Ben Bathurst

Lieutenant General Sir Benjamin John Bathurst KCVO CBE (born 15 April 1964) is a senior British Army officer.

Sir Ben Bathurst
Major General Bathurst in 2019
Born	15 April 1964[1]
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1983 –
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	London District Household Division 1st Battalion Welsh Guards
Battles/wars	Operation Banner War in Afghanistan Iraq War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Commander of the Order of the British Empire Legion of Merit (United States) Bronze Star Medal (United States)

Early life and education

Bathurst was born on 15 April 1964 in Haslemere, Surrey, England.[2] He is the son of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Benjamin Bathurst.[3] He was educated at Eton College, an all-boys public school in Berkshire. He studied at the University of Bristol, graduating with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1986, and at Cranfield University, graduating with a Master of Arts (MA) degree in 1996.[2]

Military career

Bathurst was commissioned into the Welsh Guards in September 1983.[4] He became commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in July 2004.[5] In 2005, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He went on to be Director of Public Relations (Army) in September 2006, Deputy Director Strategy, Plans and Assessment in October 2008 and Commander, Initial Training Group in January 2010.[6]

He became Director of Training in February 2011, Senior British Military Representative in Afghanistan in May 2014,[7] and Major-General commanding the Household Division in June 2016.[8] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2014,[9] and awarded the United States Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer) in May 2018.[10] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on 7 November 2019.[11][12][13] On completion of his tour at London District he will take up the appointment of UK Military Representative to NATO in 2020 in the rank of Lieutenant General.[14] Bathurst was formally appointed promoted to lieutenant-general on 13 March 2020 and is also the National Military Representative to the European Union.[15]

References

1. "Person Page". Thepeerage.com. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
2. "Bathurst, Maj. Gen. Benjamin John". Who's Who 2020. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2019. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U281304. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
3. Who's Who 2010, A & C Black, 2010, ISBN 978-1-408-11414-8
4. "No. 49532". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 November 1983. p. 14703.
5. "Unlikely Challenge in Shiite Province". Los Angeles Times. 18 November 2004. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
6. "Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 10 June 2018.
7. "UK military mentoring in Afghanistan". Ministry of Defence. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
8. "No. 61624". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 June 2016. p. 3.
9. "The London Gazette". HM Government. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
10. "No. 62283". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 May 2018. p. 8434.
11. "Court Circular". The Royal Family. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
12. "Honours and Awards CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD". thegazette.co.uk. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019. K.C.V.O. To be Knights Commander: Major General Benjamin John BATHURST, C.B.E. On the relinquishment of his appointment as Major General Commanding the Household Division. (To be dated 7 November 2019)
13. "No. 62828". The London Gazette. 15 November 2019. p. 20760.
14. Mackie, Colin (8 January 2020). "Generals, January 2020" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie. Retrieved 8 January 2020. Lieutenant-General Sir Benjamin J. Bathurst (late Welsh Guards): U.K. National Military Representative, N.A.T.O., 2020
15. "No. 62947". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 March 2020. p. 5503.