New Clerk of the Cutlers is revealed

Colonel George Kilburn will succeed Colonel Peter Gardner, who is retiring after 16 years in the role.

Colonel Kilburn has spent the last two months shadowing Colonel Gardner and will be handed the badge of office on July 12.

They have known each other for 30 years, having both served in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) and once shared an office in Gibraltar.

The Cutlers' Company, which dates from 1624, represents the interests of manufacturing firms in South Yorkshire.

"I am delighted that George was selected, knowing each other as we do has made the handover so much easier," said Colonel Gardner, who has been made Clerk Emeritus by the Cutlers' Company in recognition of his long service.

During his 35 years' military service, Colonel Kilburn commanded various units including 3rd Battalion The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) in Sheffield in the late 1990s. His most recent post was in Paris as the UK Operational Liaison Officer from 2006 to 2009.

Since his appointment, he has moved with his family to South Yorkshire.

When he first joined up, Colonel Kilburn planned to stay in the army for just three years.

He added: "I thought I would then go into the family construction firm in Batley (West Yorkshire) but things changed and when my father died I stayed where I was." Before his stint in Paris, Colonel Kilburn had an operational tour as sector commander with the UN force in Georgia. From 2005 to 2006, he was with the UN in New York, responsible for military resources for the mission in Congo.

He added: "The place I enjoyed working most was Africa. It is such a fragmented continent that you can achieve more with less.

"But I have chosen to work in Sheffield over Paris and New York. There are many reasons for that but now I am here I realise what a wonderful part of the world this is.

"I have enjoyed my career so far and I am finding that I have dealt with most aspects of this new role in some form in my previous existence. The variety and quantity of work will be challenging."