Major General Michael Ian Eldon Scott, (born 3 March 1941) 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 who took part in the Falklands War, and held the office of the Military Secretary of the

. In post-military life he was the Bar Council's Complaints Commissioner, and has published several books of history.

Early life

The only son of Lt. Col. Eric Surtees Scott, and Great-Grandson of John Scott, the 3rd

Earl of Eldon Earl of Eldon, in the County Palatine of Durham, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1821 for the lawyer and politician John Scott, 1st Baron Eldon, Lord Chancellor from 1801 to 1806 and again from 1807 to 1827 ...

, Scott received his formal education at

Bradfield College Bradfield College is a coeducational public school (independent boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18, in the village of Bradfield, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It is noted for its open-air Greek theatre and its trien ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

,The Peerage.com
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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 ...

. He received a

commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

into the Scots Guards Regiment in 1960.Biography of Major General Michael Scott CB CBE DSO
Buckingham Covers

Military career

In 1965 he was made an

equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

to the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester ( ) is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...

. In 1966 he was appointed

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards, before in 1968 becoming Aide-de-Camp to

Earl Cathcart Earl Cathcart is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. History The title was created in 1814 for the soldier and diplomat William Cathcart, 1st Viscount Cathcart. The Cathcart family descends from Sir Alan Cathcart, who sometime bet ...

. In early 1981 he was appointed the

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of the 2nd Battalion of the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

. After the invasion of the Falkland Islands by

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

in early April 1982, in mid-June 1982 Scott commanded the victorious attack of the 2nd Battalion of the Scots Guards and supporting units at the

Battle of Mount Tumbledown Mount Tumbledown, Mount William, and Sapper Hill are located to the west of Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. Due to their proximity to the capital, these positions held strategic importance during the 1982 Falklands War. On ...

against positions held by the Argentinian Marines' 5th Naval Infantry Battalion, which cleared the way to

Port Stanley Stanley (also known as Port Stanley) is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census, the city had a population o ...

and ended the war. At the conclusion of the campaign he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

. From 1984 to 1986 he commanded the 8th Infantry Brigade 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 ...

during Operation Banner. In 1988 he became Deputy Military Secretary. In 1993 he was made General Officer Commanding Scotland and was Governor of Edinburgh Castle. From 1995 to 1997 he was the British Army's Military Secretary.

Post-military life

On retiring from the British Army after thirty seven years in 1997, Scott was the first lay Complaints Commissioner of the

General Council of the Bar The General Council of the Bar, commonly known as the Bar Council, is the representative body for barristers in England and Wales. Established in 1894, the Bar Council is the "approved regulator" of barristers, but delegates its regulatory functi ...

, and has published several books on eclectic subject matter, ranging from British Imperial military history, Victorian high society scandals (the

Royal baccarat scandal The royal baccarat scandal, also known as the Tranby Croft affair, was a British gambling scandal of the late 19th century involving the Prince of Wales—the future King Edward VII. The scandal started during a house party in September 1890, ...

of 1890), and his experiences in Bar Council's Complaints Commission.

Publications

* ''In Love & War, the Lives of General Harry and Lady Smith'' (2008). * ''Scapegoats: Thirteen victims of Military Injustice'' (2013). * ''Surrender at New Orleans: General Sir Harry Smith in the Peninsula and America'' (2014). * ''Royal Betrayal: The Great Baccarat Scandal of 1890''. (2017). * ''The Lady of Kabul'' (2019). * ''Minding the Law: The hazardous and hilarious world of handling complaints against barristers'' (2023).

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Michael 1941 births Living people People educated at Bradfield College British Army major generals Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Scots Guards officers British Army personnel of the Falklands War Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland)