Peter Wall (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Peter Anthony Wall, KCB, CBE, ADC Gen.
is a senior British Army
officer, currently the Chief of the General Staff
, the professional head of the British Army.
Wall had previously been the Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces from August 2009 to September 2010. He succeeded General Sir David Richards as Chief of the General Staff in September 2010, the latter going on a month later to be Chief of the Defence Staff
.
and Selwyn College, Cambridge
, Wall graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
in April 1974 with his commission being confirmed in December 1974, with effect from 9 March the same year. After a short period of military duties, Wall studied engineering at Cambridge University, before joining airborne forces and going on to serve with the Royal Engineers in Belize
and Rhodesia
. Wall was promoted to captain
on 9 September 1980. He was appointed Chief of Staff of 5 Airborne Brigade, before commanding 9 Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers. He was then appointed Commanding Officer of 32 Engineer Regiment in Germany, deploying on operations to Bosnia. He was promoted to major on 30 September 1987 and lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1992. Promoted to colonel on 30 June 1996, he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
in November the same year. Unusually, given the length and timing of his career, Wall does not hold the General Service Medal (1962)
suggesting that he did not serve in Northern Ireland at any point during The Troubles
.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on in 1994 and promoted to Brigadier
on December 31, 1998 with seniority form 30 June 1998 before assuming command of 24 Airmobile Brigade in 1999. He was responsible for converting the formation into 16 Air Assault Brigade later that year.
, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) at the end of the year. Wall went on to serve as Chief of Staff of the National Contingent HQ in Qatar, overseeing UK operations in Iraq, from January 2003.
In May 2003 Wall assumed the appointment of General Officer Commanding
1st (UK) Armoured Division, in which capacity he was responsible for security in Basra
in Iraq
, and promoted to the substantive rank of major-general
prior to being appointed Colonel Commandant, Corps of Royal Engineers in November 2003. In 2005, he became Deputy Chief of Joint Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters Northwood
and, on 1 August 2007, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Commitments) and promoted to lieutenant-general.
He succeeded General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue
as Chief Royal Engineer
on 10 May 2009 before taking up the post of Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces and promotion to the substantive rank of general
on 17 July 2009, as well as being appointed Aide-de-Camp General
to Queen Elizabeth II on 30 October 2009.
Wall was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
On January 6, 2010, Wall gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry in which he claimed that troops were vulnerable in their base at Basra Palace.
In May 2010, Wall was listed amongst the top 172 government servants that earn more than the Prime Minister, with a salary of £160-165,000, excluding his non-contributory final salary pension.
On the 29 July 2010, Wall was named as the next Chief of the General Staff
, the professional head of the British Army
. On 15 September 2010 Wall took over from General Sir David Richards who later became Chief of the Defence Staff
in late October 2010.
Wall was succeeded in his former post of Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces by Lt General Sir Nick Parker, formerly the Deputy Commander of NATO and ISAF
troops in Afghanistan
who was promoted to the substantive rank of General
.
On June 24, 2011, The Telegraph newspaper reported that Wall, who publicly questioned Prime Minister David Cameron
's handling conflicts in Libya
and/or Afghanistan
, will lose his position on the Defence Board, the highest non-ministerial Ministry of Defence committee, which makes decision on all aspect of military policy.
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General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Sir Peter Anthony Wall, KCB, CBE, ADC Gen.
Aide-de-Camp General
One of the several categories of aides de camp to the Monarch in the United Kingdom is styled Aide de Camp General.These are honorary appointments for senior British Army generals, first made in 1910. There were originally four, but the number was reduced to three in 1988...
is a senior 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, currently the Chief of the General Staff
Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)
Chief of the General Staff has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board...
, the professional head of the British Army.
Wall had previously been the Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces from August 2009 to September 2010. He succeeded General Sir David Richards as Chief of the General Staff in September 2010, the latter going on a month later to be Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister...
.
Army career
Educated at Whitgift SchoolWhitgift School
Whitgift School is an independent day school educating approximately 1,400 boys aged 10 to 18 in South Croydon, London in a parkland site.- History and grounds :...
and Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College is a constituent college in the University of Cambridge in England, United Kingdom.The college was founded by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of the Rt Reverend George Selwyn , who rowed on the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829, and went on to become the...
