career

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

## Medals and Awards

[edit]

Ribbon | Description | Notes

|
|

| Companion of the Order of the Bath | Appointed into the Order in 2018
| Commander of the Order of the British Empire | Appointed into the Order in 2011
| Military Cross | Awarded in 2000
| UN Medal for Cyprus |
| General Service Medal (1962) |
| UN Protection Force for the Former Yugoslavia
| Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone |
| Iraq Medal |
| Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan |
| Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal |
| Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
| Accumulated Campaign Service Medal |

## References

[edit]

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

James Bashall

|  General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division
2012–2015  | Succeeded by

Giles Hill

Preceded by

Mark Carleton-Smith

|  Director Special Forces
2015–2018  | Succeeded by

Roland Walker
*[m.]: married