Alastair Duncan

Major General Alastair David Arton Duncan CBE DSO (22 October 1952 – 24 July 2016) was a British army officer. He is best known for his service as Commanding Officer of The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire whilst in the Balkans, Chief of Staff of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, and Director-General of Training Support.

Early life and education Duncan was born on 22 October 1952 in Toft Monks, Norfolk, England. From 1961 to 1970, he was educated at Gresham's School, a private boarding school in Holt, Norfolk.

Military career On 10 March 1973, having attended Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Duncan was commissioned into The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire (PWO), British Army, as a second lieutenant with seniority from 8 March 1973. Duncan eventually rose to command the regiment in 1990 as a lieutenant-colonel, and would lead the PWO through two deployments. The first was to Northern Ireland in 1992 to fight in the Troubles, with Duncan appointed an Officer in the Order of the British Empire for his performance in command. The second was in 1993 to Bosnia as part of UNPFOR. Though stepping down from this position in 2001 to take up his final role in the military as Director-General of Training Support, the United Nations mission was completed in 2005, and Duncan was invested as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his efforts.

In 2013, Duncan was "sectioned under the Mental Health Act and confined in a secure mental facility".

Personal life Duncan was married three times and had three children. His first wife was Anita Keily, and together they had two sons; Thomas and Edward. They divorced in 1993. In 1995, he married Avril Walker, and together they had a daughter, Arabella. They divorced in 2008. In September 2013, he married for a third time to Ellen Le Brun, and she survives him.

Health In 1993, during his posting to Bosnia, Duncan suffered a brain injury when the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle he was travelling in was damaged by a roadside bomb. He subsequently developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in relation to the incident.