Major Peter Norton GC

Major Peter Norton GC is a serving officer in the Royal Logistic Corps. He is currently employed as one of the Directing Staff in the College of Management and Technology at the UK’s Defence Academy in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire.

The award of his GC was announced on the 24th of March 2006 and he was invested with the decoration, on behalf of HM The Queen, by HRH The Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace on the 2nd of November 2006.

In July 2005 he was serving as a Captain and the second-in-command of the US-led Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell (CEXC) in Baghdad. The unit was at the forefront of Counter-IED (Improvised Explosive Device) operations being conducted in Iraq at that time, fulfilling a vital role in the collection, identification, analysis and dissemination of weapons and IED intelligence.

On the 24th of July 2005, Capt Norton led a team from his unit to investigate and exploit the scene of a massive IED explosion to the south west of Baghdad that had resulted in the deaths of four US servicemen and the complete destruction of their vehicle. During the investigation of the scene, Peter was very severely injured when a buried victim-operated IED functioned. Despite horrendous injuries Peter remained conscious, lucid and acutely aware of further devices that he suspected might be in the area that could cause danger to his team and to other US personnel at the scene. His calm manner and clear instructions to personnel and his refusal to be evacuated until he was satisfied that his instructions were understood prevented further injury and loss of life. A tertiary device was discovered and rendered safe, less than 10 metres away the following day. The full citation for the award of Capt Norton’s GC can be found here.

After a year of hospitalisation, which was followed by a further year of rehabilitation at the Defence Medical and Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court, Peter returned to duty at Shrivenham where he spent the first year reading for a Master of Science degree in Explosive Ordnance Engineering (EOE MSc) with Cranfield University.

Peter now lectures and mentors future RLC Ammunition Technical Officers and Ammunition Technicians, EOE MSc courses and students on the various Joint Service Staff Officer's courses at the Joint Services Command and Staff College.