Page 252 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

PHILL KING WAS A TOP BLOKE AND IT WAS A PRIVILEGE AND AN HONOUR TO KNOW HIM. HE WILL BE GREATLY MISSED BY SO MANY
Obituaries
Colonel PJ King OBE The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire)
Though Phillips’s military career spanned about 36 years, this is mainly a story about the rst 10 years.
Ten years during which Phil forged his place among a Band of Brothers and set himself up for a stellar Army career, and more importantly
a rewarding and ful lling family life.
Phillip joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1978 at the age of 19. In those days, you only got about 6 months of cer training and then it was straight in to Commanding a Platoon. But Phill was a quality of cer and while at Sandhurst he won the Academic Studies prize and HM The Queen’s Medal for the Of cer Cadet achieving the highest combined military, practical and academic scores. He moved from Sandhurst to join 1st Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment in Londonderry N Ireland, a Province he was to forge a long associ- ation with.
Phill joined A Company based at The Masonic Lodge on Bishop Street. The company was commanded by Stephen Saunders, with Brian Franklin as Company 2IC. Phillip took up post as Platoon Commander of 2 Platoon, with Sgt ‘Jock’ Sampson as his Platoon Sgt. This was a very lively tour, with a considerable success rate, and there was no time for a gentle lead in. It was very much a case of learning on the job. Phillip very quickly established a rapport with his men and it was immediately obvious that here was a young of cer who could go far. His willingness to listen, evaluate and then implement were rst class. He was a very personable of cer who was well liked by his men and the command element.
On return to Germany after the tour and immedi- ately got back to what 20 year old blokes like doing. We drank too much and we partied hard. One of his contemporaries noted that among the notably rough and tumble of Mess life he seemed particularly calm and cerebral. That may not seem dif cult if you recall the competition at that time! Even at that age he had an air of sophistication.
Phill was actually a little shy, it might explain the way that relatively quiet, deep thinking and intel- ligent Phil would switch to life and soul of the party Phill after a few drinks. One of his more notable escapades was an attempt to introduce roller- skating to mess life. He tried to practise on the parade ground as the only at piece of land in our Barracks in Osnabruck, often inciting the ire of the Regimental Sergeant Major. At a dinner one evening he was waxing lyrical about how hip, trendy and stylish they were combined with health and tness bene ts. So someone suggested that “if they are that good why don’t you show us”. Phill clearly thought he had converted us to the virtues of roller skating so left the table and returned a few minutes later and started to skate around the table. He didn’t get very far before he was grabbed, relieved of his clothes and then chased across the lawn to the mess of the 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, where he burst into their dining room to nd them in the middle of a
Regimental dinner. Undeterred, and in for a penny in for a pound, Phill skated around their dinner table, bade the of cers of 5th Skins good night and left before they had time to react.
But behind the socialising, untidy and mischievous Phill there was always the caring, kind and compas- sionate Phill. Many young of cers, were mentored and tutored by Phil. All praise his kindness, under- standing, approachability and humanity. And he also cared deeply for his soldiers and worked tirelessly to do his best for them and their families.
This relatively carefree young of cer’s life led to a succession of more diverse and responsible postings where Phill’s ability and deep intelligence shone through. He was Adjutant at Depot Lich eld, a role reserved for the very best Captains. He attended the prestigious Canadian Command and Staff Course. And he worked in the Directorate of Army Plans in Whitehall as a young Major. Inevitably Phill took it all in his stride.
This preceded a period when he completed another long round of service in Northern Ireland. He was an outstandingly successful Company Commander with The Staffordshire Regiment on another 2 year tour in the Province. His knowledge and experience in counter-insurgency led to a tour as Commander of the Northern Ireland Training and Advisory Team responsible for all British Armed Forces Northern Ireland training. This was followed by a tour as a Directing Staff at the Joint Services Command and Staff College.
Phill’s reward for this hard work was promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and Command of 4th Battalion the Royal Irish in Omagh. This was a busy and demanding tour most notable for the Omagh bombing. Subsequently Phill was appointed as an Of cer of the Order of the British Empire.
Phill had a number of subsequent senior staff appointments to include being selected as a full Colonel to lead the Chief of the General Staff’s Brie ng Team charged by CGS to explain the need and rationale for a standing Army to a variety of audiences across the United Kingdom. Phil’s career culminated with a tour in Germany responsible for preparing the estate to hand back to the German authorities. So almost full circle as he sort of started and nished in Germany.
Phill was a steely, intelligent operational soldier. As well as the OBE in Northern Ireland he was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service. In Bosnia he again received a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service. In Iraq he received the United States Bronze Star authorised by the President. And he served in Afghanistan where he received a NATO Meritorious Service medal.
Phill will always be remembered by many as he was in the early 80’s. But we also know he was a highly competent and intelligent soldier, and a loving, proud Husband, Dad and Granddad. I have heard from a number of people who visited him in his last few weeks and noted that despite being in obvious discomfort, Phil continued to remain positive as he courageously battled hard in the most demanding circumstances.
Phill King was a top bloke and it was a privilege and an honour to know him. He will be greatly missed by so many.
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