John Holmes (British Army officer)

Major General John Taylor Holmes DSO, OBE, MC (born 22 July 1949) is a former British Army officer who served as Director Special Forces from 1999 to 2001, which included command of Operation Barras in September 2000.

John Taylor Holmes
Born (1949-06-22) 22 June 1949
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service19702002
RankMajor General
Commands held4th Division
Director Special Forces
5th Airborne Brigade
22 Special Air Service Regiment
Battles/warsOperation Banner
Operation Barras
AwardsDistinguished Service Order
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Military Cross

Military career

Holmes was commissioned into the Scots Guards in 1970.[1] In 1972 he was awarded the Military Cross for service in Northern Ireland.[2] He transferred to 22 Special Air Service in 1974 and was commanding officer of the Regiment from 1989 to 1992.[3] He then commanded the Airborne Brigade for three years.[3] He worked for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe before being appointed Director Special Forces in 1999.[3] He was promoted to major general in 2001 and became General Officer Commanding 4th Division before retiring in 2002.[3]

Retirement

In 2002, he joined Inkerman, a security and risk management company.[1] He is a Director of Erinys International, and the founder Titon International UK.[1] Maj-Gen Holmes joined the British Syrian Society (BSS) in January 2018.[4] The BSS was set up, and is run, by Fawaz Akhras, the British-based father-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad. “It doesn’t mean I support the actions of President Assad and the Syrian government,” Holmes told The Sunday Times. “I believe in dialogue . . . Perhaps it [the BSS] is not the ideal vehicle for that, but at the moment it’s the only vehicle.”[4]

References

  1. Biography at Spoke
  2. "No. 45676". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 May 1972. p. 6159.
  3. "Erinys International". Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2010.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. Gadher, Dipesh (15 April 2018). "Former SAS chief and diplomats join society accused of endorsing Assad regime". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 12 February 2020. (subscription required)
Military offices
Preceded by
John Sutherell
Director Special Forces
19992001
Succeeded by
Graeme Lamb
Preceded by
Timothy Sulivan
General Officer Commanding the 4th Division
20012002
Succeeded by
Andrew Ritchie
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