A MAN with 30 years’ military experience is playing a leading role in training and preparing soldiers for frontline operations.

Lieutenant Colonel Jon Penhale has taken command of the 6th Rifles, the Army Reserve based in Exeter.

One of the Regiment’s two Army Reserve Battalions, it comprises of 520 part-time soldiers throughout the south west and the Midlands, including those in Dartmouth.

Lt Col Penhale previously served in the regular Army and has seen tours of duty in South Armagh, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Iraq.

He retired from full-time service two years ago but was persuaded back to take up a senior post with the Rifles. Now he has been promoted to the Rifles top man.

His parents, Penny and Geoffrey Penhale live in Strete and have had connections with the Dartmouth area for over 13 years.

‘We are very proud of Jon’s achievements,’ said Mr Penhale, a former captain of the Dartmouth Golf and Country Club.

Lt Col Penhale, 43, graduated from Sandhurst in 1996. He was commissioned into the Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment in 1997 where he was posted to Colchester as a Platoon Commander.

After an instructional post at ATR Regiment Lichfield, he returned to the RGBW regiment in Ballykinler where he was employed as battalion training officer and officer in charge of anti-tank weapons before attending staff college, junior division.

On completion of the course, he was posted to the Rifles Volunteers as Adjutant.

He served as a staff officer with the 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade before taking command of the Bde surveillance company with 5 Rifles.

Later he was posted to HQ collective training group as staff officer strategy/plans.

In the Army Reserve, Lt Col Penhale was posted to 6 Rifles as the training major. He was a member of the Reserve Officer Career Review Team in 2014 and promoted to Lieutenant Colonel the same year. On promotion, he became Deputy President at West­bury, where he was responsible for the selection of future regular and reserve army officers.

Lt Col Penhale assumed command of 6 Rifles in August 2016.

As a civilian, he set up a commercial recruitment project to assist ex-serving riflemen find employment as well raising awareness of the service community among potential employers. He also worked as the operation’s director for a national nurse’s charity.

His recruitment work continues as the senior partner with the Robert Dixon Partnership; an executive search company supporting transport, logistics, FM and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Lt Col Penhale is married and lives in Cheltenham with his wife Tash and their three children. He enjoys running, swimming, mountaineering, skiing and surfing. He plays golf, is a keen village cricketer and avid reader of military history.