Giles Hill
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1989–2021
RankLieutenant General
Commands held1st (United Kingdom) Division
16 Air Assault Brigade
1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Battles/warsOperation Banner
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States)
NATO Meritorious Service Medal

Lieutenant General Giles Patrick Hill, CB, CBE is a retired senior British Army officer. He commanded the 1st (United Kingdom) Division from 2015 to 2017, was Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Defence Engagement) from 2017 to 2019, and served as the Deputy Commander of NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan from 2019 until December 2020.[1]

Early life and education

Hill was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England.[2] He was educated at Lawnswood School, a state secondary school in Leeds.[3]

Military career

Hill served for two years as a private with the 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, before being accepted into the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1989.[3] He was commissioned into the Parachute Regiment in 1990,[3] and served several tours in Northern Ireland as part of Operation Banner in the 1990s. He commanded A Company of 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment during Operation Telic in Iraq,[3] for which he was awarded a Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service,[4] and then became commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment on operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.[3]

Hill went on to be commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade in May 2011,[5] and Deputy Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in 2013.[6] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2014 Birthday Honours,[7] and became General Officer Commanding 1st (United Kingdom) Division in April 2015.[8] He became Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Defence Engagement) in April 2017.[9] Hill was promoted to lieutenant general on 19 October 2019 and assumed the appointment of Deputy Commander Resolute Support Mission.[10] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2021 New Year Honours,[11] and retired on 30 November 2021.[12]

In January 2022, Hill was appointed as Honorary Colonel of 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Lieutenant General Nicola Zanelli from Italy becomes the new Deputy Commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan". NATO. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Hill, Maj. Gen. Giles Patrick, General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Division, since 2015". Who's Who 2020. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2019. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U282136.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Homecoming of a Yorkshire general". The Press. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  4. ^ "No. 57100". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 October 2003. p. 8.
  5. ^ "Army Commands" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  6. ^ "British Paras form elite force with US". Daily Express. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  7. ^ "No. 60895". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2014. p. b6.
  8. ^ "York gets a new major general". Northern Echo. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Generals: April 2017" (PDF). Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  10. ^ "No. 62803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 October 2019. p. 18914.
  11. ^ "No. 63218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N2.
  12. ^ "No. 63542". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 November 2021. p. 21618.
  13. ^ "No. 63616". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 February 2022. p. 2664.
Military offices Preceded byJames Chiswell General Officer Commanding 1st (United Kingdom) Division 2015–2017 Succeeded byRalph Wooddisse
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