I come from the London Borough of Sutton where I attended Sutton Grammar School for Boys.  Whilst at school I enjoyed athletics, competing for Sutton and District.  Initial exposure to the military came from being a member of the Combined Cadet Force where I attained the rank of Cadet Corporal Major.  After finishing my A Levels, I spent my gap year as a young officer with an artillery Regiment.  I read Human Genetics at University College London; where I attained a TA Commission in the University of London Officer Training Corps as the Recruiting Officer and a Platoon Commander.

On completing RMA Sandhurst and Young Officer training, I was posted to 16th Regt Royal Artillery at the start of February 2008, as a Rapier FSC Air Defence Troop Commander.  Within weeks of arriving at the Regiment, I trained for and competed in a desert marathon in the New Mexico desert, conducted pre-deployment training in Texas and deployed to Iraq in May for a six month tour.

There are many opportunities for sport and adventure training.  Since joining the Army I have taken up boxing, competed in Military Skills against the US Military Academy Westpoint in New York, windsurfed in Cyprus, skied in Austria, sailed in the Solent, scaled Ben Nevis in winter, multi-pitch rock climbed in Glenn Coe and trekked across Iceland.

It is both enjoyable and challenging, commanding 48 soldiers and sailors, from the Royal Artillery (Regular and Territorial Army), as well as Royal Navy and Royal Navy Reserve.  Whilst on tour my free time is spent learning Russian, reading books and training in the gym.  Deploying on operations soon after arriving in the Regiment is immensely rewarding, as experiencing operations is one of the many reasons why I joined the British Army.  I aspire to one day, command a Regiment in the Royal Artillery.