Major General Rupert Smith DSO OBE QGM

General Officer Commanding 1st British Armoured Division. Smith enlisted in 1962 and was commissioned into the Parachute Regiment in 1964. He has served in East and South Africa, Arabia, the Caribbean, Europe and Malaysia. As a major general, Smith commanded the British 1st Armoured Division during the Gulf War (1990–1991). He became the first Assistant Chief of Defence Operations and Security at the UK Ministry of Defence in 1992. While there he was intimately involved in the UK's development of the strategy in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 1995 he was Commander UNPROFOR in Sarajevo, and was responsible for breaking the siege of the city by creating the UN Rapid Reaction Force, and ultimately thereby bringing the war to an end. Between 1996 and 1998 he was General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland. His final assignment was as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe between 1998 and 2001, covering NATO's Operation Allied Force during the Kosovo war, and the development of the European Security and Defence Identity. He was promoted to general on 1 January, 1999, having previously been acting general. He is currently the Honorary Colonel of Exeter UOTC.

Items Signed by Major General Rupert Smith DSO OBE QGM

Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Major General Rupert Smith DSO OBE QGM