James Bashall
Major General Bashall in 2012
Born (1962-04-03) 3 April 1962 (age 62)
Marlborough, Wiltshire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1984–2018
RankLieutenant General
Commands heldHome Command
1st (UK) Armoured Division
1st Mechanized Brigade
2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan
Iraq War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Mentioned in Despatches

Lieutenant General James Ian Bashall, CB, CBE (born 3 April 1962) is a former British Army officer who served as Commander Home Command from 2015 to 2018. From 2019 to 2023 he was the National President of the Royal British Legion.

Early life and education

Bashall was born on 3 April 1962 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England.[1] He was educated at Marlborough College, a private boarding school.[2]

Military career

Bashall was commissioned in to the Parachute Regiment in 1984.[3] By 2002 he had become Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment[4] serving in Afghanistan.[5]

He commanded 1st Mechanized Brigade[6] based in Basra in Southern Iraq during Operation Telic in 2007.[7] He was appointed Director Army Division of the Defence Academy at Shrivenham in January 2009[2] and went on to be Chief of Joint Force Operations in December 2009:[8] in this capacity he masterminded the covert Special Air Service rescue operations across war-torn Libya in early 2011.[7] He became General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division in April 2011,[8] Chief of Staff, Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood in August 2012[9] and Commander Personnel and Support Command in June 2015 (his role was re-designated Commander Home Command in May 2016).[10][11][12] Bashall retired from the British Army on 27 October 2018.[13]

Later life

Bashall at the 75th anniversary of D-Day service in 2019

Bashall was appointed as the National President of the Royal British Legion in May 2019.[14] When appointed, Bashall said "It is an honour to be appointed as the National President of The Royal British Legion, a charity with an esteemed history, and one that plays a vital role in today’s Armed Forces community."[15] He served in his position until May 2023.[15]

References

  1. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007
  2. ^ a b "Welcome to Marlborough College – Marlborough College". 4 January 2016. Archived from the original on 15 December 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  3. ^ "No. 50179". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 July 1985. p. 9048.
  4. ^ Into the Afghan Minefield BBC News, 24 February 2002
  5. ^ Day the white tin hats met the Red Berets Daily Telegraph, 11 January 2002
  6. ^ The 'proxy war': UK troops are sent to Iranian border The Independent, 12 September 2007
  7. ^ a b Commander who led SAS rescue is hero of Iraq war Archived 14 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine Evening Standard, 28 February 2011
  8. ^ a b Handover of UK Armoured division takes place in Germany Archived 14 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine British Forces News, 1 April 2011
  9. ^ Defence Viewpoints; Promotions, leavers, new jobs; May 2012
  10. ^ "A new painting marks Army's relationship with Scotland over last 100 years". Ministry of Defence. 7 October 2005. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  11. ^ "Over 200 new Gurkhas join the ranks of the Brigade". Welcome to the Gurkha Brigade Association. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  12. ^ "No. 61301". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 July 2015. p. 13380.
  13. ^ "No. 62451". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 October 2018. p. 19634.
  14. ^ "Governance". Royal British Legion. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Our new National President and National Chairman". Royal British Legion. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
Military offices Preceded byAdrian Bradshaw General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division 2011–2012 Succeeded byJames Chiswell Preceded byGerald Berragan Commander Personnel and Support Command(re-designated Commander Home Command in 2016) 2015–2018 Succeeded byTyrone Urch
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