Barney White-Spunner

Sir Barney White-Spunner
Born 1957
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1979–2011
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands held Household Cavalry
Kabul Multinational Brigade
3rd Mechanised Division
Multinational Division (South East)
Field Army
Battles/wars Bosnia
Macedonia
Iraq War
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States)
Other work Executive Chairman of the Countryside Alliance and Director of the Countryside Alliance Foundation

Lieutenant General Sir Barnabas William Benjamin White-Spunner KCB, CBE is a former British Army officer who is currently Executive Chairman of the Countryside Alliance and Director of the Countryside Alliance Foundation.

Military career

Educated at Eton College and the University of St Andrews, Barney White-Spunner was commissioned into the Blues and Royals in 1979.[1] He was appointed Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry in 1996 and in that capacity was deployed to Bosnia.[1] In 1998, he was promoted to colonel[2] and became Deputy Director of Defence Policy at NATO and in 2001 he took charge of an operation to disarm Albanian insurgents in Macedonia.[1]

He was given command of the Kabul Multinational Brigade in 2002 and then became Chief of Joint Force Operations for the national contingent in the Middle East in 2003.[1]

By 2005 he was Chief of Staff at Land Command[3] and in 2007 he was appointed General Officer Commanding 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division.[4] In February 2008 he deployed with elements of 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division to Iraq where those elements formed HQ Multinational Division (South East).[1] He went on to be Commander of the Field Army in 2009.[5]

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2002[6] and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2011 Birthday Honours.[7][8]

On 7 January 2010, White-Spunner gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry regarding the Battle of Basra.[9]

He retired from the British Army in December 2011[10][11] and was appointed Executive Chairman of the Countryside Alliance and Director of the Countryside Alliance Foundation in January 2012.[10][11]

Literary career

White-Spunner started his literary career writing for The Field in 1992.[1] He became editor of Baily's Hunting Directory in 1997.[1] He is also the author of a history of the Horse Guards.[12]

Honours and Awards

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) 2011
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) 2002
General Service Medal
UNFICYP Medal
NATO medal for Macedonia
Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan
Iraq Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002
Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States)

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Barney White-Spunner: the very model of a modern Major General The Independent, 3 August 2008
  2. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 55365. p. 53. 5 January 1999. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  3. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57641. p. 6409. 17 May 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  4. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58497. p. 15669. 29 October 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  5. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59120. p. 11615. 7 July 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  6. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56735. p. 7. 28 October 2002. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  7. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59808. p. 2. 11 June 2011.
  8. Queen's Birthday Honours List 2011
  9. Oral Evidence The Iraq Inquiry, 7 January 2010
  10. 10.0 10.1 Top soldier is Countryside Alliance's new boss Horse and Hound, 19 January 2012
  11. 11.0 11.1 Former Head of UK Field Army Appointed to lead Countryside Alliance Countryside Alliance, 19 January 2012
  12. Horse Guards by Barney White-Spunner, Macmillan, 2006, ISBN 978-1-4050-5574-1
Military offices
Preceded by
Richard Shirreff
General Officer Commanding the 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division
2007–2009
Succeeded by
James Everard
Preceded by
Graham Binns
General Officer Commanding
Multi-National Division (South East), Iraq

February 2008 – August 2008
Succeeded by
Andy Salmon
Preceded by
Sir Graeme Lamb
Commander Field Army
2009–2011
Succeeded by
Post Disbanded