|
Colonel James Hamilton-Russell MBE DL
Late The Blues and Royals
by Captain Edward Hamilton-Russell
formerly The Life Guards
|
Colonel James Hamilton-Russell was born on 11th September 1938 and died on 5th February 2025. He was educated at Eton College before being commissioned into the 1st Royal Dragoons, his father’s Regiment, on 10 May 1958.
He served in BAOR, The Persian Gulf, The Arabian Peninsula, India, Norway, Turkey, Denmark, Germany, Singapore, Cyprus, America, Malaysia, London, Windsor and as a Company Instructor at RMA Sandhurst.
On 30th October 1965 he married Alison Heard in the spectacular surroundings of Winchester Cathedral.
On amalgamation of the 1st Royal Dragoons with the Royal Horse Guards in 1969, James became Regimental Adjutant of the Household Cavalry, helping to iron out the inevitable issues which arose. In 1971 he took command of a squadron. It was while Squadron Leader that he was awarded an MBE for his role in establishing the UK Rapid Reaction Force and introduced his squadron to Winter Warfare Training in Norway – a completely novel way of soldiering for the whole Regiment.
From 1978 to 1980, he served as GSO 1 to General Alexander Haig, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, who had served as the White House Chief of Staff under President Richard Nixon and President Gerald Ford. The relationship and experience gained with General Haig held him in very good stead for a later posting to Washington DC when he encountered General Haig, now President Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of State. Haig was attempting to broker a peace between the UK and Argentina during the Falklands War in 1982.
In 1980, James took command of The Blues and Royals in Windsor. In 1982, members of the Regiment joined the task force in the Falkland Islands. Mindful of the impact on those at home, he and his wife Alison insisted on daily briefings to the wives and families, which endeared him to officers, soldiers and their families alike. Tragically, on 20th July 1982, the IRA placed an IED in a car on the South Carriage in Hyde Park killing four members of The Blues and Royals and seven horses. This was the darkest of times for everyone, requiring compassion, leadership, and military excellence in equal measure.
Later in 1982, having been promoted to full colonel, James became Silver Stick in Waiting to HM The Queen, remaining in post until 1986. This proved to be one of the proudest postings for him: commanding The Household Cavalry on Horse Guards, for the Presentation of new Standards by HM The Queen.
In 1986, James became Deputy Chief of Staff and Commander, British Contingent, UNFICYP in Cyprus, which required constant entertaining due to the 6-month rotation of the British contingent in Nicosia. Having been Commanding Officer and then Silver Stick, the change of pace in Cyprus was embraced to the full by both him and Alison. The sun, sea and the mountains was an opportunity to ‘work hard and play hard’. The Hamilton-Russells’ hospitality and entertainment was legendary.
In 1988, he moved to become Assistant Military Attaché in the British Embassy in Washington DC, serving there until 1991. In mid-December 1989, the United States invaded Panama. At the time, James was visiting an exchange officer at Fort Worth in Texas and watched aghast as swarms of helicopter gunships departed heading for Panama. He then had the unenviable task of ringing the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, in the middle of the night, to inform her of what had just unfolded.
In 1991, he returned to London for his final posting as Chief of Staff, London District, during which time he was particularly proud to ride on the Queen’s Birthday Parade with his twin sons, Edward and Mark, who had joined and The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals respectively.
After 35 years of distinguished service epitomised by his calm temperament, sense of humour, judge of character, and his ability to see what was right and what wasn’t, he retired in 1993 to his beloved Shropshire, where he threw himself into the running of the family estate, Dudmaston Hall, while continuing his love of travel with Alison.
In 2007, he was appointed a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire and became President of the UNESCO world heritage site, the Ironbridge Gorge Museums.
For the last 18 years of his life, having suffered a severe stroke, he was left in a wheelchair and robbed of his speech. James approached this in a typically stoic manner, with a very firm but cheery ‘Oi’ (most notably to HM The King at the Presentation of Standards in 2023), all while being looked after wonderfully by his adored wife, Alison, until her death in 2022.
He is predeceased by his wife, Alison (2022), his daughter, Julia (2024) and is survived by his sons, Mark and Edward. |
|
