Michael Walker, Baron Walker of Aldringham

The Lord Walker of Aldringham
Walker at the 2005 Sovereign's Day Parade at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
Born	7 July 1944 (1944-07-07) (age 67) Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1966–2006
Rank	General
Commands held	Royal Anglian Regiment 20th Armoured Brigade 2nd Infantry Division Eastern District Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Land Command Chief of the General Staff Chief of the Defence Staff
Battles/wars	Gulf War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Commander of the Order of the British Empire Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) (US)

General Michael John Dawson Walker, Baron Walker of Aldringham, GCB, CMG, CBE, ADC, DL (born 7 July 1944^[1]) is a retired British Army officer. Commissioned in 1966, he served in Cyprus, Northern Ireland, and in a variety of staff posts in the United Kingdom until 1984. After being given command of a battalion, he was mentioned in despatches for his service during a second tour of duty in Northern Ireland, this time in Derry, and subsequently served a tour on Gibraltar. He was promoted to brigadier, unusually having never held the rank of colonel, and took command of 20th Armoured Brigade in Germany before becoming I Corps chief of staff.

As a major general, Walker was appointed General Officer Commanding, Eastern District, before becoming Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff at the Ministry of Defence. He took command of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), which deployed to the Balkans in 1995, Walker becoming the first officer to command the land component of the NATO-led Implementation Force. For his service with the multi-national forces in the Balkans, he was awarded the American Legion of Merit. After relinquishing command of the ARRC, Walker spent three years as Commander in Chief, Land Command, before being appointed Chief of the General Staff—the professional head of the British Army—in 2000. In 2003, he was promoted to Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS)—the professional head of all the British Armed Forces. While CDS, Walker attracted controversy during the modernisation of the armed forces, over allegations of prisoner abuse during the Iraq War, and over comments that the media coverage of Iraq may have endangered British troops.

Walker retired in 2006 and was subsequently appointed Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a post he held until 2011. He is married and has three children.

Contents 1 Early and personal life 2 Early military career 3 High command 3.1 Honorary roles 4 Retirement 5 References

Early and personal life

Born in Salisbury in the British colony of Southern Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) to William Hampden Dawson Walker and Dorothy Helena Walker (née Shiach), Walker was educated both in Southern Rhodesia and in Yorkshire, first at Milton School, Bulawayo and then at Woodhouse Grove School, West Yorkshire.^[2] He spent 18 months teaching in a Preparatory School before joining the British Army. Walker married Victoria ("Tor", née Holme), in 1973 and the couple have three children—two sons and one daughter. He lists his interests as sailing, shooting, tennis, skiing and golf.^[1]

Early military career

After attending the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Walker was commissioned into the Royal Anglian Regiment as a second lieutenant on 29 July 1966.^[3] He served as a platoon commander with the 1st Battalion and was promoted to lieutenant on 29 January 1968.^[1][4] In 1969 he was posted to Cyprus for a two-year tour, and served in Northern Ireland during The Troubles,^[1] before attending the Staff College, Camberley.^[2] He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1972.^[5][6]

After serving in a staff position at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Walker was promoted to major at the end of 1976,^[7] and rejoined 1st Battalion, to become a company commander, based in Tidworth, Wiltshire. In 1979, he took up another staff post at the MoD, after which he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1982. Until 1985, he served as Military Assistant (MA) to the Chief of the General Staff.^[1] He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours List in December 1984.^[8]

In command of the 1st Battalion from 1985 to 1987,^[2] Walker served another tour in Northern Ireland, this time in Derry, and later a tour on Gibraltar.^[1] He was mentioned in despatches in 1987 "in recognition of gallant and distinguished service" in Northern Ireland.^[9] Unusually, Walker was promoted directly to brigadier at the end of 1987, without having held the rank of colonel.^[10] He took command of 20th Armoured Brigade, based in Germany, from 1987 to 1989, before holding the post of Chief of Staff, I Corps between 1989 and 1991.^[2]

