New Army chief spends first day at service HQ and thanks troops for transition support

The new head of the British Army has spent his first day in the job at Army HQ thanking troops for their support as he takes charge of the service.

General Sir Roly Walker has taken over from General Sir Patrick Sanders as Chief of the General Staff.

And during his first day in charge, General Sir Roly headed to Andover to thank Army staff for their support in the leadership transition.

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The new Army chief was commissioned into the Irish Guards in 1993 and went on to serve with UK Special Forces from 1997.

He was the commander of the Grenadier Guards in 2009 before being promoted to the General Staff in 2013.

As well as serving as a commander at company, squadron, battlegroup, brigade and Special Forces group levels, he has also served in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Gen Sir Roly also served as joint command of operations across Europe, the broader Middle East, Africa and South America.

He later joined the General Staff and served as the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, advising and directing operations for coronavirus, the death of Prince Philip, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III.