Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Number: N028003Q
Regiment/Corps: Royal Marines
Service: Royal Navy
Age: 38 years old
Honours & Awards:
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Queen's Commendation for Bravery.
Died in service.
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Evert van der Horst OBE, Officer Commanding the Special Boat Service, died in a diving accident during an amphibious exercise off Norway on March 7 2005.
He joined the Royal Marines as a university cadet entrant and passed out in 1988 with the Sword of Honour .
- 1988 appointed to 45 Commando Group and commanded a rifle troop and a mortar troop with operational tours in Northern Ireland and Iraq, and deployments to Norway and the Carribean.
- 1991 completed Special Forces selection and saw service in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America.
- 11th July 1995 awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery for in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the field.
- 1999 after completing a Masters degree at the JSCSC he joined the UK Special Forces Headquarters as Group Operations Officer.
- 2000 promoted to Lieut. Colonel.
- UKSF Liaison Officer to the US Central Command and Deputy Director of Operations during the 2003 Gulf War.
- 2003 Chief of Staff to HQ 3 Cdo. Bde. Appointed O.B.E.,(Military Division), in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in operations in Iraq during the period 19th March to 19th April 2003.
- November 2004 Commanding Officer of the SBS.
A brave determined and inspiring leader who was greatly respected wherever he served.
Extract from Commando Association Newsletter 87 issued Sept. 1988
"At a recent passing out parade at Royal Marines, Lympston, Richard Van Der Horst was awarded the Sword of Honour as the 'Outstanding Young Officer in Training' of the 1987 entry. Comrades will be pleased to learn that there is a strong Army Commando connection here.
Richard's grandfather was Captain Richard Broome , his great uncle Capt. Joe Houghton and his step grandfather is Lieut. (now Dr.) John Roderick .. all of 2 Commando."
(Sources: AFM ROH, Commando Veterans Archive, Navy News issue 1st June 2005
Commendation - London Gazettes Supp. 54212, page 15370.
O.B.E. - London Gazette Supp. 57100, page 10.)
Obituary 2005
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Van der Horst, the commanding officer of the Royal Marines Special Boat Service who has died aged 38 in a diving accident off Norway, was involved in planning the special forces operations in the Iraq war of 2003.
When the British were poised to join America in enforcing UN Security Council resolutions against Iraq in 2002, van der Horst was sent to Tampa, Florida, as Britain's principal liaison officer with US Central Command.
He was responsible for briefing General Tommy Franks on current British doctrine and operational thinking; and, before hostilities began, he accompanied Central Command to Qatar as deputy director of operations to the commander of the coalition's special forces.
Van der Horst reached Baghdad in April 2003 with the follow-on units, and was subsequently appointed OBE.
The son of a Royal Marines officer who himself commanded the Special Boat Service in the 1970s, Richard Evert van der Horst was born on September 21 1966.
He was educated at Sherborne, then joined the Royal Marines as a university cadet. After graduating in Biological Sciences from Birmingham, he began full-time officer training, and was awarded the coveted sword of honour.
Van der Horst joined 45 Commando, based at Arbroath, in 1988, and served on operations in South Armagh, and on exercises in Norway and the Caribbean. After the first Gulf war and the Kurdish revolt in northern Iraq, he took part in Operation Haven, persuading refugees to return from the mountains to the secure environment which the Marines provided for the aid agencies.
His diplomacy, compassion and thorough professionalism were an important part of the operation's success.
In 1991 van der Horst passed the rigorous selection process for special forces, and commanded a troop on exercises in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. Three years later he took command of another troop specialising in maritime counter-terrorism. He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery in 1995.
Academically gifted, he was one of the top three officers on the junior staff college in 1995. As operations officer in 40 Commando, he participated in an amphibious deployment to the Mediterranean and conducted an operational tour in Northern Ireland. In 1997, as Officer Commanding B Company, 40 Commando, on a major ship-borne training exercise in the Far East and South Africa, van der Horst was assessed as outstanding by Major-General Jim Dutton, current Commandant General of the Royal Marines.
