Richard Holmes (military historian)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edward Richard Holmes CBE TD JP (born March 29, 1946), known as Richard Holmes, is a British soldier and noted military historian, particularly well-known through his many television appearances.

Holmes was educated at the University of Cambridge, as well as Northern Illinois University and the University of Reading.

In 1964, he enlisted in the Territorial Army, the part-time volunteer reserve organisation of the British Army. Two years later he gained his commission. He spent most of his career in the Territorial Army with the 5th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Queen's Regiment, a NATO-centred infantry battalion.

Between 1969 and 1985, he was a member of the Department of War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, leaving to take command of the 2nd Battalion, The Wessex Regiment. He was promoted Colonel when he chose to give up full-time service in 1986. In that same year, he was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) (Military Division).

In 1990, he became Director of Cranfield University's Security Studies Institute. In February 1994, he was appointed Brigadier TA at Headquarters Land Command. In 1995, he became Professor of Military and Security Studies at Cranfield.

From 1997 to 2000, he was Director Reserve Forces and Cadets, as well as having the distinguished honour of being Britain's senior serving reservist. In 1998, he was raised to Commander of the British Empire (CBE) (Civil Division). In September 1999, he became Colonel of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, whose Colonel-in-Chief is Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

He has written over a dozen books, from Firing Line to his Redcoat from the colour of British Army uniforms of that period. His television works include documentary series on the American Revolution and Battlefield, a series concentrating on the bloody battles of World War II. His War Walks television series has been regularly repeated on British terrestrial and digital television channels, including BBC2 and UKTV History. One of his most compelling documentary series was Wellington: The Iron Duke, in which he chronicled the Duke's life, travelling to India, Waterloo and numerous other locations in a quest to truly reveal what the man was really like.

He used a similar format in his series, In the Footsteps of Churchill, a documentary on Winston Churchill. In this, he travelled all across the world, including South Africa, Sudan, Egypt and various locations in the United Kingdom and Europe. He also wrote a book to accompany the series. Both the book and the television series have received much critical acclaim.

In the BBC poll to find the 100 Greatest Britons, he presented the programme on Oliver Cromwell.

Holmes lives in Hampshire with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time he continues to sit as a Justice of the Peace for North-East Hampshire.

[edit] Bibiliography

• Firing Line
• Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket
• Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front