David J. Richards

Sir David Richards, 2012

David Julian Richards, Baron Richards of Herstmonceux , GCB , CBE , DSO (born March 4, 1952 ) is a former general in the British Army and currently a member of the House of Lords .

Life

David Richards went to school in Eastbourne . He is married and has two children.

Military career

In 1971, Richards began his military career in the artillery. He graduated from Cardiff University in 1974 with a degree in international relations. With the artillery he was stationed in the Far East, Germany, UK and Northern Ireland. In 1974 he became a lieutenant and in 1977 a captain . In 1984 he attended the General Staff Academy in Camberley . He was with the Berlin Brigade for two years . After further promotions, he joined the United Kingdom Department of Defense in 1994 . In 1995 he became a brigadier . In 1999 he commanded a unit in East Timor, and in 2000 in Sierra Leone. As a result, he also had to take part in an operation in the civil war in Sierra Leone , where he supported Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in the defense of Freetown against the Revolutionary United Front . In 2001 he took on a leadership role in the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps . After further promotions, he took command of ISAF from 2006 to 2007 . From 2008 to 2009 was the Commander of the British Land Forces and from 2009 to 2010 Chief of the General Staff. He was then Chief of Defense Staff from 2010 until his retirement in 2013. He was succeeded in this office by Nicholas Houghton .

House of Lords

On February 24, 2014, Richards was inducted into the House of Lords as a Life Peer with the title Baron Richards of Herstmonceux , of Emsworth in the County of Hampshire . He's sitting there as a crossbencher .

Awards

For his assignment in Northern Ireland he got the Mentioned in Despatches . For use in East Timor, he became Commander of the Order of the British Empire . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his assignment in Sierra Leone . In 2002 he received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal from the Queen . For use in Afghanistan he was knighted as Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 2007 . In 2008 the Queen gave him the title of Aide-de-camp .

Web links

• Lieutenant General Sir David Richards KCB CBE DSO Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ( Memento January 18, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
• mod.uk (English)
• www.bbc.co.uk (English)
• www.bbc.co.uk (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Richard Dannatt	Chief of the General Staff 2009-2010	Peter Wall
Sir Jock Stirrup	Chief of the Defense Staff 2010-2013	Sir Nicholas Houghton