Edward Jones (British Army officer)

Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Sir Richard Thomas
Succeeded by	Sir Michael Willcocks
Personal details
Born	25 September 1936; Mentioned in Despatches

Sir Charles Edward Webb Jones,

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). He retired from the Army in 1995 to become Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod (or simply Black Rod) in the British Parliament's House of Lords

, serving in that office until 2001.

Early life and education

Jones was born in

Diplomatic Service, but left after only 10 days to join the Army instead.^[2]

Military career

Jones attended

The Royal Green Jackets

in 1966, becoming its 1st Battalion.

He took command of the 1st Battalion for a tour in

mentioned in despatches.^[1] During his period of command, the internal operations of his battalion were exposed to public scrutiny in Edward Mirzoeff's film, The Regiment. He also served with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus in 1976.^[2]

In the late 1970s, he was the colonel in charge of

House of Commons car park, and Provisional Irish Republican Army detainees undertook hunger strikes.^[2]

Jones attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1980,^[2] and was promoted to brigadier in 1981 to take command of the 6th Armoured Brigade in Germany, his first duty with the British Army of the Rhine.^[2] He then took command of a British military team in Zimbabwe in 1983, establishing a working relationship with Robert Mugabe in the years after Zimbabwe became independent in 1980,^[2] for which he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Jones was promoted to

Royal Army Education Corps from 1986 to 1992, and of the Royal Green Jackets from 1988 to 1995.^[2]

Jones was promoted

UK Military Representative to NATO in Brussels, where he was able to make use of his fluent French.^[2]

Retirement

Jones retired from the army in 1995 to become

Serjeant-at-Arms in the House of Lords, and Secretary to the Lord Great Chamberlain). The House of Lords Act 1999 was passed during his period of service, ending the right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords.^[2] He served as Black Rod from 9 May 1995 to 8 May 2001, and was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order when he retired in 2001.^[2]

Jones was a commissioner of the

Royal Hospital, Chelsea and chairman of the Council of Territorial Army, Volunteers and Reserves Associations from 1995 to 2001. He was also a vice-patron of St Dunstan's, a governor of Wellington College from 1997 to 2007, and chairman of the governors of Eagle House

from 1999 to 2007.

Personal life

Jones married Suzanne Leschallas in 1965.[1]^[2] They had two sons and a daughter together.^[2]^[1] He retired to a village in Wiltshire. He died while fishing on the River Findhorn in Inverness-shire. .

References

^
ISBN 978-0-19-954089-1
. Retrieved 25 May 2021.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t Obituary: General Sir Edward Jones The Times 17 May 2007

Obituary^{[dead link]}, The Daily Telegraph, 17 May 2007
Obituary, The Independent, 17 May 2007

{2} The Gorget Journal of the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) 1964 page 12. (3) Robin Anthony Draper (2015) Redcoats to Riflemen page 16.

Military offices
Preceded by David Ramsbotham	GOC 3rd Armoured Division 1987–1988	Succeeded by Michael Wilkes
Preceded by Sir Charles Huxtable	Quartermaster-General to the Forces 1988–1991	Succeeded by Sir John Learmont
Preceded by Sir Richard Thomas	UK Military Representative to NATO 1992–1995	Succeeded by Sir John Cheshire
Government offices
Preceded by Sir Richard Thomas	Black Rod 1995–2001	Succeeded by Sir Michael Willcocks

[:0-1] 
ISBN 978-0-19-954089-1
. Retrieved 25 May 2021.

[times-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t Obituary: General Sir Edward Jones The Times 17 May 2007

[2]

[1]