He subsequently gained a master's degree at the Royal Military College of Science and, after attending the advanced command course, returned to serve with special forces. For the next two years he was involved in the co-ordination of operations, and in 2000 he helped to plan the rescue of six British soldiers captured by rebels in Sierra Leone.
The next year he was appointed to the Ministry of Defence for duty in the Directorate of Overseas Military Assistance, with specific responsibility for defence policy in western and southern Africa.
At the end of the second Iraq war, van der Horst was appointed Chief of Staff at Headquarters, 3 Commando Brigade, where he was responsible for co-ordinating the introduction of new communications equipment and vehicles. He helped to work up the Navy's latest amphibious warship, Albion. Last November he took command of the Special Boat Service.
Van der Horst was exceptional even among those who have risen in the Royal Marines. From his schooldays he had demonstrated stamina and determination, yet he was quietly spoken and utterly without arrogance.
Richard van der Horst was involved in an accident with a swimmer delivery vehicle during an amphibious exercise on March 7; he died on March 14. He is survived by his wife Belinda (née Langrishe), whom he married in 1995, and their two daughters.
Number: N028003Q
Regiment/Corps: Royal Marines
Service: Royal Navy
Age: 38 years old
Honours & Awards:
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Queen's Commendation for Bravery.
Died in service.
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Evert van der Horst OBE, Officer Commanding the Special Boat Service, died in a diving accident during an amphibious exercise off Norway on March 7 2005.
He joined the Royal Marines as a university cadet entrant and passed out in 1988 with the Sword of Honour .
- 1988 appointed to 45 Commando Group and commanded a rifle troop and a mortar troop with operational tours in Northern Ireland and Iraq, and deployments to Norway and the Carribean.
- 1991 completed Special Forces selection and saw service in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America.
- 11th July 1995 awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery for in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the field.
- 1999 after completing a Masters degree at the JSCSC he joined the UK Special Forces Headquarters as Group Operations Officer.
- 2000 promoted to Lieut. Colonel.
- UKSF Liaison Officer to the US Central Command and Deputy Director of Operations during the 2003 Gulf War.
- 2003 Chief of Staff to HQ 3 Cdo. Bde. Appointed O.B.E.,(Military Division), in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in operations in Iraq during the period 19th March to 19th April 2003.
- November 2004 Commanding Officer of the SBS.
A brave determined and inspiring leader who was greatly respected wherever he served.
Extract from Commando Association Newsletter 87 issued Sept. 1988
"At a recent passing out parade at Royal Marines, Lympston, Richard Van Der Horst was awarded the Sword of Honour as the 'Outstanding Young Officer in Training' of the 1987 entry. Comrades will be pleased to learn that there is a strong Army Commando connection here.
Richard's grandfather was Captain Richard Broome , his great uncle Capt. Joe Houghton and his step grandfather is Lieut. (now Dr.) John Roderick .. all of 2 Commando."
(Sources: AFM ROH, Commando Veterans Archive, Navy News issue 1st June 2005
Commendation - London Gazettes Supp. 54212, page 15370.
O.B.E. - London Gazette Supp. 57100, page 10.)
Obituary 2005
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Van der Horst, the commanding officer of the Royal Marines Special Boat Service who has died aged 38 in a diving accident off Norway, was involved in planning the special forces operations in the Iraq war of 2003.
When the British were poised to join America in enforcing UN Security Council resolutions against Iraq in 2002, van der Horst was sent to Tampa, Florida, as Britain's principal liaison officer with US Central Command.
He was responsible for briefing General Tommy Franks on current British doctrine and operational thinking; and, before hostilities began, he accompanied Central Command to Qatar as deputy director of operations to the commander of the coalition's special forces.
Van der Horst reached Baghdad in April 2003 with the follow-on units, and was subsequently appointed OBE.
The son of a Royal Marines officer who himself commanded the Special Boat Service in the 1970s, Richard Evert van der Horst was born on September 21 1966.
He was educated at Sherborne, then joined the Royal Marines as a university cadet. After graduating in Biological Sciences from Birmingham, he began full-time officer training, and was awarded the coveted sword of honour.
