Colonel Lance Ranson TD appointed Commandant

Colonel Lance Ranson was brought up in St Briavels in the Forest of Dean and attended Monmouth School. After gaining an HND in Business Studies while working for Unilever plc in London he decided to join the Army. After attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1979 he gained a Short Service Commission with the 2^nd Battalion Grenadier Guards. As a Platoon Commander he served in Northern Ireland, Germany, Kenya, Cyprus, Norway and on Public Duties in London. On leaving the Regular Army he worked as the PR officer for Royal Worcester Spode plc before setting up his own greeting card publishing business.

In 1985 he joined the Territorial Army with the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars (RGH) which is one of the four Squadrons of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry (RWxY). In 1993 he became Squadron Leader of the RGH Squadron which was based on Eastern Avenue in Gloucester. In 1998 he became Second in Command of the RWxY and was also President of the RGH Band based in Cirencester. In 1999 he was appointed Commanding Officer of Bristol University Officers' Training Corps and in 2003 he became a Vice President at the Army Officer Selection Board in Westbury.

In 1997 he was mobilised to Bosnia and he has subsequently been mobilised to Kosovo in 2002 and Qatar and Afghanistan in 2007.

In June 2008 he became President of the Gloucestershire Branch of the Grenadier Guards Association and he is also Chairman of the RGH Yeomanry Association.

In September 2008 he was appointed Commandant of Gloucestershire ACF. As Commandant his aims are to use his recent experience to develop the leadership qualities of the Cadets, to increase involvement in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and to project the core values of the ACF to the wider youth community in the county.

He lives in Cheltenham where he runs his publishing business. His sports include sailing, skiing, cycling and running.

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