35 Facts About Tim Cross

Tim Cross was commissioned in 1971 into the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and went on to serve in Germany, Northern Ireland and Cyprus, interspersed with staff duties and further education.

Tim Cross was posted to Paris in 1984, where he was involved in the development of the MILAN anti-tank weapon, before returning to his regiment as a company commander.

Tim Cross took command of 1 Ordnance Battalion in 1990 and was tasked with running logistics for 1st Armoured Division during the Gulf War.

Tim Cross went on to serve as Commander, Logistic Support for 3rd Infantry Division in 1992.

Tim Cross's second was in 1997, with the Stabilisation Force, where he commanded 101 Logistic Brigade, and his third in 1999 with the Kosovo Force.

Tim Cross was later appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his service with KFOR.

Tim Cross was promoted to major general in 2000 and served as Director General, Defence Supply Chain until 2002, when he became involved in planning for the forthcoming invasion of Iraq.

Tim Cross was the most senior British officer involved in the planning and in the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Since retiring from the Army in 2007, Tim Cross has been critical of the planning for Iraq after the removal of Saddam Hussein's government, giving evidence to the Iraq Inquiry that he urged politicians to delay the invasion, and calling the post-war planning "woefully thin".

Tim Cross serves as an advisor to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee and to several private companies, and is a visiting lecturer at several British universities.

Tim Cross is the son of Sidney George and Patricia Mary Tim Cross.

Tim Cross joined the Army Cadet Force in 1964 and, after his secondary education, was accepted to study at Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College, before attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1969.

Tim Cross started at Sandhurst in 1969 and was commissioned into the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as a second lieutenant on 30 July 1971.

Tim Cross studied for an MSc in guided weapons at Staff College, Camberley from 1982 to 1983 and was promoted major on 30 September 1983.

Tim Cross was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 30 June 1988.

In 1990, Tim Cross returned again to Germany to take command of 1 Ordnance Battalion, in which he had previously been adjutant and a company commander, and, in a double-hatted post, was appointed Commander Supply, 1st Armoured Division.

Tim Cross was appointed Director, Materiel Supply and Distribution, a post which became Director, Materiel Support in 1997 as a result of re-organisation, based in Andover, Hampshire.

Tim Cross returned to the UK in April 1998, only to be told that he would be returning to the Balkans in January 1999 as part of the Kosovo Force.

Tim Cross was tasked with commanding multinational troops, as well as coordinating the humanitarian efforts of personnel from the British Department for International Development, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and multiple non-governmental organisations.

In recognition of his service in the Balkans, Tim Cross was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 New Year Honours List.

From January to August 2000, Tim Cross attended the Royal College of Defence Studies, after which he was promoted to major general and appointed Director General, Defence Supply Chain.

Tim Cross was involved in coordinating the reconstruction of the country following the fall of Saddam Hussein's government, and was the most senior British officer involved in post-war planning for the country.

Tim Cross praised the military campaign and went on to talk about the challenges of rebuilding the country, saying "I think in relative terms we are not as badly off as we might have feared", but agreed that there were insufficient "people on the ground" to ensure security in the aftermath of the invasion and removal of Saddam Hussein's government.

Tim Cross was later deeply critical of the planning made for post-war Iraq, and stated that he attempted to raise the issue of insufficient planning with politicians.

Tim Cross was given the honorary title of Colonel Commandant, Royal Logistic Corps, on 5 April 2003.

Tim Cross retired from active service on 20 January 2007, retaining the honorary title of Colonel Commandant, Royal Logistic Corps, and, in April 2007, was given the further ceremonial appointment of Honorary Colonel, 168 Pioneer Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps.

Tim Cross has lectured both in the UK and elsewhere since his retirement and is a visiting professor at several British universities including the University of Nottingham, University of Reading and Cranfield University.

Tim Cross serves as an advisor to a number of organisations.

Tim Cross is a non-executive chairman at Asuure Ltd, a British security company, and serves as a director at the Centre for International Humanitarian Cooperation and the Humanitarian International Services Group.

On 7 December 2009, Tim Cross publicly testified before the Iraq Inquiry, having previously argued that the proceedings should be held in public as, eventually, they were.

Tim Cross gave evidence about the post-war planning done prior to the invasion of Iraq, stating that he had urged Prime Minister Tony Blair and his aide, Alastair Campbell, to delay the invasion two days prior to the beginning of the conflict.

Tim Cross told Sir John Chilcot, the inquiry chairman, that preparations for Iraq after the removal of Saddam Hussein were "woefully thin".

Tim Cross visited Jerusalem over the Easter weekend and was inspired by a retired British Army officer he met there to convert.

Tim Cross is a licensed lay minister in the Church of England, serving at St Paul's Church, Camberley, in the Diocese of Guildford.

Tim Cross is involved with a number of Christian organisations, including as a trustee of the British and Foreign Bible Society and a former president of the Armed Forces Christian Union.