Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir Cedric Norman George Delves, (born 1 March 1947) is a retired

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and a former commander of the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment.

Military career

Delves was commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst into the

Devonshire and Dorset Regiment The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment (11th, 39th and 54th), usually just known as the Devon and Dorsets, was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1958 by the amalgamation of two county regiments, the Devonshire Regiment and the Dorset ...

of the Prince of Wales's Division on 2 August 1968, and promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 2 February 1970. Having been promoted to captain on 2 August 1974, he passed selection for the Special Air Service (SAS) and undertook tours in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

for which he was Mentioned in Despatches in December 1979 for services between 1 May and 31 July 1979 and again in December 1981 for services between 1 May and 31 July 1981. Still serving with the

, he was promoted major on 30 September 1980.

Falklands War

Delves distinguished himself on 21 April 1982 when, as

Officer Commanding The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, t ...

D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, he captured

Grytviken Grytviken ( ) is a settlement on South Georgia in the South Atlantic and formerly a whaling station and the largest settlement on the island. It is located at the head of King Edward Cove within the larger Cumberland East Bay, considered the b ...

on South Georgia without loss of life. He followed this up on 15 May when his squadron destroyed eleven Argentine aircraft at

Pebble Island Pebble Island is one of the Falkland Islands, situated north of West Falkland West Falkland ( es, Isla Gran Malvina) is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by th ...

(the Raid on Pebble Island), on 21 May when he led a deceptive raid on Darwin, and again on 31 May at

Mount Kent Mount Kent is a mountain on East Falkland, Falkland Islands, and is high. It is located north of Mount Challenger. History The mountain saw action during the Falklands War during the Assault on Mount Kent, part of the larger Battle of Moun ...

in the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...

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. Distinguished Service Order correct

For his leadership during these operations, Delves was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

. His citation, published in the '' London Gazette'', reads:

Later career

Serving with the

, Delves was promoted lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1986. He succeeded Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Massey as commander of 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, when British Special Forces carried out the ''

Death on the Rock "Death on the Rock" was a British television documentary, part of Thames Television's current affairs series '' This Week''. It was broadcast in 1988. The programme examined the deaths of three Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) members in ...

'' operation which resulted in the death of three

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...

bombers in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

. Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 15 June 1990, Delves was promoted

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

fifteen days later, and soon afterwards on 31 December 1990 promoted

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

. In 1993, Delves was appointed

Director Special Forces Director Special Forces (DSF) is the senior British Armed Forces officer responsible for Special Forces. The post is a senior role within the Ministry of Defence (MoD). As Director, the incumbent is responsible for the provision of United Kingdo ...

and, by December 1995, he was leading

Special Operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

in Bosnia as Commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSOTF), a component of the Implementation Force (IFOR). Delves was appointed General Officer Commanding 3rd (UK) Division and promoted

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

on 5 July 1996, in which role he was deployed to Bosnia in January 1998 as Commander of Multi-National Division (South-West). He was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

on 31 December 1996, and awarded a

Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service The King's Commendation for Valuable Service is a British military award for meritorious service in an operational theatre. It was established in 1994, when the award of the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct and the Queen's Commendation for ...

on 7 May 1999 for his service in former Yugoslavia between 22 June and 30 September 1998. By 1999 Delves was Chief of Joint Forces Operational Readiness and Training. He became Deputy Commander-in-Chief at

Land Command Land Command (or 'HQ Land') was a military command and part of the structure of the British Army from 1995 to 2008. Its headquarters was at Erskine Barracks, at Fugglestone St Peter, some four kilometres northwest of Salisbury in Wiltshire. It a ...

(subsequently retitled 'Commander Field Army') in the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in December 2000. On 1 April 2001, Delves was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Small Arms School Corps. Delves was appointed the British representative to

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

for the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...

on 17 January 2002. While at Central Command, American General

Tommy Franks Tommy Ray Franks (born 17 June 1945) is a retired general in the United States Army. His last army post was as the Commander of the United States Central Command, overseeing United States military operations in a 25-country region, including t ...

oversaw the military effort against al-Qaeda in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Delves had succeeded Air Marshal

Jock Stirrup Marshal of the Royal Air Force Graham Eric Stirrup, Baron Stirrup, (born 4 December 1949), informally known as Jock Stirrup, is a former senior Royal Air Force commander who was the Chief of the Defence Staff from 2006 until his retirement in ...

as focus changed from air operations to a campaign conducted largely by special forces on the ground. This appointment was just prior to the

Invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

, and Delves went on to be Deputy Commander at

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

HQ Allied Forces North at Brunssum in September 2003.Written Answers
House of Commons, 4 June 2007 On 31 December 2002 he was appointed Colonel of the

. He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 2003 and, on 1 October, was succeeded as Colonel Commandant of the Small Arms School Corps by Lieutenant General Sir Redmond Watt, Delves having been appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief Regional Headquarters Allied Forces North Europe on 30 September 2003. In December 2003, Delves lost a leg when he was crushed against a wall by a drunk driver in

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He retired due to disability on 17 March 2005. and relinquished the appointment of Colonel of the

on 1 February 2007 on formation of

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerl ...

Post-retirement

In retirement, Delves became a Director of ''Olive Group'', a security business. In April 2006 he was appointed to oversee intelligence operations with the

Serious Organised Crime Agency The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) was a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom which existed from 1 April 2006 until 7 October 2013. SOCA was a national law enforcement agency with Home Office sponsorship ...

(SOCA) during the time of the merger of investigative services of the Customs and Police. He became

Lieutenant of the Tower of London The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like the ...

in March 2007, and was succeeded by Lieutenant-General Peter Pearson on 4 May 2010. Delves joined the Board of Trustees of BLESMA in 2009 and was elected National Chairman in 2010. Delves is also an accomplished photographer and regularly wins competitions.

Family

Delves is married to Suzy.

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Delves, Cedric 1947 births Living people Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst British Army lieutenant generals Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service Devonshire and Dorset Regiment officers British Army personnel of the Iraq War British Army personnel of the Falklands War Special Air Service officers British amputees British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland) People from Singapore