Gary Coward
{{Short description|British Army general}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Sir Gary Coward
| image = Sir Gary Robert Coward Escutcheon.png
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|08|26|df=yes}}
| death_date =
| birth_place =
| death_place =
| placeofburial =
| nickname =
| allegiance = United Kingdom
| branch = British Army
| serviceyears = 1974–2012
| servicenumber = 497393
| rank = Lieutenant General
| unit = Army Air Corps
| commands = 1 Regiment Army Air Corps and Joint Helicopter Command
| battles = Bosnian War
| awards = Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath
| relations =
| laterwork =
}}
Lieutenant General Sir Gary Robert Coward, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|KBE|CB}} (born 26 August 1955) is a retired senior British Army officer, who served as Chief of Materiél (Land) and Quartermaster-General to the Forces from September 2009 until his retirement in May 2012.
Military career
Coward was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1974,{{London Gazette|issue=46270|supp=y|page=5057|date=23 April 1974}} but transferred to the Army Air Corps in 1983.{{London Gazette|issue=49237|supp=y|page=752|date=17 January 1983}} In 1995 he was deployed to the Bosnia and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service there.{{London Gazette|issue=54393|supp=y|page=6547|date=9 May 1996}} He provided daily briefings on television from Sarajevo during the conflict.[http://www.656squadron.org/Word%20Documents/Newsletter-1995-08-01.pdf 656 Squadron]
He was appointed Director of Equipment Capability at the Ministry of Defence in 2003,{{Cite web |url=http://www.rusi.org/downloads/assets/Coward.pdf |title=RUSI |access-date=6 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120090558/http://www.rusi.org/downloads/assets/Coward.pdf |archive-date=20 November 2008 |url-status=dead }} and then moved on to be Commander Joint Helicopter Command in 2005.{{London Gazette|issue=57712|supp=y|page=9645|date=26 July 2005}} In 2007 he moved on again to be Chief of Staff at Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood.[http://northwood.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/cgi-bin/mt421/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=133&search=Gary+Coward Construction work is completed at Northwood Headquarters] Uxbridge Gazette, 4 February 2009 He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=58729|supp=y|page=2|date=14 June 2008}}
In September 2009 he was made Chief of Materiel (Land){{London Gazette|issue=59177|supp=y|page=15384|date=8 September 2009}} and Quartermaster-General.{{London Gazette|issue=59191|supp=y|page=16222|date=22 September 2009}}
He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=60173|supp=y|page=5|date=16 June 2012}}
{{Infobox emblem wide
|escutcheon = Quarterly Azure and Bleu Celeste a Bar indented of three points upwards Or between two Owls volant affronty Argent.
|crest = On a Helm with a Wreath Argent Bleu Celeste and Azure Out of a Mural Crown Or a Rhino's head Azure armed with two Horns Bleu Celeste in the mouth a Rose Argent.
|motto = Aperius Honestus Et Perspicuus{{cite web|url=https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/newsletter/2009/item/29-december-2009 |title=December 2009 Newsletter (No. 23) |publisher=College of Arms |accessdate=21 August 2019}}
|torse = Bleu Celeste and Azure lined Argent.
|badgeimage =
|badge = A Sword point downwards Argent the hilt pommel and quillons Or the blade surmounted by a Rose Argent barbed and seeded Or}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box|title=Commander, Joint Helicopter Command|before=Paul Luker|after=Tony Johnstone-Burt|years=2005–2008}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Dick Applegate}}
{{s-ttl|title=Quartermaster-General to the Forces|years=2009–2012}}
{{s-aft|after=Christopher Deverell}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coward, Gary}}
Category:British Army lieutenant generals
Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath
Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Royal Artillery officers
Category:British Army Air Corps officers
Category:NATO personnel in the Bosnian War
Category:People educated at the Duke of York's Royal Military School