Lt Col (Retd) Bede Strong MBE

Bede Strong was commissioned in 1973 and joined 1RTR as a Troop Leader in Osnabruck when the regiment was in the process of preparing to go to Omagh for 2 years. He completed his Troop Leaders course on Saladin and Ferret before serving the next 2 years in Ulster, followed by 2 more years in Hong Kong on Scorpion.

He completed an RGO course and GW Course at Lulworth. Then held various regimental appointments including 2IC C Sqn and A/Adt in Herford. This was followed by RGO and Sqn 2IC at JLR RAC at Bovington. Various staff appointments in Northern Ireland then followed, before being posted to DRAC and once again at JLR but as the last Gunnery Officer.

He was then the Sqn Ldr of D Sqn 1RTR on Chieftain in BAOR and BATUS. He then held more staff appointments but at HQ SW District and HQ 3 Division followed by BGTT and then a long spell as SO1 Man/Estbs at HQ LAND and Army HQ. During this time was a founder member of the Joint CIMIC Group and led a number of overseas exercises to Nepal, North Carolina, Belize specialising in disaster management.

Bede was awarded an MBE in 2023 and retired in the same year.

A keen cricketer, squash player and sailor with his own yacht and now filling the post of Regimental Secretary on a temporary basis.