Peter Norton (GC)

Peter Norton
Born (1962-12-10) 10 December 1962
Edmonton, London
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1983–2013
Rank Major
Service number 24592939
557344 (after commission)
Unit Royal Logistic Corps
Battles/wars Northern Ireland
Iraq War
Awards George Cross
FBI Star (United States)

Major Peter Allen Norton GC (born 10 December 1962)[1] is a retired ammunition technical officer with the British Army's Royal Logistic Corps who was awarded the George Cross for his service in Iraq.

Biography

Norton was born in Edmonton, London,[1] but grew up in Margate, Kent, and joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (which later amalgamated into the Royal Logistic Corps) as a private in 1983. He reached the rank of warrant officer class 1 and was appointed a conductor, the most senior non-commissioned appointment in the British Army, before being commissioned as a captain on 8 July 2002.[2] He was promoted to major on 31 July 2008.[3] On 1 August 2013, Norton retired from the army on medical grounds.[4]

George Cross

A captain at the time, he was second-in-command of the American Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell (CEXC) based in the outskirts of Baghdad. Going to the aid of a United States Army patrol that had been attacked by an improvised explosive device (IED) on 24 July 2005, he was checking for the presence of further devices when a secondary victim-operated IED exploded. He lost his left leg and part of his left arm, and he sustained serious injuries to his other leg and lower back. Despite his injuries, he continued to give instructions to his team, suspecting that further devices might be in the vicinity. He refused to be evacuated until he was certain that all personnel on the ground were aware of the danger. A third device was subsequently located and dealt with the following day.

The award was gazetted in a supplement to the London Gazette of 24 March 2006.[5] Since his team contained two special agents of the FBI, Norton was also awarded the FBI Star on 27 March 2009.[6]

Honours and awards

George Cross (GC) 2006
General Service Medal with 'Northern Ireland' clasp
Iraq Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
FBI Star (United States)

References

  1. 1 2 "Peter Allen Norton, GC". George Cross database. Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  2. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56679. p. 10567. 2002-09-03. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  3. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58786. pp. 11862–11866. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  4. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60629. p. 18304. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  5. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57935. pp. 4191–4192. 2006-03-24. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  6. "Presentation of FBI Honorary Medals". 27 March 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
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