Christopher Wallace

Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Brooke Quentin Wallace, (3 January 1943 – 7 January 2016) was a British Army officer and military historian.

Early life Born the son of Major Robert and Diane Wallace, he was competitive from boyhood. At his preparatory school where he was head boy as well as captain of cricket and football, the headmaster noted "This boy needs to learn to lead rather than drive." He was further educated at Shrewsbury School. As a boy he had developed a love of singing and this continued into later life.

Military career Wallace was commissioned into the 2nd Battalion Green Jackets (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) in 1962. The regiment saw service in Penang and Borneo during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation as part of Far East Land Forces (FARELF) from December 1964 to November 1967 under Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Bramall. Wallace attended the Royal Military College of Science from September to December 1974 and this was followed by a year at the Staff College, Camberley. He had three tours of duty in Northern Ireland during the Troubles for which he was mentioned in despatches. Wallace was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1978 New Year Honours, and advanced to Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1983 New Year Honours.

Wallace's regimental service in the Royal Green Jackets concluded with command of the 3rd Battalion in Germany and Northern Ireland from 1983 to 1985. and retired, aged 56, on 20 June 1999.

Wallace was Colonel commandant of the Royal Military Police from 1 April 1992 until March 1999, Colonel commandant of the Royal Green Jackets from 1995 to 1998 and Colonel commandant of the Light Division from 1998 to 1999.

Wallace has been described as a meticulous wordsmith and a stickler for detail. One of his senior colonels, who had served under him in Germany and at the Permanent Joint Headquarters, described him as "A no-nonsense, to the point, agile-thinking and inspiring leader".

Subsequent career and interests Wallace was Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies, an appointment gained by open competition, from January 2001 until January 2005. He was Chairman of the Trustees of The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum from 1999 until October 2015. The widely acclaimed exhibition With the Rifles to Waterloo will remain as a lasting legacy of his skills as a fund-raiser and project manager. Wallace was also Chairman of the Winchester Military Museums from 2002 to 2016. He was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant for Hampshire in 2004.

Wallace was also a keen bird-watcher, a hobby which he expanded as his career took him around the world. He was a member of the British Commission for Military History.

Family In 1969 Wallace married Delicia Curtis; they had one son and one daughter.