Advertisement |
Many families and marriages have unfortunately fallen victim to the relentless pace of operations
British Army increases troops' family time Jan 20, 2009
In conflict and war, our soldiers must uphold the highest of values and standards
Troops must take moral high ground Jul 18, 2008
We must strive to give individuals and units ample recuperation time between operations, but I do not underestimate how difficult this will be to achieve whilst undermanned and with less robust establishment than I would like
Report: Britain fears Afghan troop fatigue Jun 22, 2008
We always assumed that overwatch involved the possibility of having to re-intervene in security matters if deemed appropriate by both the Iraqis and the Multinational Force that our troops come under
Official says overwatch mission on track Apr 28, 2008
I am very disappointed that foreign Web sites have decided to run this story without consulting us
Prince Harry fighting in Afghanistan Feb 28, 2008
General Francis Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt, GCB, CBE, MC (born 23 December 1950) is a former senior British Army officer. In 2006 he was appointed Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the army, and was succeeded by General Sir David Richards on 28 August 2009. On 1 August 2009 Dannatt was appointed to the ceremonial position of Constable of the Tower of London.
Dannat was born at home in Broomfield—now a suburb of Chelmsford—in Essex on 23 December 1950. His father and grandfather were architects, working from a practice in Chelmsford, and his mother was a part-time teacher at the London Bible College. He had an elder sister who died from breast cancer in 1988. Dannatt was heavily influenced by his paternal great-grandfather, a Victorian farmer and devout Christian who devised an early drainage system.
Dannatt and his sister were sent to separate boarding schools. Dannatt boarded at Felsted Junior School, where he gained an ambition to become a professional cricketer, before attending St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate in Kent, where he joined the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), rising to senior under-officer. While at school, he developed a dislike of his first name, Francis, after his name was mistaken for a girl's, leading to him being mistakenly invited to a birthday party where he was the only boy. He eventually switched to his middle name, Richard, when he was fifteen. Aspiring to become a barrister, Dannatt applied to study law at Emmanuel College, Cambridge but was turned down after an interview, at which point his ambition switched towards a military career.