New head for army in the north is announced

THE new head of the army in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England was announced yesterday.

Major-General David Shaw will take up his post as general officer in command of the army's 2nd Division, based in Edinburgh, on Monday.

He replaces Major-General Andrew Mackay, who quit his post in September.

Reports suggested that Gen Mackay, who was awarded the CBE for his front-line service in Helmand and led Prince Harry during his deployment, had become frustrated about the army's strategy in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defence would not comment on the reports at the time, except to say it was "a private matter" for him.

Gen Shaw assumes command of the largest regional forces division in the UK, having almost 25,000 troops in his area.

He will also assume a ceremonial role in Edinburgh as governor of Edinburgh Castle, whose previous governors have included Queen Margaret in 1487, General Sir John Campbell, the Duke of Argyll, in 1712 and General Thomas Napier in 1855.

Gen Shaw was born and brought up in Sri Lanka and was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1976.

He went on to become an instructor at Sandhurst's Royal Military Academy.

He served in Bosnia in 1996 as the spokesman and head of media operations for the multinational division south-west.

Immediately before taking up his post in Edinburgh, Gen Shaw was the army's director of media and communication at Headquarters Land Forces in Wilton, Wiltshire.

He has served in Germany, Cyprus, Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Canada, Hong Kong and Kenya, as well as all over Britain.