Major-General William Euan Buchanan Loudon CBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 (born 1956) is a former 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...

 officer who commanded 2nd Division.

Military career

Loudon was commissioned into the Royal Highland Fusiliers

Royal Highland Fusiliers

The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....

 in 1974 and later commanded the 1st Battalion of his regiment. In 1991 he served in the Gulf War

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

 as the Chief of Staff of 7th Armoured Division (Desert Rats). He was appointed Commander of 39th Infantry Brigade

39th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

The British 39th Infantry Brigade was a military formation of the British Army that was first established during World War I and reformed in the 1950s.-World Wars:...

 in 1999, Chief of Staff at HQ Northern Ireland

HQ Northern Ireland

HQ Northern Ireland was the command formation responsible for the administration of all British Armed Forces stationed in and around Northern Ireland...

 in 2001 and General Officer Commanding

General Officer Commanding

General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...

 2nd Division and Governor of Edinburgh Castle in 2004 before he retired in 2007.

In retirement he became Producer of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and then Chief Executive of the St Andrews Links Trust

St Andrews Links

St Andrews Links in the town of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, is regarded as the "home of golf". It is one of the oldest courses in the world, where the game has been played since the 15th century...

.