Doug Beattie

Douglas Ricardo Beattie, MC (born 1965) is a British politician and former soldier.[1]

Douglas Beattie MC MLA
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Upper Bann
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 May 2016
Preceded by	Sam Gardiner
Personal details
Born	13 October 1965
Nationality	British
Political party	Ulster Unionist Party
Residence	Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
Alma mater	Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Profession	Soldier, politician
Website	Official Website
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1982–2016
Rank	Captain
Unit	Royal Irish Regiment
Battles/wars	The Troubles Kosovo War Iraq War War in Afghanistan
Awards	Military Cross Queen's Commendation for Bravery NATO Meritorious Service Medal

Early life

"Born in barracks" in 1965, his father was a warrant officer in the Royal Ulster Rifles a regiment of the British Army. The family settled in Portadown, County Armagh, in Northern Ireland when he was 10 following the cessation of his father's regular service. The family moved into a house in Union Street, situated in the densely populated Edgarstown area on the outskirts of the town centre.[2]

Beattie's mother died young, leaving his father (who had by this time enlisted with the Ulster Defence Regiment) to bring him and two brothers up. At the age of 15 he accidentally shot a friend when the two of them discovered Beattie Snr's personal protection weapon and were playing with it. Although shot in the head, his friend recovered.[3]

Military career

At the age of 16 in 1982, Beattie joined the Royal Irish Rangers and following training was posted to the 2nd Battalion who were stationed in Wavell Barracks, Berlin.[4]

In over 28 years of service rose to the rank of regimental sergeant major. During that time he served in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Northern Ireland being awarded the General Officer NI commendation, the Queen's Commendation for Bravery and the NATO Meritorious Service Medal. He was commissioned from the ranks in 2005, gaining promotion to captain.[5]

As part of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, Captain Beattie was part of an operation intended to retake the town of Garmsir in Helmand Province. As a result of his actions during the intense fighting over a number of days, he was recommended for, and subsequently awarded, the Military Cross.[6]

Following his return from Afghanistan, Beattie published the first of two books, An Ordinary Soldier,[7] which became an immediate best seller in the United Kingdom and propelled him into the public eye.. The Sunday Times said of the book: "... this compelling memoir of an army life… a riveting read…One of the strengths of the book is Beattie’s description of working with the Afghans." [8]

Beattie's follow-up book was Task Force Helmand which the Daily Telegraph described as thoughtful and compassionate.[9]

Political career

After retiring from the army, Beattie joined the Ulster Unionist Party[10] and was elected to Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council in the Portadown area during the 2014 council elections.

On Saturday 7 May 2016, he was elected as an MLA for the Upper Bann constituency.[11]

In advance of the 2017 Ulster Unionist Party leadership election Beattie was cited by commentators to be a possible contender to replace former leader Mike Nesbitt; however, in the end only Robin Swann ran, and was elected unopposed.[12][13]

In October 2019, after Robert Swann announced that he was standing down as leader of the party, Beattie ruled himself out of contention as the next leader and endorsed former Royal Navy commander Steve Aiken.[14]

On 14 November 2019, Beattie announced his candidacy as a Member of Parliament for Upper Bann (UK Parliament constituency), in the 2019 General Election. [15] He came fourth, losing to the DUP's Carla Lockhart.

On 12 August 2019, Beattie referred to himself as Irish on Pat Kenny's Newstalk radio show: "I'm Irish. I'm an Irishman, and I've said this all along... I'm also an Ulsterman. You know, I'm British, I'm a European. I'm all of these things and I'm multilayered... God Save the Queen represents me, as does The Sash My Father Wore, Ulster rugby. But so does the shamrock, so does Gaelic games. So does Guinness. So does St Patrick's Day. All of these things are part of my identity."

References

1. "No, I will not. Sorry. We want to...: 23 Jan 2017: Northern Ireland Assembly debates – TheyWorkForYou". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
2. "Authors: Doug Beattie". andrewlownie.co.uk.
3. "'Why I stood up where there are bullets'". Telegraph.co.uk. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
4. "2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Rangers move to Berlin". royal-irish.com. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
5. "Doug Beattie: 'I wear the Military Cross for all the people who served'". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
6. "No. 57100". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 October 2003. pp. 6–7.
7. Doug Beattie. "An Ordinary Soldier". Andrewlownie.co.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
8. Lamb, The Sunday Times review by Christina (26 October 2008). "An Ordinary Soldier by Doug Beattie". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
9. Flanagan, Julian. "'Why I stood up where there are bullets'". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
10. "Captain Doug Beattie joins UUP". UTV. 26 March 2014.
11. Victor Gordon (7 May 2016). "UUP MLA Doug Beattie's election confirmed as he buries his tiny grandson – Belfast Newsletter". Newsletter.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
12. "Ulster Unionist Party confirm Robin Swann as new leader". BBC News. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
13. "NI Election: Swann and Aiken front runners in quest to be the new leader of Ulster Unionists – BelfastTelegraph.co.uk". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
14. "Doug Beattie rules himself out of UUP leadership race and backs Steve Aiken for role". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
15. "Ulster Unionist Party unveils 16 General Election Candidates". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 14 November 2019.