Rupert Thorneloe
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Stuart Michael Thorneloe MBE (17 October 1969 – 1 July 2009) was a British Army
officer who was killed in action
on 1 July 2009 near Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province
in southern Afghanistan
. , Thorneloe is the highest-ranking British Army officer to be killed in action
since Lt Col 'H'. Jones's death in 1982 during the Falklands War
.
, Oxfordshire
.
He attended Cothill House
school, and Radley College
in Radley
, near Abingdon
in Oxfordshire
, and the University of Reading
in Reading
, Berkshire
. Thereafter, he trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
, and graduated with an MA in Defence Studies from King's College London
in 2002.
on probation in the Welsh Guards
on a short service commission. His commission was later confirmed and backdated to 5 August 1989, and promoted to lieutenant
with seniority from 5 August 1991. He served in Northern Ireland
as a platoon
commander, and company
second-in-command
, and also worked for a year as an intelligence liaison officer
for his regiment, liaising with the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Special Branch
in South Armagh
.
Thorneloe was promoted to captain
on 1 April 1995. He switched to a special regular commission on 5 October 1995, and an ordinary regular commission on 18 September 1996, electing to make the Army his permanent career. He was appointed battalion adjutant
and, on 30 September 1999, was promoted to major, and posted to Permanent Joint Headquarters
, Northwood
, where he worked in intelligence analysis
. In 2002, Thorneloe studied at the Joint Service Command and Staff College, Shrivenham
, and then took command of a company
in Bosnia. Later, in 2004, Thorneloe moved to HQ 1st (UK) Armoured Division as Operations Officer.
In 2005, as the division was due to take over the role of Multinational Command South East
, Thorneloe was sent to Iraq ahead of the main deployment, and travelled to Basra
to begin planning for the transition to Iraqi control. The Times
said that the divisional commander Lieutenant General John Cooper
"looked on Thorneloe as his right-hand man in analysing and presenting the options in this process". On 8 September 2006, Thorneloe was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for his service in Iraq
. He became military assistant first to the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff
(Policy), Major-General
Andrew Stewart, and then to the Secretary of State for Defence
, Des Browne
.
Thorneloe was promoted lieutenant colonel on 30 June 2008, and became Commanding Officer
of his battalion just before it deployed to Afghanistan
in 2008 with about 1,000 troops based in Helmand Province
.
during a resupply mission when an improvised explosive device
exploded under his BvS 10 Viking
armoured vehicle.
The explosion also killed Trooper
Joshua Hammond of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
and injured six other soldiers.
The deaths of Thorneloe and Hammond brought the total number of fatalities of British Forces personnel in Afghanistan since 2001 to 171.
, Thorneloe is the highest-ranking British Army officer to be killed in action
since Lt Col 'H'. Jones VC in the Falklands War
, the highest-ranking to die in Afghanistan in post-colonial times, and one of eight British Army
commanding officers "killed on operations" since 1948. Across the British Armed Forces
the last commanding officer to be killed on operations was Wing Commander
Nigel Elsdon, No. 27 Squadron RAF
on 17/18 January 1991, during the Gulf War
.
Thorneloe's death reinvigorated debate over the adequacy of military equipment supplied to British forces in Afghanistan, with charges focusing on the alleged lack of transport helicopters, which forces troops to travel by land and become exposed to Taliban IED attacks, and the inadequate protection offered by Viking armoured vehicles against IEDs and land mines. However, according to The Timess obituary, Thorneloe himself had previously "dismissed suggestions that British Forces in Afghanistan are underresourced, saying, 'The training and kit are outstanding.
Thorneloe's funeral took place on 16 July 2009. At about 11:00 BST (10:00 UTC) the hearse carrying his coffin passed through Aldershot Barracks which was lined with Guardsmen. The hearse then travelled to the Guards Chapel
at Wellington Barracks, London
. The bearing party consisting of eight members of the Welsh Guards then shouldered the coffin and carried it into the chapel. On his coffin were placed his scabbard
, sword, cap, belt and medals along with a wreath of white roses. The service began at 12:45 BST, attended by the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Des Browne, and Thorneloe's family including his father, Major John Thorneloe.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
on 1 July 2009 near Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
in southern Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. , Thorneloe is the highest-ranking British Army officer to be killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
since Lt Col 'H'. Jones's death in 1982 during the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
.
