Charles Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|British army officer}}

{{Infobox military person

| honorific_prefix = [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]] [[The Right Honourable]]

| name = The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank

| image = Official portrait of Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank crop 2.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Guthrie in 2019

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1938|11|17|df=y}}

| birth_place = [[Chelsea, London]], England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| placeofburial =

| allegiance = [[United Kingdom]]

| branch = [[British Army]]

| serviceyears = 1959–2001

| rank = [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]]

| servicenumber = 461440

| unit = [[Welsh Guards]]

| commands = {{ubl|[[Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the Defence Staff]]|[[Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the General Staff]]|[[British Army of the Rhine]]|[[I Corps (United Kingdom)|1st British Corps]]|[[2nd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|2nd Infantry Division]]|[[4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East|4th Armoured Brigade]]|1st Battalion, [[Welsh Guards]]}}

| battles = {{ubl|[[Operation Banner]]|[[Bosnian War]]|[[Kosovo War]]}}

| awards = {{ubl|[[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]|[[Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]]|[[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]]}}

| relations =

| laterwork = [[Life peer]]

As an [[List_of_Old_Harrovians| Old Harrovian]], and due to his seniority in the [[British Army]], Harrow School's [[Combined Cadet Force]] contingent, the Harrow Rifle Corps, chose to name an annual inter-CCF [[competition]] in Guthrie's honour. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.harrowschool.org.uk/learning-2/leadership-and-service|access-date=30 August 2022|title=Harrow School CCF Webpage}}</ref> The Guthrie Cup is a [[Section_(military_unit)|Section]] patrol competition, run for school CCFs in [[London_District_(British_Army)|London District]], supported by [[Army_Cadet_Force#Cadet_Force_Adult_Volunteers|adult volunteers]] and cadets from the Harrow Rifle Corps and local [[Army Cadet Force]] detachments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/cadets_london|access-date=30 August 2022|title=London District Cadets Branch Twitter}}</ref>

Guthrie was commissioned into the [[Welsh Guards]] on 25 July 1959.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=41826 |date=22 September 1959 |page=6045 |supp=y }}</ref> He was promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] on 1 June 1961<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=42419 |date=21 July 1961 |page=5495 |supp=y }}</ref> and [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 25 July 1965.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=43721 |date=23 July 1965 |page=7137 |supp=y }}</ref> In 1966 he became a troop commander with 22 [[Special Air Service]] Regiment serving in [[South Yemen|Aden]], the [[Persian Gulf]], [[Malaysia]] and [[East Africa]] and then in 1968 he became a squadron commander with 22 Special Air Service Regiment serving in the Persian Gulf and the United Kingdom.<ref name = nato>{{cite web|url=http://www.hq.nato.int/cv/chod/uk/guthrie.htm|title=Nato biography|access-date=24 July 2012|archive-date=1 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001015244/http://www.hq.nato.int/cv/chod/uk/guthrie.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> He returned to the Welsh Guards in [[Münster]] in 1970 and, following his promotion to [[Major (rank)|major]] on 31 December 1970,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=45271 |date=1 January 1971 |page=119 |supp=y }}</ref> he was given command of a mechanised infantry company in the 1st Battalion.<ref name=nato/> He became Military Assistant to the Chief of the General Staff in 1973 and, following a year as Second in Command of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in [[London]] and [[Cyprus]]<ref name=nato/> and having been promoted to [[lieutenant colonel]] on 31 December 1975,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=46773 |date=29 December 1975 |page=16370 |supp=y }}</ref> he became [[brigade major]] for the [[Household Division]] in 1976.<ref name=WW/> Guthrie was appointed a [[Royal Victorian Order|Member of the Royal Victorian Order]] (MVO ''fourth class'') in the [[1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours]]; on 31 December 1984 this rank was reclassified as Lieutenant (LVO).<ref name="lvo">{{London Gazette |issue=47234 |date=11 June 1977 |page=7084 |supp=y}}</ref>

Guthrie was appointed [[commanding officer]] of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in 1977 in which role he was deployed to [[Berlin]].<ref name=WW/> Promoted to [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] on 31 December 1979,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=48080 |date=28 January 1980 |page=1438 |supp=y }}</ref> he undertook a tour of duty in [[Northern Ireland]] in Spring 1980 for which he was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]].<ref name=obe>{{London Gazette|issue=48346 |date=20 October 1980 |page=14607 |supp=y }}</ref> In 1980 he was also briefly Commander of British Forces in the [[New Hebrides]].<ref name=WW/> He then spent two years as Colonel on the General Staff for Military Operations at the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]].<ref name=WW/> Promoted to [[brigadier]] on 31 December 1981,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=48852 |date=4 January 1982 |page=157 |supp=y }}</ref> he became Brigade Commander of [[4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East|4th Armoured Brigade]] in 1982.<ref name=WW/> In 1984 he was made chiefofstaff for [[I Corps (United Kingdom)|1st British Corps]] in [[Bielefeld]].<ref name=nato/> Following his appointment as [[general officer commanding]] (GOC) [[North East District (British Army)|North East District]] and Commander [[2nd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|2nd Infantry Division]] based in [[York]] on 18 January 1986,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=50426 |date=10 February 1986 |page=1965 |supp=y }}</ref> he was given the substantive rank of [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|major general]] on 31 March 1986.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=50515 |date=12 May 1986 |page=6487 |supp=y }}</ref>