Van der Horst joined 45 Commando, based at Arbroath, in 1988, and served on operations in South Armagh, and on exercises in Norway and the Caribbean. After the first Gulf war and the Kurdish revolt in northern Iraq, he took part in Operation Haven, persuading refugees to return from the mountains to the secure environment which the Marines provided for the aid agencies.
His diplomacy, compassion and thorough professionalism were an important part of the operation's success.
In 1991 van der Horst passed the rigorous selection process for special forces, and commanded a troop on exercises in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. Three years later he took command of another troop specialising in maritime counter-terrorism. He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery in 1995.
Academically gifted, he was one of the top three officers on the junior staff college in 1995. As operations officer in 40 Commando, he participated in an amphibious deployment to the Mediterranean and conducted an operational tour in Northern Ireland. In 1997, as Officer Commanding B Company, 40 Commando, on a major ship-borne training exercise in the Far East and South Africa, van der Horst was assessed as outstanding by Major-General Jim Dutton, current Commandant General of the Royal Marines.
He subsequently gained a master's degree at the Royal Military College of Science and, after attending the advanced command course, returned to serve with special forces. For the next two years he was involved in the co-ordination of operations, and in 2000 he helped to plan the rescue of six British soldiers captured by rebels in Sierra Leone.
The next year he was appointed to the Ministry of Defence for duty in the Directorate of Overseas Military Assistance, with specific responsibility for defence policy in western and southern Africa.
At the end of the second Iraq war, van der Horst was appointed Chief of Staff at Headquarters, 3 Commando Brigade, where he was responsible for co-ordinating the introduction of new communications equipment and vehicles. He helped to work up the Navy's latest amphibious warship, Albion. Last November he took command of the Special Boat Service.
Van der Horst was exceptional even among those who have risen in the Royal Marines. From his schooldays he had demonstrated stamina and determination, yet he was quietly spoken and utterly without arrogance.
Richard van der Horst was involved in an accident with a swimmer delivery vehicle during an amphibious exercise on March 7; he died on March 14. He is survived by his wife Belinda (née Langrishe), whom he married in 1995, and their two daughters.
Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Number: N028003Q
Regiment/Corps: Royal Marines
Service: Royal Navy
Age: 38 years old
Honours & Awards:
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Queen's Commendation for Bravery.
Died in service.
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Evert van der Horst OBE, Officer Commanding the Special Boat Service, died in a diving accident during an amphibious exercise off Norway on March 7 2005.
He joined the Royal Marines as a university cadet entrant and passed out in 1988 with the Sword of Honour .
- 1988 appointed to 45 Commando Group and commanded a rifle troop and a mortar troop with operational tours in Northern Ireland and Iraq, and deployments to Norway and the Carribean.
- 1991 completed Special Forces selection and saw service in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America.
- 11th July 1995 awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery for in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the field.
- 1999 after completing a Masters degree at the JSCSC he joined the UK Special Forces Headquarters as Group Operations Officer.
- 2000 promoted to Lieut. Colonel.
- UKSF Liaison Officer to the US Central Command and Deputy Director of Operations during the 2003 Gulf War.
- 2003 Chief of Staff to HQ 3 Cdo. Bde. Appointed O.B.E.,(Military Division), in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in operations in Iraq during the period 19th March to 19th April 2003.
- November 2004 Commanding Officer of the SBS.
A brave determined and inspiring leader who was greatly respected wherever he served.
Extract from Commando Association Newsletter 87 issued Sept. 1988
"At a recent passing out parade at Royal Marines, Lympston, Richard Van Der Horst was awarded the Sword of Honour as the 'Outstanding Young Officer in Training' of the 1987 entry. Comrades will be pleased to learn that there is a strong Army Commando connection here.
Richard's grandfather was Captain Richard Broome , his great uncle Capt. Joe Houghton and his step grandfather is Lieut. (now Dr.) John Roderick .. all of 2 Commando."
(Sources: AFM ROH, Commando Veterans Archive, Navy News issue 1st June 2005
Commendation - London Gazettes Supp. 54212, page 15370.
O.B.E. - London Gazette Supp. 57100, page 10.)
