Chris Keeble
Encyclopedia
Colonel
Christopher Patrick Benedict Keeble, DSO
, MSc, FCMI (born 14 November 1941) is a retired officer in the British Army
, most noted for his service in the Falklands War
of 1982.
He was born in Quetta
, British India. He was educated at Douai School, Berkshire and at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Royal Leicestershire Regiment in 1963. He joined the Parachute Regiment in 1971. During the Battle of Goose Green
, he inherited command of the 2nd Battalion of The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) when Lieutenant-Colonel H. Jones
was killed in action. Keeble (who held the rank
of Major
at the time), a devout Christian, took over command of the battalion at a stage where one in six of his men were killed or wounded, they were largely out of ammunition, had been without sleep for 40 hours and were vulnerable to a counter-attack. After kneeling alone in prayer amongst the burning gorse he took the actions which brought the battle to a successful conclusion (interview in video "Command and the Christian Faith", published by the Armed Forces Christian Union) and he accepted the surrender of the Argentine forces at Goose Green
on 29 May.
After the battle, despite sentiment among the soldiers of 2 PARA for him to remain in command, he was superseded by Lieutenant-Colonel David Robert Chaundler, who was flown in from Britain to take command of the battalion. After the war, Keeble was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order. He ended his military career as a colonel
in 1987.
He retired from duty in 1986 to establish a consultancy and lecturing practice providing instruction on balancing the "ethic of business transformation with the ethic of peoples’ flourishing".
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Christopher Patrick Benedict Keeble, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, MSc, FCMI (born 14 November 1941) is a retired officer in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, most noted for his service in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
of 1982.
He was born in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, British India. He was educated at Douai School, Berkshire and at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Royal Leicestershire Regiment in 1963. He joined the Parachute Regiment in 1971. During the Battle of Goose Green
Battle of Goose Green
The Battle of Goose Green was an engagement of the Falklands War between British and Argentine forces. Goose Green and its neighbour Darwin are settlements on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. They lie on Choiseul Sound on the east side of the island's central isthmus...
, he inherited command of the 2nd Battalion of The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) when Lieutenant-Colonel H. Jones
H. Jones
Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert Jones VC OBE, , known as H. Jones, was a British army officer and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross...
was killed in action. Keeble (who held the rank
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
at the time), a devout Christian, took over command of the battalion at a stage where one in six of his men were killed or wounded, they were largely out of ammunition, had been without sleep for 40 hours and were vulnerable to a counter-attack. After kneeling alone in prayer amongst the burning gorse he took the actions which brought the battle to a successful conclusion (interview in video "Command and the Christian Faith", published by the Armed Forces Christian Union) and he accepted the surrender of the Argentine forces at Goose Green
Goose Green
Goose Green is a settlement in Lafonia on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It lies on Choiseul Sound, on the east side of the island's central isthmus, south-southwest of Darwin. With a population of about 70, it is the second largest settlement of the Falkland Islands.Goose Green has a shop...
on 29 May.
After the battle, despite sentiment among the soldiers of 2 PARA for him to remain in command, he was superseded by Lieutenant-Colonel David Robert Chaundler, who was flown in from Britain to take command of the battalion. After the war, Keeble was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order. He ended his military career as a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in 1987.
He retired from duty in 1986 to establish a consultancy and lecturing practice providing instruction on balancing the "ethic of business transformation with the ethic of peoples’ flourishing".