John Kiszely
| Sir John Kiszely KCB MC | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Panton Kiszely |
| Born | 2 April 1948 |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| Years of service | 1969–2008 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held |
1st Bn Scots Guards 7th Armoured Brigade 1st (UK) Armoured Division Regional Forces |
| Battles/wars |
Falklands War Bosnian war Iraq War |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Military Cross Mention in Dispatches Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service Legion of Merit (United States) |
Lieutenant General Sir John Panton Kiszely KCB MC (born 2 April 1948) was Director of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. He is a former National President of The Royal British Legion, having resigned over allegations that he had said to undercover journalists that he was able to lobby government defence ministers.
Early life
Kiszely was born on 2 April 1948, the son of Dr John Kiszely. He has a sister, Melinda. He was educated at Marlborough College.
Military career
On 20 December 1968, having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Kiszely was commissioned into the Scots Guards as a second lieutenant. He was given the service number 486680.[1] He served with the regiment as a platoon commander, company commander and commanding officer in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Germany, Cyprus and the Falkland Islands.[2]
He became commanding officer of 1st Battalion the Scots Guards in 1986 and, following various other military appointments, took command of 7th Armoured Brigade in early 1993. In 1996 he was appointed General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division and served as Commander of the Multi-National Division (South-West) in Bosnia.[3]
In September 1998 Kiszely was appointed Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Resource and Plans) at the Ministry of Defence.[4] In 2002 he was appointed Commander of Regional Forces at Land Command[2] and in 2004 he was deployed as Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq.[2] In 2005 he took up his post as Director of the Defence Academy.[2] He retired from this post on 30 May 2008.[5]
Later life
In December 2008 Kiszely was appointed as the new National President of The Royal British Legion. He took over the role from Air Marshal Ian Macfadyen CB OBE FRAeS who recommended him for the post.[6] He resigned this post on 15 October 2012 as a result of allegations that he had said to undercover journalists that he was able to lobby government defence ministers.[7]
On 14 December 2009, Kiszely gave evidence to The Iraq Inquiry in which he claimed that American officials had refused to admit that they were dealing with an insurgency in Iraq.[8]
Honours and decorations
Kiszely was awarded the Military Cross for an action during the Battle of Mount Tumbledown during the Falklands War.[9]
Family
Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely is married with three children.[10]
References
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44774. p. 1000. 24 January 1969. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Oxford Leverhulme Biography
- ↑ SFOR
- ↑ NATO/SFOR Informer
- ↑ Lieutenant General Andrew Graham takes over from Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszley
- ↑ Royal British Legion appoints new National President Royal British Legion, 15 December 2008
- ↑ "Inquiry into Legion lobby claim". BBC. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
- ↑ "US would not 'admit' the insurgency in post-war Iraq". BBC News (BBC). 15 December 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49134. p. 12846. 8 October 1982. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ↑ The peerage.com
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Roddy Cordy-Simpson |
General Officer Commanding the 1st (UK) Armoured Division 1996–1998 |
Succeeded by Redmond Watt |
| Preceded by Mike Jackson |
Commander Multi-National Division (South-West), Bosnia June 1996–December 1996 |
Succeeded by Evelyn Webb-Carter |
| New title | Commander Regional Forces 2002–2004 |
Succeeded by Sir John McColl |
| Preceded by John McColl |
Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq 2004–2005 |
Succeeded by Robin Brims |
| Preceded by Sir Roger Jackling |
Director of the Defence Academy 2005–2008 |
Succeeded by Andrew Graham |
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
| Preceded by Ian Macfadyen |
President of the Royal British Legion 2009–2012 |
Succeeded by Peter Wilkinson |