Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

James Ian Bashall, (born 3 April 1962) is a former

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who served as Commander Home Command from 2015 to 2018. From 2019 to 2023 he was the National President of the

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. Membership Service in th ...

Early life and education

Bashall was born on 3 April 1962 in

Marlborough, Wiltshire Marlborough ( , ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English Counties of England, county of Wiltshire on the A4 road (England), Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath, Somerset, Bath. Th ...

, England.''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

, a private

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

Military career

Bashall was commissioned in to the Parachute Regiment in 1984. By 2002 he had become Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment serving in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. He commanded 1st Mechanized Brigade based in

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

in Southern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

during Operation Telic in 2007.Commander who led SAS rescue is hero of Iraq war
Evening Standard, 28 February 2011 He was appointed Director Army Division of the Defence Academy at Shrivenham in January 2009 and went on to be Chief of Joint Force Operations in December 2009:Handover of UK Armoured division takes place in Germany
British Forces News, 1 April 2011 in this capacity he masterminded the covert

Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...

rescue operations across war-torn

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

in early 2011. He became General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division in April 2011, Chief of Staff, Operations at the

Permanent Joint Headquarters The Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London. The Permanent Joint Headqua ...

, Northwood in August 2012 and Commander Personnel and Support Command in June 2015 (his role was re-designated Commander Home Command in May 2016). Bashall retired from the British Army on 27 October 2018.

Later life

Bashall was appointed as the National President of the

in May 2019. When appointed, Bashall said "It is an honour to be appointed as the National President of The Royal British Legion, a charity with an esteemed history, and one that plays a vital role in today’s Armed Forces community." He served in his position until May 2023.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bashall, James British Army lieutenant generals People educated at Marlborough College Commanders of the Order of the British Empire British Parachute Regiment officers Living people British Army personnel of the Iraq War British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Companions of the Order of the Bath Military personnel from Wiltshire 1962 births People from Marlborough, Wiltshire