, Wall graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
in April 1974 with his commission being confirmed in December 1974, with effect from 9 March the same year. After a short period of military duties, Wall studied engineering at Cambridge University, before joining airborne forces and going on to serve with the Royal Engineers in Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
and Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
. Wall was promoted to captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
on 9 September 1980. He was appointed Chief of Staff of 5 Airborne Brigade, before commanding 9 Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers. He was then appointed Commanding Officer of 32 Engineer Regiment in Germany, deploying on operations to Bosnia. He was promoted to major on 30 September 1987 and lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1992. Promoted to colonel on 30 June 1996, he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
The Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service is a British military award that recognises meritorious service during, or in support of, operations...
in November the same year. Unusually, given the length and timing of his career, Wall does not hold the General Service Medal (1962)
General Service Medal (1962)
The General Service Medal , was introduced in 1962 to combine the General Service Medal , as awarded to the Army and RAF, and the Naval General Service Medal...
suggesting that he did not serve in Northern Ireland at any point during The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on in 1994 and promoted to Brigadier
Brigadier (United Kingdom)
Brigadier is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines.Brigadier is the superior rank to Colonel, but subordinate to Major-General....
on December 31, 1998 with seniority form 30 June 1998 before assuming command of 24 Airmobile Brigade in 1999. He was responsible for converting the formation into 16 Air Assault Brigade later that year.
High command
In 2001 he became Chief of Joint Force Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters NorthwoodPermanent Joint Headquarters
The Permanent Joint Headquarters is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London....
, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) at the end of the year. Wall went on to serve as Chief of Staff of the National Contingent HQ in Qatar, overseeing UK operations in Iraq, from January 2003.
In May 2003 Wall assumed the appointment of 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...
1st (UK) Armoured Division, in which capacity he was responsible for security in Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, and promoted to the substantive rank of major-general
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
prior to being appointed Colonel Commandant, Corps of Royal Engineers in November 2003. In 2005, he became Deputy Chief of Joint Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters Northwood
Permanent Joint Headquarters
The Permanent Joint Headquarters is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London....
and, on 1 August 2007, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Commitments) and promoted to lieutenant-general.
He succeeded General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue
Kevin O'Donoghue
General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue KCB, CBE is a retired British Army officer and former Chief of Defence Materiel. He retired from the service in December 2010, being succeeded as Chief of Defence Materiel by Bernard Gray.-Career:...
as Chief Royal Engineer
Chief Royal Engineer
The Chief Royal Engineer is the official head of the Corps of Royal Engineers. He was also the professional head of the Corps until 1941, when that role was moved to that of the Engineer-in-Chief.-Origin and development:...
on 10 May 2009 before taking up the post of Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces and promotion to the substantive rank of general
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
on 17 July 2009, as well as being appointed Aide-de-Camp General
Aide-de-Camp General
One of the several categories of aides de camp to the Monarch in the United Kingdom is styled Aide de Camp General.These are honorary appointments for senior British Army generals, first made in 1910. There were originally four, but the number was reduced to three in 1988...
to Queen Elizabeth II on 30 October 2009.
Wall was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
On January 6, 2010, Wall gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry in which he claimed that troops were vulnerable in their base at Basra Palace.
In May 2010, Wall was listed amongst the top 172 government servants that earn more than the Prime Minister, with a salary of £160-165,000, excluding his non-contributory final salary pension.
On the 29 July 2010, Wall was named as the next Chief of the General Staff
Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)
Chief of the General Staff has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board...
, the professional head of 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...
. On 15 September 2010 Wall took over from General Sir David Richards who later became Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister...
in late October 2010.
Wall was succeeded in his former post of Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces by Lt General Sir Nick Parker, formerly the Deputy Commander of NATO and ISAF
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
troops in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
who was promoted to the substantive rank of General
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
.
On June 24, 2011, The Telegraph newspaper reported that Wall, who publicly questioned Prime Minister David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
's handling conflicts in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and/or Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, will lose his position on the Defence Board, the highest non-ministerial Ministry of Defence committee, which makes decision on all aspect of military policy.
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Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) | (2009) |
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Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) | (2001) |
| Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) | (1994) | |
| NATO Medal for ISAF NATO Medal The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . It is manufactured by Eekelers - Centini, International, of Hemiksem, Belgium... |
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Iraq Medal Iraq Medal (United Kingdom) The Iraq Medal was a campaign medal for issue to Officers and Other Ranks of the British Armed Forces, and others, who served on, or in support of, Operation TELIC - the designation for British operations during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and its aftermath.... |
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Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II... |
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| Rhodesia Medal Rhodesia Medal The Rhodesia Medal was initiated by the British Government in consultation with Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Kenya, whose forces took part in Operation AGILA,... |
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