Richard Peck (British Army officer)

Peck was educated at Wellingborough School,[1] before attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He graduated from Sandhurst in December 1957, where upon he entered the Royal Engineers as a second lieutenant.[2] In December 1959, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.[3] Promotion to captain came in December 1963.[4] He became a major in December 1969, with seniority antedated to June 1969.[5] His promotion to lieutenant colonel followed in June 1974.[6] He was promoted to the rank of colonel in December 1979,[7] and to brigadier in December 1981, antedated to June 1981.[8] Peck was appointed to the position of Chief in Engineer at the Ministry of Defence in January 1988,[9] at which point he was also promoted to the substantive rank of major-general in February 1988, with seniority to January 1987.[10] He was appointed as a companion to the Order of the Bath in the 1991 New Year Honours.[11] In the lead up to military operations in the Gulf War, Peck was involved in terrain analysis.[12] He relinquished the position of Chief in Engineer at the Ministry of Defence in August 1991.[13] Though he retired from service in December 1991,[14] he later served as colonel of the Brigade of Gurkhas, a position he had taken up in March 1993,[15] until his tenure expired in April 1996, at which point he was replaced by major-general Anthony Pigott.[16] His tenure as colonel commandant of the Royal Engineers expired in December 1997, a position he had held since October 1991,[17] at which point he was succeeded by major-general John Drewienkiewicz.[18] Following his retirement, Peck became a trustee of the Lord Kitchener Memorial Fund, which runs university scholarships for armed services members or their children.[19]

Peck played two first-class cricket matches for the Combined Services cricket team, in 1960 against Surrey at The Oval, and in 1962 against Ireland at Belfast.[20] He scored 24 runs across these two matches, as well as taking 2 wickets.[21] These wickets came in the only over he bowled in first-class cricket, during the match against Ireland when he dismissed Stanley Bergin and Noel Ferguson for the cost of one run.[22]

He later played minor counties cricket for Berkshire, making two appearances in the 1969 Minor Counties Championship and two further appearances in the 1971 Minor Counties Championship.[23] His brother David also played cricket at first-class level.[21]

• Richard Peck at ESPNcricinfo