Alistair Irwin was born in Dundee in 1948. He joined The Black Watch in 1970 after graduating from St Andrew’s University (Political Economy). He is the third generation of his family to have served in the Regiment in modern times.
His military career took him to many parts of the world and often to Northern Ireland. He commanded 1st Battalion The Black Watch in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and West Berlin. His last two appointments in the Army were General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland and then Adjutant General, the Army Board member responsible for all personnel matters in the Army.
He retired from the Army in 2005.
His second career consists of a varied portfolio. He is strategic adviser to the Board of Eruma plc, a company manufacturing physical security and green energy products. He lectures regularly, and to a variety of audiences, on leadership, international relations and military affairs.
Alistair Irwin is also a published author on military theory and history and has contributed book reviews and articles to The Spectator, War in History and the British Army Review. He has participated in television programmes (most recently with Melvin Bragg on the South Bank Show and for Windfall Films in a programme about the Fall of Singapore in 1942). He has advised a leading company in the preparation for a bid to make a television series about the Army.
His other interests include fishing, shooting and small scale farming. He is married with three grown up children and two grandchildren and lives on Speyside, in the heart of malt whisky country.
In addition to these activities he has taken on a number of honorary and voluntary appointments, amongst which are:
• President of the Royal British Legion Scotland• Earl Haig Fund for Scotland, Officers’ Association Scotland• Veterans Scotland and the Quetta Association• President (Army) Officers’ Association• Vice-President the Caledonian Schools Trust• Chairman of the Black Watch Trust• Until 2009 Honorary Colonel of Tayforth Universities Officer Training Corps. • Officer in the Royal Company of Archers (Queen’s Bodyguard for Scotland).• Chairman the Christina Mary Hendrie Trust for Scottish and Canadian charities• Commissioner of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (and member of its Audit Committee)
