.gif)
Tim Collins (soldier)
Encyclopedia
Colonel Timothy Thomas Cyril Collins OBEMA BSSc PSC+ (born April 1960) is a former officer in the British Army
. He is best known for his role in the Iraq War in 2003, and his inspirational eve-of-battle speech, a copy of which apparently hung in the White House's Oval Office. He is currently CEO (and co-founder) of intelligence-based security services company New Century.
, Northern Ireland
, where he grew up during The Troubles
. He attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution
before he attended the Queen's University of Belfast
, where he gained a degree in economics.
, from where he was commissioned into the Royal Signals as a second lieutenant
on a short service commission on 2 October 1981. His commission was later backdated to 7 April 1979, and he was promoted to lieutenant with seniority from 7 April 1981. He transferred to the Royal Irish Rangers
on 18 October 1982. He switched to a full commission on 22 October 1984, and was promoted captain
on 7 October 1985. In 1994, Collins graduated as Master of Arts after completing the Army's Commands and Staff course at Staff College, Camberley
.
Collins went on to serve in Germany
, Cyprus
, the Falkland Islands
and Gibraltar
, as well as completing two tours of duty in Northern Ireland
, the first in south Armagh
and the second in east Tyrone
. He passed selection into the Special Air Service
in 1988 and went on to serve two operational tours with the regiment as a troop commander and as operations officer and one tour at HQ Special Forces in Duke of York Barracks, London where he was responsible for the detention of Persons Indicted for War Crimes in the Former Yugoslavia (PIFWICs), Offensive Information Operations (OIO) in Kosovo and the Operations in Sierra Leone culminating in Operation Barras
. He was promoted major on 30 September 1992, and lieutenant-colonel on 30 June 1999. Collins was appointed commanding officer
of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment in 2001, and earned the nickname "Nails" among his men. For a tour of duty in Northern Ireland between October 2001 and March 2002, he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
on 29 October 2002. It was in the capacity of 1 R Irish's commanding officer that he rose to prominence while serving in Iraq
.
on Wednesday 19 March 2003. The speech was extemporised, and was recorded in shorthand by a single journalist, Sarah Oliver. No recording or film of the speech exists, Collins told the BBC.
The "Mark of Cain" line from the speech inspired the title of the 2007 Film4 Productions
drama The Mark of Cain. In the film a commanding officer
makes a speech based on Collins' to his men.
The last episode of the 2008 television series 10 Days to War
features a version of the speech performed by Kenneth Branagh
as Collins.
He set up the Peace Support College in Sarajevo before becoming DACOS Training at HQ Land Command until his retirement.
In the video game Modern Warfare 3, Tim Collins's inspirational speech is quoted when you die.
. Following an investigation by the Special Investigation Branch
of the Royal Military Police
, he was cleared of any wrongdoing. He later won substantial undisclosed libel damages from both the Sunday Express
and the Sunday Mirror newspapers.
Collins has been approached by both the Conservative Party
and the Ulster Unionist Party
to run for Parliament
, though has not made any commitment to either party. During the 2005 Ulster Unionist leadership election
he was cited by a number of prominent Ulster Unionists as an outside figure who would make a good leader, but Collins declined as he felt he had "no experience of politics."
Collins is a signatory of the founding statement of principles of the Henry Jackson Society
, which advocates a pro-active approach to the spread of liberal democracy through the world. He has recently been critical of the Iraq war: "the UK and US pour blood and treasure into overseas campaigns which seem to have no ending and no goal ... Clearly I was naive".
Since leaving the Army, Collins' views on the Iraq conflict and other military issues have been widely sought.
In 2007, Collins was host of a three-part documentary called Ships That Changed the World for BBC Northern Ireland
.
In December, 2008 – during an interview on the BBC’s Today
programme, Collins said that, when he left in 2004, the British Army was already undermanned for existing commitments.
Collins is the Chief Executive Officer of specialist security company, New Century Consulting.
In February 2011 Tim Collins appeared on the BBC news programme Panorama in a special entitled 'Forgotten Heroes'. In the documentary, Collins meets veterans struggling to cope with civilian life and sleeps rough on the streets of Brighton with another former soldier.
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...
. He is best known for his role in the Iraq War in 2003, and his inspirational eve-of-battle speech, a copy of which apparently hung in the White House's Oval Office. He is currently CEO (and co-founder) of intelligence-based security services company New Century.
Early life
Collins was born and raised in BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, 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...
, where he grew up during The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. He attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution
Royal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, is a Grammar School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Locally referred to as Inst, the school educates boys from ages 11–18...
before he attended the Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...
, where he gained a degree in economics.
Military career
After graduating from university, Collins was accepted into the Royal Military Academy SandhurstRoyal 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...
, from where he was commissioned into the Royal Signals as a second lieutenant
Second 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 a short service commission on 2 October 1981. His commission was later backdated to 7 April 1979, and he was promoted to lieutenant with seniority from 7 April 1981. He transferred to the Royal Irish Rangers
Royal Irish Rangers
The Royal Irish Rangers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army.-Creation:...
on 18 October 1982. He switched to a full commission on 22 October 1984, and was promoted 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 7 October 1985. In 1994, Collins graduated as Master of Arts after completing the Army's Commands and Staff course at Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
.