Guthrie was appointed Commander of [[Northern Army Group]] and [[British Army of the Rhine]] on 7 January 1992<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=52792 |date=13 January 1992 |page=497 |supp=y }}</ref> and, following promotion to ([[Four-star rank|full]]) [[General (United Kingdom)|general]] on 14 February 1992,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=52838 |date=17 February 1992 |page=2789 |supp=y }}</ref> became [[ADC General|ADC]] to [[Elizabeth II|the Queen]] on 13 July 1993.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=53369 |date=12 July 1993 |page=11759 |supp=y }}</ref>

Guthrie then became [[Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the General Staff]] (CGS) on 15 March 1994,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=53645 |date=18 April 1994 |page=5799 |supp=y }}</ref> being advanced to a [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] in the [[Queen's Birthday Honours]] 1994.<ref name=gcb>{{London Gazette|issue=53696 |date=10 June 1994 |page=2 |supp=y }}</ref> As CGS, he was responsible for providing strategic military advice to the British Government on the deployment of troops for the [[Bosnian War]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nato.int/ifor/trans/t960724a.htm|title=Transcript of the Press Briefing|date=24 July 1996|publisher=NATO|access-date=17 December 2011}}</ref> and also in 1996 updated the [[British Military Doctrine]].<ref name="cgsdmo">{{cite news |title=Design for Military Operations - The British Military Doctrine |url=http://www.navedu.navy.mi.th/stg/databasestory/data/youttasart/youttasarttalae/bigcity/UK/British_Military_Doctrine.pdf |work=Army Code No 71451 |issue=D/CGS/50/8 |publisher=Chief of the General Staff |date=1996}}</ref>

Guthrie went on to become [[Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the Defence Staff]] on 2 April 1997.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=54726 |date=7 April 1997 |page=4170 |supp=y }}</ref> In that position, he advised the British Government on the conduct of the [[Kosovo War]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/ukos.htm|title=UK military briefing on operation allied force|date=27 March 1999|access-date=17 December 2011|archive-date=7 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607031904/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/ukos.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also warned against a British invasion of [[Zimbabwe]] to undertake [[regime change]] against [[Robert Mugabe]], saying "Hold hard, you'll make it worse."<ref name="independent2007-guthrie">{{cite news|title=Lord Guthrie: 'Tony's General' turns defence into an attack|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/lord-guthrie-tonys-general-turns-defence-into-an-attack-399865.html|work=The Independent|date=11 November 2007}}</ref>

Guthrie retired from the British Army in 2001.<ref name=WW/>

[[File:Trooping the Colour, senior offices.JPG|thumb|right|Lord Guthrie (left) riding in the 2012 Trooping of the Colour as Colonel of The Life Guards]]

Guthrie was appointed [[Colonel Commandant]] of the [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]] on 1 March 1986 and Colonel Commandant of the [[Special Air Service]] in 2000.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=50452 |date=10 March 1986 |page=3441 |supp=y }}</ref><ref name=WW/> For twenty years he served as Colonel of [[Life Guards (United Kingdom)|The Life Guards]] and [[Gold Stick and Silver Stick|Gold Stick-in-Waiting]] to [[Elizabeth II|The Queen]], from 1 January 1999 to 7 June 2019.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=55365 |date=4 January 1999 |page=54 |supp=y }}</ref><ref name="auto">[[Court Circular]], 7 June 2019.</ref>

