Have You a Tiger In Your Family?

Rank : Lieutenant Colonel

Army Number : 434595

Unit : Royal 1st Bn (1953-58)

Biography :

Educated at Malvern College, John Wilkes joined The Royal Leicestershire Regiment as a National Service recruit on 17.9.1953. After training at Eaton Hall OCS he was granted a NS commission in the Regiment in April 1954, and a SSC in 1955, being promoted Lieutenant on 15.9.1956. He served in 1st Bn in in Germany, The Sudan and Cyprus as a Rifle Platoon Commander in A Coy, as Intelligence Officer, and OC Mortar Platoon). He captained the Bn’s rugby XV in Cyprus (and during his playing career played for 1st Para, Para Bde XV, Esher RFC, and Public School Wanderers). He transferred to The Parachute Regiment (Permanent Cadre) in 1958, and served in 1st Para from 1958-63, as Rifle Platoon Commander, OC MG Platoon, RSO and Acting Adjutant, including in Bahrain. From 1963-65 he was Adjutant of 21 SAS in London, before returning to Para regimental duty as OC ‘P’ Selection Company, and with 1st Para in Aden as OC HQ Coy and then Sp Coy. From 1970-73 he was OC Junior Parachute Company, and then left the Army.
He spent the next eight years in the leisure industry.
In 1981 he became a contract officer in the Sultan of Oman’s Armed Forces, serving initially as a Major as 2IC Northern Frontier Regiment, including on operations on the border with the Yemen, for which tour of duty he was awarded the Sultan’s Commendation Medal (7.3.1985). Later that year he was awarded the Order of the Special Royal Emblem (18.11.1985). He was then SO2 Training at HQ Northern Oman Brigade, followed by a similar appointment at HQ Sultan of Oman’s Land Forces. He was then promoted Muqaddam (Lt Col) and from 1988-92 served as Military Assistant to the Chief of Staff for Administration & Logistics, during which time he became Chairman of the Sultan’s Armed Forces Beach Club, which enabled him to continue as a qualified Advanced BASC diver. When the MA post was Omanised in 1992, for four years he was Chief Executive and General Manager of Shwar International Co Ltd, a group of companies owned by a senior Omani dignitary.
He is a cousin of Colonel R G Wilkes CBE TD DL and cousin-n-law of Colonel T Holloway of the Regiment.

Date of Birth : 22.06.1935

Civil Occupation : Leisure industry

Period of Service : 1953-73 (British Army); 1981-92 (Sultan of Oman)

Conflicts : Cyprus Emergency, Oman

Places Served : Germany, The Sudan, Cyprus, England, Bahrain, Aden, Oman