Tim Collins (British Army Officer) - Military Career

Military Career

After graduating from university, Collins was accepted into the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, from where he was commissioned into the Royal Signals as a second lieutenant on a short service commission on 2 October 1981. His commission was later backdated to 7 April 1979, and he was promoted to lieutenant with seniority from 7 April 1981. He transferred to the Royal Irish Rangers on 18 October 1982. He switched to a full commission on 22 October 1984, and was promoted captain on 7 October 1985. In 1994, Collins graduated as Master of Arts after completing the Army's Commands and Staff course at Staff College, Camberley.

Collins went on to serve in Germany, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar, as well as completing two tours of duty in Northern Ireland, the first in south Armagh and the second in east Tyrone. He passed selection into the Special Air Service in 1988 and went on to serve two operational tours with the regiment as a troop commander and as operations officer and one tour at HQ Special Forces in Duke of York Barracks, London where he was responsible for the detention of Persons Indicted for War Crimes in the Former Yugoslavia (PIFWICs), Offensive Information Operations (OIO) in Kosovo and the Operations in Sierra Leone culminating in Operation Barras. He was promoted major on 30 September 1992, and lieutenant-colonel on 30 June 1999. Collins was appointed commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment in 2001, and earned the nickname "Nails" among his men. For a tour of duty in Northern Ireland between October 2001 and March 2002, he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service on 29 October 2002. It was in the capacity of 1 R Irish's commanding officer that he rose to prominence while serving in Iraq.