Patrons
Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) J C St J KILMISTER R WELSH
11th December 2017
Born in the British Military Hospital Benghazi, Libya in October 1959 where his father was a serving officer with 1st Battalion The Welch Regiment. He was educated at Eastbourne College.
He joined the Army in 1979 and was commissioned into The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th / 41st Foot) in December 1979. He commanded a rifle platoon in Aldershot and Northern Ireland with the 1st Battalion, and a Training Platoon at the Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion in Shorncliffe. He was the Battalion Intelligence Officer in Germany in 1984-1986 during the Cold War. He returned to UK and served as Adjutant of the TA Battalion (3RRW) in Cardiff before returning to the 1st Battalion as an Acting Company Commander in Warminster and Hong Kong. He attended Staff College Camberley in 1991.
Following Staff College he was the SO2 G1 / G4 Ops at HQ 3 (UK) Division and then commanded C Company 1 RRW (the same company that his Father had commanded 20 years before) completing a 2 year tour in Northern Ireland. In 1996 he moved to Brecon as Chief of Staff Infantry Training Centre Wales. He was appointed Battalion Second in Command of 1 STAFFORDS completing another tour in NI and an overseas exercise in Kenya. Then followed a 2-year tour as the SO2 Manning and Recruiting at HQ Infantry. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 2002 he spent 8 months seconded to the Macedonian MOD as a counter insurgency advisor before being posted for a 2 year tour as the Chief Personnel and Logistics Officer for the UN force in Cyprus. During that period he also helped establish the UN force in the central African country of Burundi. He was Commander Regional Recruiting Wales in October 2007- October 2009. Between October 2009- June 2010 he was the Chief Military Intelligence Officer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the UN Mission (MONUC). He was appointed to HQ Joint Force Headquarters Brunssum as the Deputy Director of the Joint Operations Centre in June 2010 and has subsequently been awarded the Commander’s Commendation for his time there. In January 2012 he undertook a tour in HQ ISAF working directly for the Commander ISAF, USMC General Allen. In 2013 he was successful in his application to become the next Regimental Secretary of the Royal Welsh. He took up the appointment in January 2014.
Lieutenant Colonel Kilmister is married to Suzanne and they have two daughters who are both at university. He is interested in most sports and is a very keen gardener.
“I have been lucky enough to have been involved with the Military Preparation College since 2000, first as the SO2 Manning & Recruiting at HQ Infantry and latterly as the Commander Regional Recruiting Wales. The student that the MPCT has consistently turned out is well prepared, motivated and determined. The Royal Welsh and its processor regiments (RRW & RWF) have received a significant number of trained soldiers from MPCT. The Regiment’s investment in this process was a high grade corporal or young sergeant as the Military Coordinator in 2 or 3 of their centres.
The Welsh Guards and Queen’s Dragoon Guards also provided military coordinators to other centres. Not only did this ensure that the quality of the MPC Students remained high but it delivered valuable training for the NCO. When these coordinators were removed following RPP the drop off was very noticeable.
The MPCT Student did (and does) considerably better at the Selection Centre and passed into training with a clear understanding of what was required of him or her during basic training. From my considerable experience of recruiting the MPCT student lasted the course at Basic Training appreciably longer than recruits taken off the street.
This is an organisation that employs high grade instructors and administrators, many of them former military officers and SNCOs or Warrant Officers. The MPCT standards are very high and their innovative training keeps the students inspired, interested and stimulated. This makes for a far better and more rounded recruit. This organisation is one of clubs in the recruiting bag but a vital one. This organisation needs our continued and sustained support if the Army is to move to anywhere near full manning”.