Obituary 2005
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Van der Horst, the commanding officer of the Royal Marines Special Boat Service who has died aged 38 in a diving accident off Norway, was involved in planning the special forces operations in the Iraq war of 2003.
When the British were poised to join America in enforcing UN Security Council resolutions against Iraq in 2002, van der Horst was sent to Tampa, Florida, as Britain's principal liaison officer with US Central Command.
He was responsible for briefing General Tommy Franks on current British doctrine and operational thinking; and, before hostilities began, he accompanied Central Command to Qatar as deputy director of operations to the commander of the coalition's special forces.
Van der Horst reached Baghdad in April 2003 with the follow-on units, and was subsequently appointed OBE.
The son of a Royal Marines officer who himself commanded the Special Boat Service in the 1970s, Richard Evert van der Horst was born on September 21 1966.
He was educated at Sherborne, then joined the Royal Marines as a university cadet. After graduating in Biological Sciences from Birmingham, he began full-time officer training, and was awarded the coveted sword of honour.
Van der Horst joined 45 Commando, based at Arbroath, in 1988, and served on operations in South Armagh, and on exercises in Norway and the Caribbean. After the first Gulf war and the Kurdish revolt in northern Iraq, he took part in Operation Haven, persuading refugees to return from the mountains to the secure environment which the Marines provided for the aid agencies.
His diplomacy, compassion and thorough professionalism were an important part of the operation's success.
In 1991 van der Horst passed the rigorous selection process for special forces, and commanded a troop on exercises in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. Three years later he took command of another troop specialising in maritime counter-terrorism. He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery in 1995.
Academically gifted, he was one of the top three officers on the junior staff college in 1995. As operations officer in 40 Commando, he participated in an amphibious deployment to the Mediterranean and conducted an operational tour in Northern Ireland. In 1997, as Officer Commanding B Company, 40 Commando, on a major ship-borne training exercise in the Far East and South Africa, van der Horst was assessed as outstanding by Major-General Jim Dutton, current Commandant General of the Royal Marines.
He subsequently gained a master's degree at the Royal Military College of Science and, after attending the advanced command course, returned to serve with special forces. For the next two years he was involved in the co-ordination of operations, and in 2000 he helped to plan the rescue of six British soldiers captured by rebels in Sierra Leone.
The next year he was appointed to the Ministry of Defence for duty in the Directorate of Overseas Military Assistance, with specific responsibility for defence policy in western and southern Africa.
At the end of the second Iraq war, van der Horst was appointed Chief of Staff at Headquarters, 3 Commando Brigade, where he was responsible for co-ordinating the introduction of new communications equipment and vehicles. He helped to work up the Navy's latest amphibious warship, Albion. Last November he took command of the Special Boat Service.
Van der Horst was exceptional even among those who have risen in the Royal Marines. From his schooldays he had demonstrated stamina and determination, yet he was quietly spoken and utterly without arrogance.
Richard van der Horst was involved in an accident with a swimmer delivery vehicle during an amphibious exercise on March 7; he died on March 14. He is survived by his wife Belinda (née Langrishe), whom he married in 1995, and their two daughters.
Number: N028003Q
Regiment/Corps: Royal Marines
Service: Royal Navy
Age: 38 years old
Honours & Awards:
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Queen's Commendation for Bravery.
Died in service.
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Evert van der Horst OBE, Officer Commanding the Special Boat Service, died in a diving accident during an amphibious exercise off Norway on March 7 2005.
He joined the Royal Marines as a university cadet entrant and passed out in 1988 with the Sword of Honour .
- 1988 appointed to 45 Commando Group and commanded a rifle troop and a mortar troop with operational tours in Northern Ireland and Iraq, and deployments to Norway and the Carribean.
- 1991 completed Special Forces selection and saw service in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America.
- 11th July 1995 awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery for in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the field.
- 1999 after completing a Masters degree at the JSCSC he joined the UK Special Forces Headquarters as Group Operations Officer.
- 2000 promoted to Lieut. Colonel.
- UKSF Liaison Officer to the US Central Command and Deputy Director of Operations during the 2003 Gulf War.