Early life and education
Thorneloe was born on 17 October 1969 at KirtlingtonKirtlington
Kirtlington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about west of Bicester.-Archaeology:The Portway is a pre-Roman road running parallel with the River Cherwell on high ground about east of the river. It bisects Kirtlington parish and passes through the village. A short stretch of it is now...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
He attended Cothill House
Cothill House
Cothill House is a boys' independent school for preparatory pupils in Cothill, Oxfordshire, which houses around 250 boys from the ages 7-13.-General information:...
school, and Radley College
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
in Radley
Radley
Radley is a village and civil parish about northwest of the centre of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Lower Radley on the River Thames. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
, near Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, and the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. Thereafter, he trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, and graduated with an MA in Defence Studies from King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
in 2002.
Military career
On 6 September 1991, Thorneloe was commissioned as a second lieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
on probation in the Welsh Guards
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
on a short service commission. His commission was later confirmed and backdated to 5 August 1989, and promoted to lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
with seniority from 5 August 1991. He served in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
as a platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
commander, and company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
second-in-command
Second-in-command
The Second-in-Command is the deputy commander of any British Army or Royal Marines unit, from battalion or regiment downwards. He or she is thus the equivalent of an Executive Officer in the United States Army...
, and also worked for a year as an intelligence liaison officer
Liaison officer
A liaison officer or LNO is a person that liaises between two organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. Generally, they are used to achieve the best utilization of resources or employment of services of one organization by another. In the military, liaison officers may...
for his regiment, liaising with the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
in South Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
.
Thorneloe was promoted to captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
on 1 April 1995. He switched to a special regular commission on 5 October 1995, and an ordinary regular commission on 18 September 1996, electing to make the Army his permanent career. He was appointed battalion adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
and, on 30 September 1999, was promoted to major, and posted to Permanent Joint Headquarters
Permanent Joint Headquarters
The Permanent Joint Headquarters 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....
, Northwood
Northwood Headquarters
Northwood Headquarters is a military headquarters facility of the British Armed Forces in Eastbury, Hertfordshire, England, adjacent to the London suburb of Northwood...
, where he worked in intelligence analysis
Intelligence analysis
Intelligence analysis is the process of taking known information about situations and entities of strategic, operational, or tactical importance, characterizing the known, and, with appropriate statements of probability, the future actions in those situations and by those entities...
. In 2002, Thorneloe studied at the Joint Service Command and Staff College, Shrivenham
Shrivenham
Shrivenham is a large village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, close to the boundary with Wiltshire. It is in the Vale of White Horse, between Swindon and Faringdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Character:Shrivenham features many...
, and then took command of a company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
in Bosnia. Later, in 2004, Thorneloe moved to HQ 1st (UK) Armoured Division as Operations Officer.
In 2005, as the division was due to take over the role of Multinational Command South East
Multi-National Division (South-East) (Iraq)
Multi-National Division was a British commanded division responsible for security in the south east of Iraq from 2003 to 2009. It was responsible for the large city of Basra and its headquarters were located at Basra Airport. The division was initially responsible for the governorates of Al...
, Thorneloe was sent to Iraq ahead of the main deployment, and travelled to Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
to begin planning for the transition to Iraqi control. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said that the divisional commander Lieutenant General John Cooper
John Cooper (British Army officer)
Lieutenant General John Cooper CB DSO MBE is a former senior British Army officer. From March 2008 the Deputy Commander of Multinational Force-Iraq , the operational-level headquarters in Iraq, and Senior British Military Representative-Iraq. As Deputy Commander, he was the principal assistant to...
