Redmond Watt

Last updated

Sir Redmond Watt
Born1950 (age 7374)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1972–2008
Rank General
Service number 494336
Unit Welsh Guards
Commands held Land Command
HQ Northern Ireland
Field Army
London District
1st (UK) Armoured Division
3rd Infantry Brigade
1st Battalion, Welsh Guards
Battles/wars Operation Banner
Bosnian War
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Commander of the Order of the British Empire

General Sir Charles Redmond "Reddy" Watt, KCB , KCVO , CBE , DL (born 1950) is a retired senior British Army officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, Land Command from 2006 to 2008. He was also the Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 2011 to 2018.

Contents

Military career

Reddy Watt was educated at Eton College 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. Promoted to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1988, he became commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards in 1990. He was promoted to brigadier on 30 June 1993 and served as commander of the 3rd Infantry Brigade from 1994 to 1995, was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996, and was then made 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, which deployed to Bosnia as Headquarters Multi-National Division (South-West). [1]

Watt 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 the Queen Mother in 2002. [2] He became Commander Field Army in 2003, and was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2004. 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. [3] From 2006 to 2008 he was Commander-in-Chief, Land Command. [4] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 2008, and retired from the army later that year. [4]

Later career

In retirement Watt has become President of the charity Combat Stress. [5] In 2011 he also became Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. [6] He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Berkshire. [7]

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References

  1. 1 (UK) Armoured Division Global Security
  2. The Funeral Procession – Who's who
  3. Northern Ireland holds Iraq lessons Washington Times, 24 October 2006
  4. 1 2 Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  5. How Telegraph readers helped tackle the mental health problems of our servicemen The Daily Telegraph, 25 March 2009
  6. Chelsea Pensioners News
  7. "Vice Lord-Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenants". Berkshire Lieutenancy. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
Military offices
Preceded by General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division
1998–2000
Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander Multi-National Division (South-West), Bosnia
1998–1999
Succeeded by
Preceded by General Officer Commanding London District
2000–2003
Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander Field Army
2003–2005
Succeeded by
Preceded by General Officer Commanding British Army in Northern Ireland
2005–2006
Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, Land Command
2006–2008
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Governor, Royal Hospital Chelsea
2011–2018
Succeeded by