High command

Walker attained general officer status with promotion to acting major general in 1991^[11] and took command of North East District and 2nd Infantry Division.^[12] Having served in the Gulf War, he was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) later in 1991.^[13] He was granted the substantive rank of major general on 2 December 1991, with seniority from 14 February 1991,^[14] going on to serve as General Officer Commanding of the Eastern District and then as Assistant Chief of the General Staff from 11 December 1992 to 3 October 1994.^[15][16]

On 8 December 1994, Walker was appointed commander of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), which had its headquarters in Rheindahlen, Germany, and promoted to acting lieutenant general.^[17] He was granted the substantive rank of lieutenant general on 15 March 1995,^[18] and knighted in the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours when he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.^[19] Under Walker's command, the ARRC deployed to the Balkans in December 1995. There, he became the first commander of the land component of the NATO-led Implementation Force (IFOR), until his return to the UK in November 1996.^[1] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George at the end of 1996.^[20]

Succeeded as COMARRC by Sir Mike Jackson,^[21] Walker was promoted to acting general and appointed Commander in Chief, Land Command on 27 January 1997.^[21] He was granted the substantive rank of general on 2 April 1997.^[22] In recognition of his service with IFOR between 1995 and 1996, Walker was awarded the American Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander), and granted unrestricted permission to wear the decoration, in May 1997.^[23] In September 1997, he was appointed Aide-de-Camp General to Queen Elizabeth II, succeeding General Sir Michael Rose,^[24] until he in turn was succeeded by General Sir Richard Dannatt.^[25] He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the New Year Honours List at the end of 1999.^[26]

Having served just over three years as Commander-in-Chief, Walker was appointed Chief of the General Staff (CGS)—the professional head of the British Army—on 17 April 2000, taking over from General Sir Roger Wheeler.^[1][27] He remained CGS for three years, after which he was promoted to Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS)—the professional head of all the British Armed Forces—on 2 May 2003, succeeding Royal Navy Admiral Sir Michael Boyce (later Lord Boyce).^[1][28] As CDS, Walker criticised some of the media coverage of British deployments in Iraq. In particular, he claimed that attacks on the Black Watch were "enhanced" due to news reports on their location. He went on to say that "[as a result of the media coverage], there could well have been a response by those who wished us ill to go and meet us with something like a bomb".^[29] His comments were rejected by a spokesman for the National Union of Journalists, who retaliated "When generals turn around and start blaming reporters for their own mistakes, it is a sign they aren't doing their own jobs properly".^[30] Also in 2004, Walker, along with General Sir Mike Jackson, then Chief of the General Staff, attracted controversy over reforms of the armed forces, which included the amalgamation of several army regiments to form larger regiments, leading to the loss of historic names.^[31]

In an interview with the BBC in October 2005, Walker suggested that the army's recruitment had been adversely affected by the Iraq War. He also commented on the war in Afghanistan, on which he said "There's a lot of work to be done, of which the military is only a very small part. Ten years, 15 years, long-term. This is not going to be solved in a short term".^[32] In the same month, he gave an interview for The Sunday Times, in which he said that soldiers' morale had been damaged by the unpopularity of the war among the British public.^[33] Later in 2005, Walker was instrumental in drawing up new procedures for the treatment of British service personnel accused of abusing Iraqi prisoners, following claims that the army had abandoned those soldiers charged in connection with the prisoner abuses.^[34] In February 2006, Walker headed up a military delegation to Bulgaria to discuss military cooperation between the British and Bulgarian governments.^[35]

Walker gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry on 1 February 2010, in which he spoke about funding for the invasion of Iraq and subsequent planning.^[36]

Honorary roles

Walker has held a variety of honorary and ceremonial roles in different regiments. He was granted the honorary titles of Colonel Commandant and Deputy Colonel of Queen's Division (of which the Royal Anglian Regiment is part) in April 1992^[37] and Honorary Colonel, 3rd Battalion Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) (Yorkshire Volunteers), in October 1993,^[38] which he relinquished on 30 June 1999.^[39] In 1994, he succeeded General Sir John Learmont as Colonel Commandant of the Army Air Corps and held the title until April 2004, when he was relieved by then Lieutenant General Richard Dannatt (later General Lord Dannatt).^[40][41] In 1997, he was appointed honorary Colonel, The Royal Anglian Regiment, in succession to Major General Patrick Stone, and was himself succeeded as Deputy Colonel by Brigadier John Sutherell.^[42] Sutherell, then a major general, went on to succeed Walker as Honorary Colonel in February 2000.^[43]

