Philip Trousdell

Lieutenant General Sir Philip Charles Cornwallis Trousdell (born 13 August 1948) is a retired senior British Army officer who was General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland and Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He was commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers before advancing to high command and in that capacity was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Early life Trousdell was educated at Berkhamsted School, Hertfordshire, England.

Military career Trousdell was commissioned into the Royal Irish Rangers on 2 August 1968 as a second lieutenant. He was promoted to lieutenant on 2 February 1970, Between 1968 and 1974, he served in the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Libya, Bahrain, Oman and Northern Ireland. Between 1974 and 1977, he served as Signals Officer and Adjutant of 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers. He then became an instructor in the Junior wing of Camberley. He spent the next two years as a member of the Directing Staff at Camberley. From August 1991 to January 1992, he was based in Northern Ireland, overseeing the amalgamation of the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Irish Rangers into the Royal Irish Regiment. From January 1992 to November 1993, he was commanding officer of the 48 Gurkha Brigade in Hong Kong. He was posted to the Ministry of Defence from November 1993 until January 1997 as Director of Public Relations (Army). He served as Chief of Staff at Headquarters Land Command from 1997 to 2000. In 2001 he was appointed Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He retired on 10 August 2005.

Later life Trousdell has been Chairman of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority since 29 September 2011, having been interim Chairman from 20 May 2011. He is a trustee of Help for Heroes.

Honours and decorations Trousdell was appointed Commander of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours. In the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE).

He held the honorary position of Colonel of The Queen's Own Gurkha Transport Regiment from 27 October 1993 to 1 July 2003. He was appointed Deputy Colonel of The Royal Irish Regiment on 1 July 1996, relinquishing the appointment on 1 July 2001 when he was appointed Colonel of the Regiment. On 1 April 2001, he was appointed Colonel Commandant of Media Operations Group (Volunteers), and his tenure expired on 1 April 2006. He was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Brigade of Gurkhas from 1 July 2003 to 1 April 2007.