Peter Inge, Baron Inge

The Lord Inge

Field Marshal Lord Inge in September 2007
Born (1935-08-05) 5 August 1935
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1956–97
Rank Field Marshal
Service number 448984
Commands held Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the General Staff
British Army of the Rhine
2nd Infantry Division
1st Battalion Green Howards
Battles/wars Malayan Emergency
Operation Banner
Bosnian War
Awards Knight of the Order of the Garter
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Mentioned in Despatches

Field Marshal Peter Anthony Inge, Baron Inge, KG, GCB, PC, DL (born 5 August 1935) was the Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, from 1992 to 1994. He then served as Chief of the Defence Staff before retiring in 1997. Early in his military career he saw action during the Malayan Emergency and in Northern Ireland and later in his career he provided advice to the British Government during the Bosnian War.

Army career

The son of Raymond Albert Inge and Grace Maud Caroline Inge (née Du Rose), he was educated at Wrekin College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,[1] He was commissioned into the Green Howards from Sandhurst on 27 July 1956.[2] He was promoted to lieutenant on 27 July 1958,[3] and served with the 1st Battalion in Hong Kong and Germany and was deployed on operational service to Malaya during the Malayan Emergency.[4] Appointed aide-de-camp to the General Officer Commanding 4th Division in 1960,[1] he was promoted to captain on 27 July 1962[5] and made adjutant of 1st Battalion the Green Howards in 1963.[1]

After working in the Ministry of Defence, and being promoted to major on 31 December 1967,[6] he returned to the Battalion as a company commander in 1969 and was deployed to Northern Ireland.[7] He served as Brigade Major with the 11th Armoured Brigade from August 1971, before being promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 31 December 1972[8] and becoming an Instructor at the Staff College, Camberley in 1973.[1] He was appointed Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion the Green Howards in 1974.[1] Promoted to colonel on 31 December 1976,[9] he commanded the Staff College’s Junior Division from 1977 and, following his promotion to brigadier on 31 December 1979,[10] he commanded Task Force C of the British Army of the Rhine from 1980.[1] From 1982 he was Chief of Staff of I (British) Corps.[1] He returned to Britain as General Officer Commanding North Eastern District and Commander 2nd Infantry Division, based in York from 12 January 1984[11] with the substantive rank of major-general from 16 April 1984.[12] In 1986, he was appointed Director General, Logistics Policy (Army) at the Ministry of Defence.[7]

He was promoted to lieutenant general and became General Officer Commanding I (British) Corps on 8 August 1987[13] and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the New Year Honours 1988.[14] He relinquished this command on 2 October 1989.[15] On 27 November 1989 he became the Commander of NATO’s Northern Army Group and Commander in Chief of British Army of the Rhine in Germany with the local rank of general;[16] his rank was made substantive on 3 January 1990.[17]

Having become ADC to the Queen on 21 February 1991[18] and advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1992,[19] he was made Chief of the General Staff in February 1992 and Chief of the Defence Staff with the rank of field marshal on 15 March 1994.[20] He served in this post, in which he provided military advice to the British Government on the conduct of the Bosnian War, until he retired in 1997.[1] He was appointed Colonel of the Green Howards in 1982, Colonel Commandant of the Royal Military Police in 1987 and Colonel Commandant of the Army Physical Training Corps in 1988.[1]

Later career

After stepping down as Chief of the Defence Staff, he was created a life peer as Baron Inge, of Richmond in the County of North Yorkshire.[21] He retired from the Lords on 25 April 2016.[22] He also became a Knight of the Garter on 23 April 2001.[23]

In 2004 he was made a Privy Councillor and appointed to serve as a member of the Butler Inquiry team, which examined the use of intelligence during the Iraq War.[24] Chaired by Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell, the inquiry determined that the intelligence used to declare Iraq's possession of "Weapons of Mass Destruction" was flawed.[24]

In retirement he became a non-executive director of Racal Electronics plc, Commissioner of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Trustee of the Historic Royal Palaces and President of the Army Benevolent Fund.[1] He is a member of the advisory board of Aegis Defence Services,[25] a private military company based in London having previously, until February 2010, been the Chairman of the Board of Directors.[26]

Family

In 1960 he married Letitia Thornton-Berry; they have two daughters.[1]

Honours and awards

Knight of the Order of the Garter[23] | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath[19]
General Service Medal (1918) General Service Medal (1962)
with Mention in Despatches		 Queen Elizabeth II
Silver Jubilee Medal		 Queen Elizabeth II
Golden Jubilee Medal

Arms

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Who's Who 2010, A & C Black, 2010; ISBN 978-1-4081-1414-8
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40882. p. 5347. 18 September 1956. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41458. p. 4720. 25 July 1958. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  4. ↑ Heathcote, p. 183
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 42742. p. 5976. 24 July 1962. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44493. p. 76. 29 December 1967. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  7. 1 2 Heathcote, p.184
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45867. p. 91. 1 January 1973. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47117. p. 361. 10 January 1977. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 48080. p. 1438. 28 January 1980. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49625. p. 1045. 23 January 1984. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 49754. p. 7748. 4 June 1984. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51053. p. 11201. 7 September 1987. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51171. p. 2. 30 December 1987. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51890. p. 11310. 2 October 1989. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  16. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51948. p. 13725. 28 November 1989. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 52023. p. 955. 22 January 1990. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  18. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 52485. p. 4774. 25 March 1991. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  19. 1 2 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 52767. p. 2. 30 December 1991. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  20. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53645. p. 5799. 18 April 1994. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  21. ↑ Heathcote, p.185
  22. ↑ "Retired Lords". UK Parliament. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  23. 1 2 The London Gazette: no. 56183. p. 4839. 23 April 2001. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  24. 1 2 "Butler report (from The Guardian)" (PDF). Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  25. ↑ "Register of Interests". House of Lords. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  26. ↑ "Stars and Dragons: The EU and China – European Union Committee". House of Lords. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  27. ↑ Chesshyre, Hubert (1996), The Friends of St. George's & Descendants of the Knights of the Garter Annual Review
  28. ↑ The Companion (Issue 9 Spring 2009). College of St. George (ed.), p.5. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  29. ↑ Baron Inge's Crest. College of St George. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  30. ↑ Order of Bath insignia, Heraldsnet. Retrieved 19 December 2013.

Further reading

Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Patrick Palmer		 General Officer Commanding the 2nd Infantry Division
1984–1985 		Succeeded by
Sir Charles Guthrie
Preceded by
Sir Brian Kenny		 GOC 1st (British) Corps
1987–1989 		Succeeded by
Sir Charles Guthrie
Preceded by
Sir Brian Kenny		 Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine
1989–1992 		Succeeded by
Sir Charles Guthrie
Preceded by
Sir John Chapple		 Chief of the General Staff
1992–1994 		Succeeded by
Sir Charles Guthrie
Preceded by
Sir Peter Harding		 Chief of the Defence Staff
1994–1997 		Succeeded by
Sir Charles Guthrie
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Sir John Stanier		 Constable of the Tower of London
1996–2001 		Succeeded by
Sir Roger Wheeler
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