- 2003 Chief of Staff to HQ 3 Cdo. Bde. Appointed O.B.E.,(Military Division), in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in operations in Iraq during the period 19th March to 19th April 2003.
- November 2004 Commanding Officer of the SBS.
A brave determined and inspiring leader who was greatly respected wherever he served.
Extract from Commando Association Newsletter 87 issued Sept. 1988
"At a recent passing out parade at Royal Marines, Lympston, Richard Van Der Horst was awarded the Sword of Honour as the 'Outstanding Young Officer in Training' of the 1987 entry. Comrades will be pleased to learn that there is a strong Army Commando connection here.
Richard's grandfather was Captain Richard Broome , his great uncle Capt. Joe Houghton and his step grandfather is Lieut. (now Dr.) John Roderick .. all of 2 Commando."
(Sources: AFM ROH, Commando Veterans Archive, Navy News issue 1st June 2005
Commendation - London Gazettes Supp. 54212, page 15370.
O.B.E. - London Gazette Supp. 57100, page 10.)
Obituary 2005
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Van der Horst, the commanding officer of the Royal Marines Special Boat Service who has died aged 38 in a diving accident off Norway, was involved in planning the special forces operations in the Iraq war of 2003.
When the British were poised to join America in enforcing UN Security Council resolutions against Iraq in 2002, van der Horst was sent to Tampa, Florida, as Britain's principal liaison officer with US Central Command.
He was responsible for briefing General Tommy Franks on current British doctrine and operational thinking; and, before hostilities began, he accompanied Central Command to Qatar as deputy director of operations to the commander of the coalition's special forces.
Van der Horst reached Baghdad in April 2003 with the follow-on units, and was subsequently appointed OBE.
The son of a Royal Marines officer who himself commanded the Special Boat Service in the 1970s, Richard Evert van der Horst was born on September 21 1966.
He was educated at Sherborne, then joined the Royal Marines as a university cadet. After graduating in Biological Sciences from Birmingham, he began full-time officer training, and was awarded the coveted sword of honour.
Van der Horst joined 45 Commando, based at Arbroath, in 1988, and served on operations in South Armagh, and on exercises in Norway and the Caribbean. After the first Gulf war and the Kurdish revolt in northern Iraq, he took part in Operation Haven, persuading refugees to return from the mountains to the secure environment which the Marines provided for the aid agencies.
His diplomacy, compassion and thorough professionalism were an important part of the operation's success.
In 1991 van der Horst passed the rigorous selection process for special forces, and commanded a troop on exercises in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. Three years later he took command of another troop specialising in maritime counter-terrorism. He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery in 1995.
Academically gifted, he was one of the top three officers on the junior staff college in 1995. As operations officer in 40 Commando, he participated in an amphibious deployment to the Mediterranean and conducted an operational tour in Northern Ireland. In 1997, as Officer Commanding B Company, 40 Commando, on a major ship-borne training exercise in the Far East and South Africa, van der Horst was assessed as outstanding by Major-General Jim Dutton, current Commandant General of the Royal Marines.
He subsequently gained a master's degree at the Royal Military College of Science and, after attending the advanced command course, returned to serve with special forces. For the next two years he was involved in the co-ordination of operations, and in 2000 he helped to plan the rescue of six British soldiers captured by rebels in Sierra Leone.
The next year he was appointed to the Ministry of Defence for duty in the Directorate of Overseas Military Assistance, with specific responsibility for defence policy in western and southern Africa.
At the end of the second Iraq war, van der Horst was appointed Chief of Staff at Headquarters, 3 Commando Brigade, where he was responsible for co-ordinating the introduction of new communications equipment and vehicles. He helped to work up the Navy's latest amphibious warship, Albion. Last November he took command of the Special Boat Service.
Van der Horst was exceptional even among those who have risen in the Royal Marines. From his schooldays he had demonstrated stamina and determination, yet he was quietly spoken and utterly without arrogance.
Richard van der Horst was involved in an accident with a swimmer delivery vehicle during an amphibious exercise on March 7; he died on March 14. He is survived by his wife Belinda (née Langrishe), whom he married in 1995, and their two daughters.
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
