John Hemsley

Brigadier John Hemsley (born 1935) is a British writer and former Army officer and rally driver. Hemsley served as an officer in the Somerset Light Infantry and its successor regiments (the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry and The Light Infantry) from 1955. He spent a period on secondment to the King's African Rifles. Hemsley was mentioned in despatches for his service in Northern Ireland during The Troubles and went on to command a British Army of the Rhine brigade in West Germany. Originally a circuit racing driver in his spare time he switched to rallying in 1963 and went on to compete in more than 50 events, including as leader of the British Army rally team. In 1983 Hemsley and his wife completed an endurance rally from Cape Town to London, setting a new record that stood until 2013.

During his later years in the British Army Hemsley wrote books on the command and control systems of the Soviet armed forces. Following his retirement he became a research consultant and published further works in the field. Hemsley was also active in the St John Ambulance movement and has been appointed to the highest grade of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. Provided by Wikipedia