{{Short description|Former British Army officer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = Major General |name= James Chiswell |honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CB|CBE|MC}} |image= Chiswell and Wall (Chiswell cropped).jpg |image_size= |alt= |caption= Major General Chiswell in 2014 |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth date and age|1964|03|29|df=yes}} |birth_place= Berlin, Germany |death_date= |death_place= |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= British Army |service_years= 1983–2018 |rank= Major General |service_number= 515950 |unit= |commands= United Kingdom Special Forces<br/>1st (UK) Armoured Division<br/>16 Air Assault Brigade<br/>2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |battles= Sierra Leone Civil War<br/>War in Afghanistan<br/>Iraq War |awards= Companion of the Order of the Bath<br/>Commander of the Order of the British Empire<br/>Military Cross |spouse= {{marriage|Linda Metcalf|2006}} |other_work= }} Major General '''James Robert Chiswell''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|CB|CBE|MC}} (born 29 March 1964) is a former British Army officer.
==Early life and education== Born in Berlin to Major General Peter Chiswell, James Chiswell was educated at Allhallows College and King's College London.<ref name="whoswho">{{cite journal |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.257840|title=Chiswell, Maj. Gen. James Robert, (born 29 March 1964), General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Division (formerly 1st (UK) Armoured Division), 2012–15|journal=Who's Who|year=2013}}</ref>
==Military career== Chiswell was commissioned into the Parachute Regiment in 1983.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=49385 |date=13 June 1983 |page=7892 |supp=y}}</ref><ref name=para>{{cite web|url=http://www.paradata.org.uk/people/james-r-chiswell |title=Major-General James Chiswell|publisher= Paradata|accessdate=24 July 2016}}</ref> He took part in Operation Barras in Sierra Leone in September 2000 for which he was awarded the Military Cross (MC).<ref name=mc>{{London Gazette|issue=57070|supp=y |page=12067|date=30 September 2003}}</ref>
Chiswell became Commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment in 2004 and led his battalion in Iraq.<ref name=para/> He was then sent to Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood as Assistant Chief of Staff with responsibility for current operations.<ref name=para/> He went on to be Liaison Officer to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C. in 2008 and Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade in December 2008 seeing service as Commander Task Force Helmand when the brigade was deployed to Afghanistan in October 2010.<ref name=para/> Chiswell was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in September 2011 in recognition of his service in Afghanistan.<ref name=cbe>{{London Gazette |issue=59924 |date=30 September 2011 |page=18713 |supp=y}}</ref> He became General Officer Commanding 1st Armoured Division in October 2012<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201860-.pdf |title=Army Commands |date=26 July 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112744/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201860-.pdf |archivedate= 4 March 2016 }}</ref> and Director Special Forces in 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/jordan-uk-discuss-military-cooperation-2 |title=Jordan, UK discuss military cooperation |newspaper=The Jordan Times |date=19 January 2016 |accessdate=26 July 2016}}</ref> Chiswell was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2018 Birthday Honours.<ref name=cb>{{London Gazette |issue=62310 |date=9 June 2018 |page=B3 |supp=y}}</ref> Chiswell retired from the British Army on 22 September 2018.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 62419 |date=24 September 2018 |page=17067 |supp=y}}</ref>
==Personal life== Chiswell married Linda Metcalf in 2006; they have one son and a daughter.<ref name="whoswho"/>
==Honours and awards== Source:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Chiswell_and_Wall_%28Chiswell_cropped%29.jpg|title=Photo of James Chiswell}}</ref> {{center| 200px <br /> <br /> 100px 100px 100px 100px <br /> 100px 100px 100px 100px <br /> 100px 100px 100px 100px }} {| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;" |- style="background:silver;" align="center" |Ribbon || Description || Notes |- |40px||Commander of the Order of the Bath|| Appointed in 2018<ref name=cb/> |- |40px||Commander of the Order of the British Empire|| Appointed in 2011<ref name=cbe/> |- |40px||Military Cross|| Awarded in 2000<ref name=mc/> |- |40px||UN Mission in Cyprus |- |40px||General Service Medal (1962)|| |- |40px|| UN Mission in the Former Yugoslavia|| |- |40px||Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone|| With Bar |- |40px||Iraq Medal (United Kingdom)|| |- |40px||Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan|| |- |40px||Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal|| |- |40px||Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal|| |- |40px||Accumulated Campaign Service Medal|| |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=James Bashall}} {{s-ttl|title=General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division|years=2012–2015}} {{s-aft|after=Giles Hill}} |- {{s-bef|before=Mark Carleton-Smith}} {{s-ttl|title=Director Special Forces|years=2015–2018}} {{s-aft|after=Roland Walker}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiswell, James}} Category:Living people Category:1964 births Category:Military personnel from Berlin Category:People educated at Allhallows College Category:Alumni of King's College London Category:British Army major generals Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Recipients of the Military Cross Category:British Parachute Regiment officers Category:British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath