Sir John Lorimer | |
|---|---|
 Lorimer in 2021 | |
| Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man | |
| Assumed office 29 September 2021 | |
| Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
| Premier | Howard Quayle Alfred Cannan |
| Preceded by | Sir Richard Gozney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1962 (age 63–64) |
| Alma mater | Pembroke College, Cambridge |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1981–2021 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Chief of Joint Operations (2014–2017) Deputy CommanderInternational Security Assistance Force (2013–2014) 3rd (United Kingdom) Division (2011–2013) Task Force Helmand (2007) 12th Mechanized Brigade (2005–2007) 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (2000–2003) |
| Battles/wars | The Troubles Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Member of the Order of the British Empire |
Sir John Gordon Lorimer is a retired seniorBritish Army officer, who served as the Chief of Joint Operations and the Defence Senior Adviser to the Middle East and North Africa. He was appointedLieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man on 29 September 2021.
The son of Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Lorimer, John Gordon Lorimer was born in 1962.[1] He was educated atMarlborough College, aprivate school inMarlborough, Wiltshire, from 1976 to 1981.[2] He studied Arabic and Islamic Studies atPembroke College, Cambridge.[1][2]
Lorimer enlisted as a private soldier in 1981.[3] He wascommissioned into TheParachute Regiment on 11 December 1982.[4] He was promoted tolieutenant on 11 December 1984, tocaptain on 11 December 1988 and to major on 30 September 1994.[5][6][7] After serving on operations inNorthern Ireland,[8] he was promoted tolieutenant colonel on 30 June 1999 and commanded the3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment from 2000 to 2003, including operational deployments inNorthern Ireland andIraq.[9][10]
Lorimer was promoted tocolonel on 30 June 2003.[11][12] He was then appointed Commander of12th Mechanized Brigade in June 2005 and joined his brigade in Iraq later that year.[13] In September 2005, Lorimer commanded the operation that freed twoSpecial Forces soldiers, who were being held hostage in aBasra police station.[14] Promoted tobrigadier on 31 December 2005,[15] he was deployed toAfghanistan as commander ofTask Force Helmand in April 2007.[16]
Promoted tomajor general on 23 November 2010, Lorimer was appointed as theChief of the Defence Staff's Strategic Communications Officer[17] and the Ministry of Defence's Operational Spokesman.[18] He was appointedGeneral Officer Commanding3rd (UK) Mechanised Division on 6 June 2011.[19] Promoted tolieutenant general on 9 July 2013, he was appointed Deputy Commander,International Security Assistance Force (ISAF),[20][21][22] taking over from Lieutenant GeneralNick Carter.[23]
Lorimer handed over his responsibilities of DeputyISAF Commander to Lieutenant GeneralCarsten Jacobson (Germany) in June 2014[24][25] and becameChief of Joint Operations in October 2014.[26] In January 2016,The Times newspaper listed Lorimer amongst Britain's 500 most influential role models.[27]
Lorimer took over as the Defence Senior Adviser to the Middle East in January 2018,[28][29] before handing over the role in February 2021.[30] Lorimer is a formerColonel Commandant of the Parachute Regiment[31] and President of theArmy Rugby Union.[9][10] He retired from the British Army on 18 August 2021.[32]
In July 2021, it was announced that Lorimer would be the nextLieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, succeedingSir Richard Gozney.[33] He was sworn in as the 31st lieutenant governor during a ceremony held atCastle Rushen inCastletown, Isle of Man, on 29 September 2021.[34][35]
Lorimer was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the1997 Birthday Honours.[36] He was appointed Companion of theDistinguished Service Order (DSO) on 7 March 2008 for service in Afghanistan the previous year.[37] He was appointedKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2016 Birthday Honours.[38] He was granted permission to wear the United States'Legion of Merit in the Degree of Officer, awarded to him "in recognition of meritorious, gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Afghanistan", in April 2017.[39][40]
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | General Officer Commanding the3rd Mechanised Division 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Commander,ISAF 2013–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of Joint Operations 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man 2021–Present | Incumbent |