Major-General Peter Chiswell CB, CBE, DL (1930–2025)

Major-General Peter Irvine Chiswell, who has died aged 95, was a distinguished British Army officer and former commander of the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment. His life was shaped by a deep sense of duty, discipline, and compassion, qualities that were already evident during his time at Allhallows School.

Born on 19 April 1930, Peter Chiswell entered Allhallows in 1941, starting in Junior House and later moving to Chudleigh House. A natural leader, he was appointed Head Commoner in 1946, followed by House Prefect, Scholar Prefect, and Head of House in 1947, before becoming Head of School in September that year. He earned the School Certificate in 1947 and distinguished himself across multiple fields: academically, with a form prize; athletically, with colours in rugby, cross-country, and athletics (where he captained the team and won the Mile Cup three years in a row); and militarily, as a Cadet Under Officer in the Junior Training Corps. He attended officer training camps at Sandhurst and Wiveliscombe before leaving the school in 1948.

He was commissioned into the Devonshire Regiment in 1951, serving in Kenya, Cyprus, and during the Suez Crisis. In 1954, he joined the Parachute Regiment and later commanded D (Patrol) Company in Borneo. From 1969 to 1973, he was Commanding Officer of 3 PARA during a tense and politically sensitive period in Northern Ireland. Following the accidental killing of a priest in Belfast during internment operations in 1971, Chiswell wrote a personal letter of sorrow to the Bishop of Down and Connor—a gesture of moral clarity that earned deep respect from many quarters (The Times, 2025).

Promoted to senior command, he served as Commander of Land Forces in Northern Ireland in the early 1980s, and later as General Officer Commanding Wales. For his service, he was appointed CBE and made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (The Times, 2025).

After retiring from the Army in 1985, he founded the Buckland Leadership Development Centre and worked closely with Church of England clergy, helping to develop leadership and resilience within the church. He retired to the Black Mountains in Wales, where he was an avid walker and often described himself as “a Para in paradise” (The Times, 2025).

He is survived by his wife, Felicity, and their two sons, Hugh and James—the latter following his father into the Army and also achieving the rank of major-general.

You can read in more detail the incredible role Major-General Peter Chiswell played in his role in his full obituary here.

You can see an interview with Peter Chiswell here.