Honorary Colonels in the British Army
Following Her Majesty the Queen’s approval earlier this week, Captain Tom Moore has become the Honorary Colonel of the Army Foundation College (Harrogate)
Captain Moore’s appointment to Honorary Colonel is in recognition of his extraordinary fundraising achievements and embodiment of the Army’s values and standards, which are at the core of the Army Foundation College’s ethos and teaching of Junior Soldiers.
Captain Moore is also originally from Keighley in Yorkshire, near to the College and during the Second World War, he served as a captain with 8th Battalion, The Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment.
“As The Yorkshire Regiment, we are exceptionally proud of Captain Tom and his achievements. He has captured the hearts and imagination of the Nation, inspiring many in these testing times.”
— Lt Col Thomas Miller, Commanding Officer 1 YORKS, Yorkshire Regiment
He joins the ranks of several other well-known people who have been appointed Honorary Colonels of British Army regiments.
The appointment entitles the individual to use the rank “Colonel”, so when Capt Moore is acting in his capacity of Honorary Colonel he would be addressed by all members of Army Foundation College as “Colonel Tom”.
It is longstanding Army conventional that those in such appointments are usually known by their rank and first name.
The post of Honorary Colonel is more usually filled by a retired senior military officer or member of the Royal family but can be undertaken by public figures.
Some well-known Honorary Colonels are the musician Jools Holland — 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) and gold medal-winning Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes — The Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment.
The role of an Honorary Colonel is to foster ‘esprit-de-corps’ and support their regiment and its leadership team but without involvement in the daily running of the unit.
They are to represent the unit within the civilian and military communities, whilst also taking on the role of a figurehead.
The Army Foundation College (Harrogate) delivers OFSTED “outstanding” rated education, widely recognised as the most comprehensive and effective basic soldier training in the world.
It prides itself in turning people into the Army’s future leaders and delivers leadership and military training, sport and other skills, to its Junior Soldiers.
Underpinning this is a continuous focus on developing character, discipline, Army values and standards, and teamwork. Each year 1,600 new soldiers graduate from the college before going on to conduct their Phase 2 training.
