High-ranking title for Ayr-born soldier

Aug 15 2008 by Edwin Lawrence

AN AYR-BORN soldier has been promoted to the rank of Major General.

The former Brigadier R Lamont Kirkland was awarded a CBE in 2005 for his work with NATO.

And in 1997 he was awarded the OBE for his service in Bosnia.

Major General Kirkland, 51, was educated at Ayr Grammar School and Strathallan School, Perth.

He went on to Sandhurst under an army scholarship and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers.

As a young officer he served with 35 Engineer Regiment and 9 Parachute Regiment. He completed tours in Northern Ireland, the Falklands, Belize, Sierra Leone, Kenya and New Zealand.

After transferring to the infantry, he commanded at company and battalion level in the Green Howards.

And he commanded a NATO armoured infantry battle group in Bosnia in 1996/97.

He attended the Australian Defence College in 2002, gaining an MA degree in strategic studies.

And he has gone on to do key strategic work for both NATO and the British Army at the highest level.

In his younger days, Major General Kirkland represented the army at both rugby and athletics.

He is still very keen on outdoor pursuits like ski-ing, mountain biking and trekking.

The major general and his wife Helen have two children, Annabella, 17, and Fergus, 10.

His mother Jean lives in Troon. She and her late husband Robert owned the Viewfield Laundry in Ayr, first established by Robert’s mother Lella.