Redmond Watt
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Charles Redmond "Reddy" Watt KCB
, KCVO
, CBE
(born 1950) was Commander-in-Chief
at Land Command.
and Christ Church, Oxford
and was commissioned into the Welsh Guards
in 1972. He passed through the staff college
Camberley
in 1982, and also completed the Higher Command and Staff Course
.
Watt was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on 30 June 1988 and was commanding officer
of the 1st Battalion
, Welsh Guards
from 1990 to 1992.
He was promoted to brigadier
30 June 1993 and served as commanding officer
of the 3rd Infantry Brigade from 1994 to 1995, and was then appointed Director of Studies and Deputy Commandant
(Land) of the Joint Service Command and Staff College in 1997. On 17 August 1998 he was promoted to Major-General and became General Officer Commanding
the 1st (UK) Armoured Division.
He became Major-General commanding the Household Division
and General Officer Commanding
London District
in 2000 in which capacity he had a significant role in the funeral
of HM the Queen Mother
in 2002.
In 2003 he became Commander Field Army
at Land Command. In 2005 he was appointed General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland
: in this role he advocated long-term planning and indicated that such lessons might be applied to Iraq
.
From 2006 to 2008 he was Commander-in-Chief, Land Command.
in 1996. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2004 on relinquishing his appointment commanding the Household Division. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 2008. He retired from the Army in early 2008.
of the charity
Combat Stress. In 2011 he also became Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Sir Charles Redmond "Reddy" Watt KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, 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 1950) was Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
at Land Command.
Army career
Reddy Watt was educated at Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
and was commissioned into the Welsh Guards
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
in 1972. He passed through the staff college
Staff college
Staff colleges train military officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career...
Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
in 1982, and also completed the Higher Command and Staff Course
Higher Command and Staff Course
The Higher Command and Staff Course is a staff course for senior military officers of the United Kingdom armed forces and allies. It is taught at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom....
.
Watt was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on 30 June 1988 and was commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the 1st Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, Welsh Guards
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
from 1990 to 1992.
He was promoted to brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
30 June 1993 and served as commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the 3rd Infantry Brigade from 1994 to 1995, and was then appointed Director of Studies and Deputy Commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
(Land) of the Joint Service Command and Staff College in 1997. On 17 August 1998 he was promoted to Major-General and became 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...
the 1st (UK) Armoured Division.
He became Major-General commanding the Household Division
Major-General commanding the Household Division
The Major-General commanding the Household Division commands the troops of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He is also General Officer Commanding London District.-Recent Commanders:The holders of this office include:...
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...
London District
London District (British Army)
London District is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. Established in 1870 as Home District, it was re-formed in 1905 as London District to be an independent district within the larger command structure of the army, and has remained so...
in 2000 in which capacity he had a significant role in the funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
of HM the Queen Mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
in 2002.
In 2003 he became Commander Field Army
Commander Field Army (United Kingdom)
The Commander Field Army was a senior British Army officer who had command over the Deployable Divisions of the British Army i.e. those divisions on full strength...
at Land Command. In 2005 he was appointed General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
: in this role he advocated long-term planning and indicated that such lessons might be applied to 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....
.
From 2006 to 2008 he was Commander-in-Chief, Land Command.
Awards
He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, then promoted to CommanderOrder 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...
in 1996. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2004 on relinquishing his appointment commanding the Household Division. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 2008. He retired from the Army in early 2008.
Later career
In retirement he has become PresidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
Combat Stress. In 2011 he also became Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
Royal Hospital Chelsea
The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, located in the Chelsea region of central London, now the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a true hospital in the original sense of the word,...
.