Alasdair Walker
Alasdair Walker | |
|---|---|
 Surgeon Admiral Walker in 2018 as a Surgeon Vice-Admiral | |
| Birth name | Alasdair James Walker |
| Born | 22 June 1956 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 1 June 2019 (aged 62) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1978–2019 |
| Rank | Surgeon Vice-Admiral |
| Service number | C025111J |
| Commands | Commando Forward Surgical Group 2 |
| Battles / wars | Falklands War Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire |
Surgeon Vice-Admiral Alasdair James Walker, CB, OBE, QHS, FRCS (22 June 1956 – 1 June 2019) was a British medical doctor and senior Royal Navy officer. He served as Surgeon-General of the British Armed Forces.
Early life and education
[edit]From 1965 to 1974, Walker was educated at the High School of Glasgow, then a grammar school in Glasgow, Scotland. From 1974 to 1979, he studied medicine at the University of Glasgow, and graduated with Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degrees.[1]
Military career
[edit]Walker deployed to the South Atlantic during the Falklands War in 1982 and led Commando Forward Surgical Group 2 during the Iraq War in 2003.[2]
Walker became Assistant Medical Director at the Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust in 2005, and after being deployed to Afghanistan, he was promoted to commodore and became Medical Director at Joint Medical Command in 2009.[2]
Walker went on to be Director of Medical Policy and Operational Capability for the Surgeon General in 2011 and, promoted to rear admiral, he became Director Medical Policy and Operational Capability at the Ministry of Defence as well as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff for Health in July 2014.[2] He became Chief Medical Officer & Medical Director General (Navy) in December 2014. In December 2015, he was promoted to vice admiral and appointed Surgeon-General of the British Armed Forces.[3][4] He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2017 Birthday Honours.[5]
Walker retired from the Royal Navy as a surgeon vice-admiral on 1 May 2019.[6] He died on 1 June 2019, aged 62, having had brain cancer.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Alasdair Walker OBE QHS MB ChB FRCS(Glas & Eng)". LinkedIn. Retrieved 24 April 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "Serious infectious diseases" (PDF). RUSI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- ^ "No. 61488". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 February 2016. p. 1994.
- ^ "Defence Medical Services". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- ^ "No. 61962". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2017. p. B2.
- ^ "No. 62662". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 2019. p. 9893.
- ^ "Alasdair James Walker". The Herald. Glasgow. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- 1956 births
- 2019 deaths
- Royal Navy vice admirals
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- People educated at the High School of Glasgow
- Alumni of the University of Glasgow
- Royal Navy personnel of the Falklands War
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
- Royal Navy Medical Service officers
- Military personnel from Glasgow
- Royal Navy personnel of the Iraq War