"looked on Thorneloe as his right-hand man in analysing and presenting the options in this process". On 8 September 2006, Thorneloe was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for his service in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. He became military assistant first to the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister...
(Policy), Major-General
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
Andrew Stewart, and then to the Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
, Des Browne
Des Browne
Desmond Henry Browne, Baron Browne of Ladyton is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudoun from 1997 to 2010...
.
Thorneloe was promoted lieutenant colonel on 30 June 2008, and became Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of his battalion just before it deployed to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in 2008 with about 1,000 troops based in Helmand Province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
.
Death
Thorneloe was killed by the Taliban in Operation Panther's ClawOperation Panther's Claw
Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther's Claw, was a British-led military operation of the Afghan War in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. It aimed to secure various canal and river crossings to establish a permanent International Security Assistance Force presence in the area...
during a resupply mission when an improvised explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
exploded under his BvS 10 Viking
BvS 10
The BvS 10 is an All Terrain Armoured Vehicle produced by BAE Systems Land Systems Hagglunds of Sweden. This vehicle, referred to as the All Terrain Vehicle - ATV or VIKING by the UK forces, was originally developed as a collaboration between industry - Hägglunds Vehicle AB - and the UK Ministry...
armoured vehicle.
The explosion also killed Trooper
Trooper (rank)
Trooper from the French "troupier" is the equivalent rank to private in a regiment with a cavalry tradition in the British Army and many other Commonwealth armies, including those of Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. Today, most cavalry units operate in the armoured role, equipped...
Joshua Hammond of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
2nd Royal Tank Regiment
The 2nd Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
and injured six other soldiers.
The deaths of Thorneloe and Hammond brought the total number of fatalities of British Forces personnel in Afghanistan since 2001 to 171.
, Thorneloe is the highest-ranking British Army officer to be killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
since Lt Col 'H'. Jones VC in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, the highest-ranking to die in Afghanistan in post-colonial times, and one of eight British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
commanding officers "killed on operations" since 1948. Across the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
the last commanding officer to be killed on operations was Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Nigel Elsdon, No. 27 Squadron RAF
No. 27 Squadron RAF
No. 27 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC2 from RAF Odiham.-The Great War:27 Squadron formed at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome on 5 November 1915, soon being equipped with Martinsyde Elephant fighter aircraft, hence the use of an elephant for the squadron badge...
on 17/18 January 1991, during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
Thorneloe's death reinvigorated debate over the adequacy of military equipment supplied to British forces in Afghanistan, with charges focusing on the alleged lack of transport helicopters, which forces troops to travel by land and become exposed to Taliban IED attacks, and the inadequate protection offered by Viking armoured vehicles against IEDs and land mines. However, according to The Timess obituary, Thorneloe himself had previously "dismissed suggestions that British Forces in Afghanistan are underresourced, saying, 'The training and kit are outstanding.
Thorneloe's funeral took place on 16 July 2009. At about 11:00 BST (10:00 UTC) the hearse carrying his coffin passed through Aldershot Barracks which was lined with Guardsmen. The hearse then travelled to the Guards Chapel
Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks
The Royal Military Chapel, St. James Park, known as the Guards Chapel, is the religious home of the Household Division at the Wellington Barracks in London. Built in 1838, the chapel was bombed during the Blitz in 1940/1941....
at Wellington Barracks, London
Wellington Barracks, London
The Foot Guards Battalions on public duties in London are located in barracks conveniently close to Buckingham Palace for them to be able to reach the Palace very quickly in an emergency. In central London, a battalion is based at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, about 300 yards from Buckingham...
. The bearing party consisting of eight members of the Welsh Guards then shouldered the coffin and carried it into the chapel. On his coffin were placed his scabbard
Scabbard
A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade. Scabbards have been made of many materials over the millennia, including leather, wood, and metals such as brass or steel.-Types of scabbards:...
, sword, cap, belt and medals along with a wreath of white roses. The service began at 12:45 BST, attended by the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Des Browne, and Thorneloe's family including his father, Major John Thorneloe.