Michael Wilkes

For the British academic, see Michael Wilkes (academic).

Sir Michael Wilkes
Born	(1940-06-11)11 June 1940
Died	27 October 2013(2013-10-27) (aged 73)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1961–1995
Rank	General
Commands	UK Field Army 3rd Armoured Division 22 Armoured Brigade 22 SAS Regiment
Battles / wars	Gulf War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire

General Sir Michael John Wilkes, KCB, CBE (11 June 1940 – 27 October 2013) was a British Army officer who served as Adjutant-General to the Forces from 1993 to 1995.

Early life

The son of an Artillery officer, Michael John Wilkes was born in Steep, Hampshire, on 11 June 1940 and educated at King's School, Rochester, where he played rugby for the 1st XV.

Military career

Wilkes was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1961. In 1977 he took command of 22 SAS Regiment at the age of 36. The regiment had been given a new role in counter-terrorism. The training instituted involved hostage situations, negotiations with those making demands, and assaults when it was judged that talks had broken down. Under Wilkes's leadership, the regiment became adept at responding rapidly to the different tactics employed by terrorists. He also set up a robust liaison system linking the SAS commander to the police, the security services and the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (Cobra). In an increasingly turbulent world, other countries began to request help from Britain in developing their own specialised units to counter terrorism and to provide VIP protection. Then, in October 1977, a Lufthansa Boeing 737 on its way from Majorca to Frankfurt with some 90 passengers and crew was hijacked by terrorists armed with guns and explosives. The Germans asked the SAS for help and Wilkes dispatched a small team to offer advice to GSG 9, Germany's anti-terrorist squad. The aircraft was stormed successfully at Mogadishu, Somalia, and the hostages freed. The operation gave added impetus to the expansion of training and organisation for anti-terrorist tasks by the regiment. Wilkes moved on in 1979, but the decisive intervention by the SAS in the Iranian Embassy siege in May the following year under Michael Rose was evidence of the value of his legacy.

Wilkes was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1980 New Year Honours, was made commander of 22 Armoured Brigade in 1984 and became Director SAS in 1986. Advanced to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1988 Birthday Honours, he was appointed General Officer Commanding 3rd Armoured Division in 1988, and Commander UK Field Army and Inspector General of the Territorial Army in 1990, remaining in that post until 1993. During Operation Granby he was the Land Deputy to the Joint Commander Gulf Forces, who was based at HQ Strike Command. He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1991 New Year Honours and, in 1993, he became Adjutant General. He retired from the British Army in 1995.

Later life

In 1995 Wilkes was named a Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John and became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, a post he held until 2001. In 2008 he became a Director of Heritage Oil and of Stanley Gibbons. He died on 27 October 2013, leaving a wife, Anne, and two sons.