After retiring from the British Army,<ref name=WW/> he was created a [[life peer]] as '''Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank''', of Craigiebank in the [[Dundee City council area]], in June 2001.<ref>[https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-guthrie-of-craigiebank/3608 www.parliament.uk]</ref> Lord Guthrie sat as a [[crossbencher]] in the [[House of Lords]].<ref name=burke>{{cite web|url=http://www.burkespeerage.com/ |title=Burkes Peerage|access-date=24 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=56260 |date=2 July 2001 |page=7767 }}</ref> He was one of several retired Chiefs of Defence Staff who spoke out in the House of Lords about the risk to servicemen facing liability for their actions before the [[International Criminal Court]], particularly with respect to the [[invasion of Iraq]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2005-07-14b.1220.0&s=speaker%3A13420#g1233.0 |title=Armed Forces: Chain of Command|publisher=Hansard|date=14 July 2005|access-date=17 December 2011}}</ref> [[George Monbiot]] criticised Guthrie for an alleged lack of understanding of [[international law]]. Monbiot based his argument on Guthrie's September 2002 statement for an invasion of Iraq and subsequent comments, in which he appeared to support launching "surprise wars", something forbidden by the [[United Nations]] Charter.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/story/0,,2233793,00.html |title=How Britain became party to a crime that may have killed a million people|first=George|last=Monbiot|newspaper= [[The Guardian]]|date= 1 January 2008|access-date=17 December 2011|location=London}}</ref> Guthrie disagreed publicly with [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Gordon Brown]] in 2008 over military funding.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6726512.ece |title=Guthrie attacks Gordon Brown over helicopters for Afghanistan troops|first=Alice |last=Thomson|newspaper= [[The Times]]|date= 25 July 2009}}</ref>

Guthrie has served as a non-executive director of [[Gulf Keystone Petroleum]], Rivada Networks, Ashley Gardens Block 2 Ltd, [[Colt Defense]] LLC and Sciens Capital; he has served as a director of [[N M Rothschild & Sons]], Gulf Keystone, and [[Petropavlovsk plc|Petropavlovsk PLC]]; he has served as a non-executive chairman of Siboney Ltd.; he has been a shareholder of [[Palantir Technologies]] and the global strategic intelligence firm Arcanum, which is a subsidiary of Magellen Investment Holdings.<ref name="HoL_interests">{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldreg/reg10.htm|title=House of Lords: Register of Interests|access-date=17 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="HoL_bio">{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-guthrie-of-craigiebank/3608|title=Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank|work=parliament.uk|access-date=11 December 2018}}</ref><ref name="ArcanumBio">{{cite web|url=https://www.arcanumglobal.com/team_members/field-marshal-charles-ronald-llewelyn-guthrie/?pdf-template|title=Field Marshal Charles Roland Llewelyn Guthrie: Senior Adviser to the Chairman|date=2018|work=Arcanum|access-date=11 December 2018}}</ref> He is also a member of the [[Top Level Group|Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation]], established in October 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/08/nuclear-disarmament-cross-party-group |title=Nuclear-free world ultimate aim of new cross-party pressure group|first=Julian|last=Borger|newspaper=The Guardian|date=8 September 2009|access-date=17 December 2011|location=London}}</ref> He is president of several charities, including [[Action Research (charity)|Action Medical Research]], the [[Army Benevolent Fund]], Soldier On!,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soldieron.org.uk/?page_id=21|title=Our Patrons|publisher=Soldier on!|access-date=7 August 2013|archive-date=5 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705194442/http://www.soldieron.org.uk/?page_id=21|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Association.<ref name="HoL_interests" /> Until 2019, he was also the president of [[London Youth (Federation of London Youth Clubs)]]. He is a [[Deputy Lieutenant]] for [[Dorset]].<ref name=WW/>

Guthrie was one of several contributors to a 2013 book on public sector management.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Public Sector:Managing the Unmanageable|author=Stevenson, Alexander|isbn=978-0-7494-6777-7|year=2013|publisher=Kogan Page}}</ref> A Roman Catholic convert,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/catholiclife/2010/06/18/general-tells-pupils-about-history-and-leadership/ |title=General tells pupils about history and leadership|newspaper=Catholic Herald|date=18 June 2010|access-date=28 December 2011}}</ref> Guthrie became a [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Knight of Malta]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/lord-guthrie-tonys-general-turns-defence-into-an-attack-399865.html|title=Lord Guthrie: 'Tony's General' turns defence into an attack |newspaper=The Independent|date=11 November 2008|access-date=28 December 2011|location=London|first=Cole|last=Moreton}}</ref> and is a Patron of the Catholic homeless charities Cardinal Hume Centre<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardinalhumecentre.org.uk/?pageid=SupportForTheCentre.xml |title=About Us: Patrons|publisher=Cardinal Hume Centre|access-date=28 December 2011}}</ref> and Caritas Anchor House.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://caritasanchorhouse.org.uk/our-supporters |title= Our Supporters |publisher= Caritas Anchor House |access-date= 5 December 2014 |archive-date= 7 December 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141207082342/http://caritasanchorhouse.org.uk/our-supporters/ |url-status= dead }}</ref> He became Chancellor of [[Liverpool Hope University]] in July 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/sas-veteran-lord-guthrie-becomes-5108429|title=SAS veteran Lord Guthrie becomes new Liverpool Hope University chancellor|date=16 July 2013|newspaper=Liverpool Echo|access-date=1 March 2015}}</ref>