Collins went on to serve in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
and Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, as well as completing two tours of duty 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...
, the first 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...
and the second in east Tyrone
Tyrone
The name Tyrone can refer to:*County Tyrone, a county in Northern Ireland, roughly corresponding to the ancient kingdom of Tír Eogain*An Earl of Tyrone*A small steam train which runs between Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland-Places:...
. He passed selection into the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
in 1988 and went on to serve two operational tours with the regiment as a troop commander and as operations officer and one tour at HQ Special Forces in Duke of York Barracks, London where he was responsible for the detention of Persons Indicted for War Crimes in the Former Yugoslavia (PIFWICs), Offensive Information Operations (OIO) in Kosovo and the Operations in Sierra Leone culminating in Operation Barras
Operation Barras
Operation Barras was the name given to a hostage rescue operation by the British Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Parachute Regiment in Sierra Leone on 10 September 2000...
. He was promoted major on 30 September 1992, and lieutenant-colonel on 30 June 1999. Collins was appointed 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 the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment in 2001, and earned the nickname "Nails" among his men. For a tour of duty in Northern Ireland between October 2001 and March 2002, he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
The Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service is a British military award that recognises meritorious service during, or in support of, operations...
on 29 October 2002. It was in the capacity of 1 R Irish's commanding officer that he rose to prominence while serving 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....
.
Eve-of-battle speech
As Lieutenant Colonel (Commanding Officer) of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment of the British Army, Collins gave a rousing eve-of-battle speech to his troops in KuwaitKuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
on Wednesday 19 March 2003. The speech was extemporised, and was recorded in shorthand by a single journalist, Sarah Oliver. No recording or film of the speech exists, Collins told the BBC.
Speech excerpt
In popular culture
On 31 October 2003 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for his service in Iraq and was invested on 7 April 2004. Collins was promoted to colonel and moved to the General Staff on 30 June 2003The "Mark of Cain" line from the speech inspired the title of the 2007 Film4 Productions
Film4 Productions
Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel 4. The company has been responsible for backing a large number of films made in the United Kingdom. The company's first production was Walter, directed by Stephen Frears, which was released in 1982.- History :Before 1998, the...
drama The Mark of Cain. In the film a 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...
makes a speech based on Collins' to his men.
The last episode of the 2008 television series 10 Days to War
10 Days to War
10 Days to War was a series of eight short television dramas commissioned by Newsnight and broadcast on BBC Two between 10 March 2008 and 19 March 2008 to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War...
features a version of the speech performed by Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
as Collins.
He set up the Peace Support College in Sarajevo before becoming DACOS Training at HQ Land Command until his retirement.
In the video game Modern Warfare 3, Tim Collins's inspirational speech is quoted when you die.
False accusations from Iraq
After serving in the Iraq War, and was accused by US Army reservist Major Re Biastre of the mistreatment of Iraqi civilians and prisoners of warHuman rights in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq
Human rights in post-invasion Iraq have been the subject of concerns and controversies since the 2003 invasion. Concerns have been expressed about conduct by insurgents, the U.S.-led coalition forces and the Iraqi government. The U.S...
. Following an investigation by the Special Investigation Branch
Special Investigation Branch
The Special Investigation Branch is the name given to the detective branches of all three British military police arms: the Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police and Royal Air Force Police. It is most closely associated with the Royal Military Police, which has the largest SIB. SIB members...
of the Royal Military Police
Royal Military Police
The Royal Military Police is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK, and whilst service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises.Members of the RMP are generally known as...
, he was cleared of any wrongdoing. He later won substantial undisclosed libel damages from both the Sunday Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
and the Sunday Mirror newspapers.
Post-military career
He officially left the army on 5 August 2004.Collins has been approached by both the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
to run for Parliament
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, though has not made any commitment to either party. During the 2005 Ulster Unionist leadership election
Ulster Unionist Party leadership election, 2005
The 2005 Ulster Unionist Party leadership election began on 7 May 2005 when David Trimble resigned as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party following his party's poor performance in the 2005 general election when it lost all but one of its seats, including Trimble's own...
he was cited by a number of prominent Ulster Unionists as an outside figure who would make a good leader, but Collins declined as he felt he had "no experience of politics."
Collins is a signatory of the founding statement of principles of the Henry Jackson Society
Henry Jackson Society
The Henry Jackson Society is a non-partisan association. The society's goals include the promotion of "democratic geopolitics". The society is named after after Henry M. Jackson, the late Democratic Senator from Washington State...
, which advocates a pro-active approach to the spread of liberal democracy through the world. He has recently been critical of the Iraq war: "the UK and US pour blood and treasure into overseas campaigns which seem to have no ending and no goal ... Clearly I was naive".
Since leaving the Army, Collins' views on the Iraq conflict and other military issues have been widely sought.
In 2007, Collins was host of a three-part documentary called Ships That Changed the World for BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
.
In December, 2008 – during an interview on the BBC’s Today
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
programme, Collins said that, when he left in 2004, the British Army was already undermanned for existing commitments.
Collins is the Chief Executive Officer of specialist security company, New Century Consulting.
In February 2011 Tim Collins appeared on the BBC news programme Panorama in a special entitled 'Forgotten Heroes'. In the documentary, Collins meets veterans struggling to cope with civilian life and sleeps rough on the streets of Brighton with another former soldier.