Retirement

Walker relinquished his appointment as Chief of the Defence Staff in April 2006 and retired from the Army, suceeded as CDS by Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup, Royal Air Force.^[12] In September 2006, Walker was appointed Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, holding the post until February 2011 when he resigned suddenly.^[44] On 24 November 2006, it was announced that he would receive a life peerage, and, on 19 December, he was created Baron Walker of Aldringham, of Aldringham in the county of Suffolk.^[12] He was given the ceremonial appointment of Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London in 2007.^[2]

References

Military offices
Preceded by Michael Rose	General Officer Commanding the 2nd Infantry Division 1991–1992	Succeeded by Division Disbanded (Post next held by Patrick Cordingley)
Preceded by Roger Wheeler	Assistant Chief of the General Staff 1992–1994	Succeeded by Timothy Granville-Chapman
Preceded by Sir Jeremy Mackenzie	Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps 1994–1997	Succeeded by Sir Michael Jackson
Preceded by Sir Roger Wheeler	Commander-in-Chief, Land Command 1997–2000	Succeeded by Sir Michael Jackson
Preceded by Sir Roger Wheeler	Chief of the General Staff 2000–2003	Succeeded by Sir Michael Jackson
Preceded by Sir Michael Boyce	Chief of the Defence Staff 2003–2006	Succeeded by Sir Jock Stirrup
Honorary titles
Preceded by Sir Jeremy Mackenzie	Governor, Royal Hospital Chelsea 2006–2011	Succeeded by Sir Redmond Watt

Chiefs of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom Sir William Dickson • Earl Mountbatten • Sir Richard Hull • Sir Charles Elworthy • Sir Peter Hill-Norton • Sir Michael Carver • Sir Andrew Humphrey • Sir Edward Ashmore • Sir Neil Cameron • Sir Terence Lewin • Sir Edwin Bramall • Sir John Fieldhouse • Sir David Craig • Sir Richard Vincent • Sir Peter Harding • Sir Peter Inge • Sir Charles Guthrie • Sir Michael Boyce • Sir Michael Walker • Sir Jock Stirrup • Sir David Richards

Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces and Chiefs of the General Staff of the British Army Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces Duke of Albemarle · Duke of Monmouth · Earl of Marlborough · Duke of Leinster · Duke of Marlborough · Duke of Ormonde · Earl of Stair · George Wade · Duke of Cumberland · Viscount Ligionier · Marquess of Granby · Lord Amherst · Henry Conway · Lord Amherst · Duke of York · Sir David Dundas · Duke of York · Duke of Wellington · Viscount Hill · Duke of Wellington · Viscount Hardinge · Duke of Cambridge · Viscount Wolseley · Earl Roberts Chief of the General Staff Sir Neville Lyttelton Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff Sir William Nicholson • Sir John French • Sir Charles Douglas • Sir James Murray • Sir Archibald Murray • Sir William Robertson • Sir Henry Wilson • The Earl of Cavan • Sir George Milne • Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd • Sir Cyril Deverell • The Viscount Gort • Sir Edmund Ironside • Sir John Dill • Sir Alan Brooke • The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein • Sir William Slim • Sir John Harding • Sir Gerald Templer • Sir Francis Festing • Sir Richard Hull Chiefs of the General Staff Sir Richard Hull • Sir James Cassels • Sir Geoffrey Baker • Sir Michael Carver • Sir Peter Hunt • Sir Roland Gibbs • Sir Edwin Bramall • Sir John Stanier • Sir Nigel Bagnall • Sir John Chapple • Sir Peter Inge • Sir Charles Guthrie • Sir Roger Wheeler • Sir Michael Walker • Sir Mike Jackson • Sir Richard Dannatt • Sir David Richards • Sir Peter Wall

Persondata
Name	Aldringham, The Lord Walker of
Alternative names
Short description	Army officer
Date of birth	1944-07-07
Place of birth	Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia
Date of death
Place of death