Dan Jarvis awarded MBE

Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis will today receive an MBE at Buckingham Palace for services to the British Armed forces.

During his fifteen year Army career, Jarvis, who was commissioned into The Parachute Regiment, served as Aide de Camp to General Sir Mike Jackson, in his role as overall commander of forces in Kosovo and as head of the British Army. Jarvis also served as a Platoon Commander with 1 Para in Kosovo, as Adjutant of 3 Para in Northern Ireland and Iraq and as a Company Commander with 1 Para in Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, Jarvis became the first member of the British Army to resign his commission to stand for election to Parliament in over 50 years.

The South Yorkshire MP recognised the potential of using a ground sign awareness capability in operational theatres and designed and delivered a training package across Defence to ensure all soldiers understood and possessed that capability prior to being deployed to Afghanistan. The citation accompanying the MBE says of the training, “It has been highly effective and has undoubtedly saved lives in Afghanistan.”

Jarvis will become the first serving MP to be awarded a military honour during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.