Colin Weir

Colin Weir
Major General Colin Weir
Born	(1971-03-02) 2 March 1971 (age 53) Portadown, Northern Ireland
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1991–2024
Rank	Major General
Unit	Royal Irish Regiment
Commands	1st (United Kingdom) Division 16 Air Assault Brigade 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
Battles / wars	Iraq War War in Afghanistan
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Member of the Order of the British Empire

Major General Colin Richard James Weir, CB, DSO, MBE (born 2 March 1971) is a retired senior British Army officer.

Early life and education

Weir was born on 2 March 1971 in Portadown, Northern Ireland.[1] He was educated at Portadown College, and graduated from Queen's University Belfast with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.[2]

Military career

Weir was commissioned into the Royal Irish Rangers on 26 May 1991.[3] He was appointed commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment in March 2010 and was deployed in that role to Afghanistan.[2] He went on to be chief of staff for 1st (United Kingdom) Division in December 2012, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade in July 2015,[4] and Assistant Chief of Staff (Operations) at Permanent Joint Headquarters in May 2017 before becoming General Officer Commanding 1st (United Kingdom) Division in November 2018.[5] Weir was appointed chief of staff to the Field Army in 2020, and stepped down in July 2023.[6]

Weir was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours,[7] awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 30 September 2011 for service in Afghanistan,[8] and appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2023 Birthday Honours.[9]

References

1. "Weir, Maj. Gen. Colin Richard James, (born 2 March 1971), General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Division, since 2018". Who's Who 2020. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2019. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U291826. ISBN 9780199540884.
2. "Town soldier attains the rank of Colonel". Portadown Times. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
3. "No. 52646". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 September 1991. p. 13419.
4. "Special Order of the day by Brigadier C R J Weir DSO MBE, 20 October 2015". Paradata. 19 November 2018.
5. "No. 62472". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 November 2018. p. 21011.
6. Mackie, Colin (1 November 2020). "Generals November 2020" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie. Retrieved 7 November 2020. Major-General Colin J. R. Weir (late Royal Irish Regiment): Chief of Staff, Field Army, 2020
7. "No. 59282". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2009. p. 5.
8. "No. 59924". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 September 2011. p. 18714.
9. "No. 64082". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2023. p. B3.

Military offices
Preceded by Ralph Wooddisse	General Officer Commanding 1st (United Kingdom) Division 2018–2020	Succeeded by Charles Collins