John Watts (British Army officer)

Sir John Watts
Born	27 August 1930
Died	10 December 2003
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1951–1987
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	22 Special Air Service Regiment
Battles/wars	Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Jebel Akhdar campaigns
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Military Cross

Lieutenant General Sir John Peter Barry Condliffe Watts KBE, CB, MC (27 August 1930 – 10 December 2003) was a British Army officer who became Chief of Defence Staff for the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces.

Military career

Educated at Westminster School, Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Watts was commissioned into the Royal Ulster Rifles in 1951.^[1] He served with 22 Special Air Service Regiment and, as Commander of B Squadron, took part in counter-terrorism operations in Borneo in 1958 and then, as Commander of D Squadron, he took part in the regiment's successful assault on Jebel Akhdar in Oman in January 1959.^[1] The dissidents there were largely captured or dispersed and for his achievement in scaling the mountain he was awarded the MC.^[1]

He was appointed to Commanding Officer of 22 Special Air Service Regiment in 1970, an instructor at the Staff College, Camberley in 1972 and Director SAS in 1975.^[2] He went on to be Commander of the Sultan of Oman’s Land Forces in 1979 and Chief of Defence Staff for the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces in 1984 before retiring in 1987.^[1]

In retirement he read history and lived in a village in Wiltshire.^[3]

Family

He was married to Mary Flynn; they had four sons and three daughters before the marriage was dissolved in 1986; he subsequently married Diana Walker.^[1]

References