In August 2014, Lord Guthrie was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''[[The Guardian]]'' opposing [[Scottish independence]] in the run-up to September's [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|referendum on that issue]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/07/celebrities-open-letter-scotland-independence-full-text|title=Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories|website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=7 August 2014|access-date=25 August 2014}}</ref> He initially supported the continuance of the [[United Kingdom|United Kingdom's]] presence in the [[European Union]] in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union]], but suddenly switched to an advocacy of withdrawing from it less than a week before the vote was held, issuing a public warning of the ambitions inherent in the E.U. for the creation of a new "European Army", which he stated "would be a disaster".<ref name=bbc-20160618>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36565036 |title=EU referendum: Ex-army chief Lord Guthrie switches to Leave |publisher=BBC News|date=18 June 2016 |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref> He is on the advisory board of [[Veterans for Britain]] an organization with the stated aim of supporting " Her Majesty's Government in the task of restoring full sovereign control to all aspects of the defence of the Realm " following the EU referendum.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.veteransforbritain.uk/about/aims|title=About us|website=Veterans for Britain|access-date=3 January 2020|archive-date=25 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225150637/http://veteransforbritain.uk/about/aims/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Since 1 August 2017 Lord Guthrie has been the Senior Advisor to Ron Wahid, Chairman of Arcanum, a subsidiary of Magellan Investment Holdings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.intelligenceonline.com/corporate-intelligence/2017/08/23/lord-guthrie-comes-aboard-at-arcanum,108258469-art|title=United Kingdom: Lord Guthrie Comes Aboard at Arcanum – Intelligence Online|date=23 August 2017|publisher=Intelligence online|access-date=8 January 2018}}</ref><ref name=ArcanumPRbio>{{cite news|url=https://www.arcanumglobal.com/news/former-head-british-army-defence-chief-joins-arcanum/?pdf-template|title=Former Head of the British Army and Defence Chief Joins Arcanum|work=Arcanum|date=1 August 2018|access-date=11 December 2018}}</ref> Established 23 March 2015, Magellan Investment Holdings is a holding company with investments in natural resources, energy, real estate, fine arts, aerospace and defense and technology. Magellan is the parent company of two subsidiaries: Arcanum, a global intelligence firm, and RJI Capital, a merchant banking and strategic advisory company.<ref name="MagellanHoldings">{{cite web|url=https://www.gbrbusiness.com/company/Magellan-Investment-Holdings-Limited|title=Magellan Investment Holdings Limited|work=gbr.business.com|access-date=11 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://magellanholdings.co.uk/|title=Magellan Holdings|access-date=11 December 2018|archive-date=11 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211223841/https://magellanholdings.co.uk/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

He married, on 11 September 1971, Catherine Worrall, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Claude Worrall, [[Coldstream Guards]]. The couple have two sons.<ref name=WW/><ref name=burke/> She died from heart failure on 8 October 2022, at the age of 81.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |department=Register |title=Lady Guthrie |date=15 October 2022 |page=86 |issue=73915 |column=2 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Lady Guthrie obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lady-guthrie-obituary-8bmjx5mxk |access-date=11 November 2022 |work=The Times |date=11 November 2022}}</ref> Guthrie's younger brother is James Guthrie, [[King's Counsel|KC]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.3harecourt.com/content/view/james-guthrie-qc|title=James Guthrie|publisher=Harecourt|access-date=20 July 2022|archive-date=27 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127032346/https://www.3harecourt.com/content/view/james-guthrie-qc|url-status=dead}}</ref>

|rowspan=2| [[File:UKRoyal Victorian Order ribbon.svg|80px]] || [[Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]] (GCVO) || 2019<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/3301231|title=CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD|website=thegazette.co.uk|access-date=14 June 2019}}</ref>

|[[File:Badge of Honour ribbon.png|80px]] || [[Badge of Honour]] || 1980 ([[New Hebrides]])<ref>{{cite book|last=Mackay|first=James|title=The Medal Yearbook 2004|year=2004|publisher=Token Publishing Ltd.|location=Devon, UK|isbn=9781870192620|page=236|author2=Mussell, John W.}}</ref>

|[[File:SMOM.svg|80px]] || [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta]]|| 1999 ([[SMOM]])<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/internationalwho2004ond|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/internationalwho2004ond/page/666 666]|quote=charles guthrie Malta who's who 2004.|title=The International Who's Who 2004|date=26 April 2024 |publisher=Europa Publications|isbn=9781857432176 |access-date=22 June 2017}}</ref>

| [[File:MelitensiCivili.png|80px]] || Cross [[Order pro Merito Melitensi|''pro Merito Melitensi'']] || ([[SMOM]])

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[[Category:Military personnel of the Bosnian War]]

[[Category:20th-century British Army personnel]]