Cedric Delves
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Sir Cedric Norman George Delves KBE DSO
(born 1947) is a former British Army
general
.
, Cedric Delves was commissioned into the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
in 1968. Having been promoted to Captain
he undertook tours in Northern Ireland
for which he was Mentioned in Despatches in 1979 and again in 1981.
Major Cedric Delves distinguished himself on 21 April 1982 when, as Officer Commanding
D Squadron 22 SAS, he captured Grytviken
on South Georgia without a single loss of life, on 15 May 1982 when his squadron destroyed eleven Argentine
aircraft at Pebble Island
, on 21 May 1982 when he led a deceptive raid on Darwin
, and again on 31 May 1982 at Mount Kent
in the Falkland Islands
where he took his squadron 40 miles behind enemy lines and secured a firm hold on the area allowing conventional forces to be brought in. He was Commanding Officer
of 22 SAS in 1988 when British Special Forces carried out the Death on the Rock
operation which resulted in the death of three IRA
bombers in Gibraltar
. In 1993 he was appointed Director Special Forces and by December 1995, as a Brigadier
, he was leading Special Operations
in Bosnia as Commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSOTF), a component of the Implementation Force (IFOR).
He was made General Officer Commanding
3rd (UK) Division in 1996. By 1999 he was Chief of Joint Forces Operational Readiness and Training. He became Deputy Commander-in-Chief
at Land Command (subsequently retitled 'Commander Field Army') in the rank of Lieutenant General in December 2000. This was just prior to the Invasion of Iraq
and went on to be Deputy Commander at NATO HQ Allied Forces North at Brunssum
in September 2003. In December 2003 he lost a leg when he was crushed against a wall by a drunk driver in Maastricht
in Holland and was subsequently discharged from the British Army
.
He was awarded the DSO
in October 1982, the OBE in June 1990 and the KBE in June 2003.
In retirement he became a Director of Olive Group, a security business. He became Lieutenant
of the Tower of London
in March 2007.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(born 1947) is a former British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
.
Military career
Educated at Woolverstone Hall SchoolWoolverstone Hall School
In the early 1950s the London County Council obtained use of Woolverstone Hall near Ipswich, Suffolk, and some of adjoining land for the purpose of establishing a secondary grammar boarding school for London boys...
, Cedric Delves was commissioned into the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, usually just known as the Devon and Dorsets, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1958 by the amalgamation of two county regiments:*The Devonshire Regiment*The Dorset Regiment...
in 1968. Having been promoted to Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
he undertook tours in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
for which he was Mentioned in Despatches in 1979 and again in 1981.
Major Cedric Delves distinguished himself on 21 April 1982 when, as Officer Commanding
Officer Commanding
The Officer Commanding is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit , principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, the term Commanding Officer is applied to commanders of minor as well as major units.Normally an Officer Commanding is a company, squadron or battery...
D Squadron 22 SAS, he captured Grytviken
Grytviken
Grytviken is the principal settlement in the British territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. It was so named in 1902 by the Swedish surveyor Johan Gunnar Andersson who found old English try pots used to render seal oil at the site. It is the best harbour on the island, consisting of a...
on South Georgia without a single loss of life, on 15 May 1982 when his squadron destroyed eleven Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
aircraft at Pebble Island
Pebble Island
Pebble Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying north of West Falkland.The island stretches about 19 miles from east to west and is about 4.3 miles at its widest point, with a total area of square miles .It has three high points: First Mountain , Middle Mountain and...
, on 21 May 1982 when he led a deceptive raid on Darwin
Darwin, Falkland Islands
Darwin is a settlement in Lafonia on East Falkland, lying on Choiseul Sound, on the east side of the island's central isthmus, north of Goose Green...
, and again on 31 May 1982 at Mount Kent
Mount Kent
Mount Kent is a mountain on East Falkland, Falkland Islands, It is north of Mount Challenger and saw action in the Falklands War during the Battle of Mount Harriet - some of the area still being mined....
in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
where he took his squadron 40 miles behind enemy lines and secured a firm hold on the area allowing conventional forces to be brought in. He was Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of 22 SAS in 1988 when British Special Forces carried out the Death on the Rock
Death on the Rock
Death on the Rock is a British Academy Television Award-winning episode of Thames Television's current affairs series This Week, first aired by the British television network ITV on 28 April 1988. On 6 March 1988, three Irish Republican Army members, Danny McCann, Sean Savage and Mairéad Farrell,...
operation which resulted in the death of three IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bombers in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. In 1993 he was appointed Director Special Forces and by December 1995, as a Brigadier
Brigadier (United Kingdom)
Brigadier is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines.Brigadier is the superior rank to Colonel, but subordinate to Major-General....
, he was leading Special Operations
Special operations
Special operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...
in Bosnia as Commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSOTF), a component of the Implementation Force (IFOR).
He was made General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
3rd (UK) Division in 1996. By 1999 he was Chief of Joint Forces Operational Readiness and Training. He became Deputy Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
at Land Command (subsequently retitled 'Commander Field Army') in the rank of Lieutenant General in December 2000. This was just prior to the Invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
and went on to be Deputy Commander at NATO HQ Allied Forces North at Brunssum
Brunssum
Brunssum is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands. Brunssum was formerly a center of coal mining in the Netherlands and there are a few active mines remaining in the area...
in September 2003. In December 2003 he lost a leg when he was crushed against a wall by a drunk driver in Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
in Holland and was subsequently discharged from the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
He was awarded the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in October 1982, the OBE in June 1990 and the KBE in June 2003.
In retirement he became a Director of Olive Group, a security business. He became Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
in March 2007.