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 ...
Sir George Pemberton Ross Norton, (born 27 November 1962) is a retired
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. He was the
UK Military Representative to NATO from 2016 to 2020, and has served as the
Commandant
Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
of the
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest leve ...
since 2020.
Military career
After being educated at
Radley College
Radley College, formally St Peter's College, Radley or the College of St. Peter at Radley, is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (independent boarding school) for boys near the village of Radley, in Oxfordshire, in the United Kingd ...
and
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...
,
Norton studied at the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...
and was
commissioned into the
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...
on 1 July 1984. Promoted to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
on 27 November 1987,
he attended the
Military Academy of the German Armed Forces in Hamburg in 1993,
[ before being promoted to major on 30 September 1994.
Norton was deployed to ]Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
as Military Assistant to the Chief of Staff within Headquarters Implementation Force
The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''.
Background
In ...
(IFOR) in 1997,[ for which he was appointed a ]Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in the 1998 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1998 for the United Kingdom, Barbados, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Christopher and Nevis were announced on 30 December 1997 ...
.[ Promoted to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 2000, he joined the directing staff at the ]Joint Services Command and Staff College
Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC) is a British Armed Forces academic establishment that provides training and education to experienced officers of the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, Ministry of Defence Civil Service, and offic ...
that year,[ and then became commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards in 2002.][ Promoted to ]colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...
on 30 June 2004, he was deployed to Afghanistan as Director Plans and Policy within the Combined Forces Command Afghanistan.[
Norton was appointed Secretary of the ]Chiefs of Staff Committee
The Chiefs of Staff Committee (CSC) is composed of the most senior military personnel in the British Armed Forces, who advise on operational military matters and the preparation and conduct of military operations. The committee consists of the Ch ...
at the Ministry of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
in 2005 and attended the Higher Command and Staff Course at the Staff College,[ before being deployed to Afghanistan again in early 2007 as Deputy Commander of ]Task Force Helmand
Task Force Helmand was the name given to a military unit of the International Security Assistance Force in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Task Force Helmand was part of Regional Command Southwest and consisted primarily of personnel from the Briti ...
and being advanced to Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
for his services there.[
Promoted to ]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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
on 30 June 2007, Norton went on to be commander of the 38th (Irish) Brigade
The 38th (Irish) Brigade, is an administrative headquarters of the British Army that served in the Second World War as a fully functional infantry brigade. It was composed of Northern Ireland, North Irish line infantry regiments and served with di ...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
in June 2007, and commander of British troops there in January 2009, before being made Deputy Regional Commander in Helmand Province
Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...
in early 2010.
Promoted to major general on 8 July 2011, Norton became General Officer Commanding
General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment.
Thus, a general might be the GOC ...
London District
London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''.
History
In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces i ...
and Major-General commanding the Household Division
The Major-General commanding the Household Division commands the Household Division of the British Army and is also the General Officer Commanding London District. In British Army parlance, "The Major-General" always refers to the Major-General ...
on the same date. He became regimental lieutenant colonel of the Grenadier Guards on 10 June 2012. He was present at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...
celebrations in June 2012, and the London Olympics
London Olympics or London Games may refer to:
* 1908 Summer Olympics, Games of the IV Olympiad
* 1944 Summer Olympics, Games of the XIII Olympiad, cancelled due to World War II
* 1948 Summer Olympics, Games of the XIV Olympiad
* 2012 Summer Olympi ...
in August 2012.
Norton was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...
on 25 June 2013,[ following an audience with ]Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
.Solbiate Olona
Solbiate Olona is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 30 km northwest of Milan and about 20 km south of Varese. As of 31 December 2020, it had a population of 5,414 and an ar ...
in July 2013.[ He became the UK Military Representative to NATO on 20 May 2016, and to the European Union in July 2016. Norton retired from the British Army on 16 June 2020.
]
Later career
Norton became Commandant Royal College of Defence Studies
The Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies, formerly the Commandant of the Imperial Defence College, is the head of the Royal College of Defence Studies, a British military staff college which instructs senior officers, diplomats, and c ...
on 21 July 2020. On 20 August 2021, he was appointed 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 t ...
.
Honours and awards
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, George
Living people
Free Foresters cricketers
British Army lieutenant generals
Grenadier Guards officers
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
People educated at Radley College
1962 births
Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge