Brigadier Jim Corey
Born in Ostlake in 1964 to a family steeped in military tradition. His father was a Sergeant in the Royal Fusiliers and his mother was a nurse in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He has a younger sister, Madeline who was also an officer in the military having served as an officer in the Navy until 2014.
As a child he moved around East Moreland a lot as the family moved from base to base. It was his love of sport though that helped him make friends as each new location gave him a chance to join a new hockey team. In 1980 he was invited to attend the short lived Northfort Academy for Sporting Excellence, a institute that tried to utilise military style academy set ups to promote sport rather than military skills. While the institute failed to convert many youngsters into sporting stars its strict routines and focus on excellence inspired Corey to consider a career in the military.
In 1982 he attended Keepton University to study Management Sciences. He graduated with a First Class honours degree in 1985 and then completed his Masters a year later. While at University he won colours for Hockey and Skiing as well as joining the Officer Training Corps. Upon graduation he joined the Army as an officer and in 1986 was commissioned with the Royal House Artillery. He served for ten years and then at the urging of his commanding officer applied for Red Legion. He was successful on his first attempt and joined the elite unit in 1996.
While in Red Legion he demonstrated a flair for Close Quarters Combat and some of his records in the Killing House (complex of buildings used for CQC Training) still stand to this day. He was mentioned in dispatches for several raids on Borland Separatist hideouts and in 1998 received two mentions in dispatches for gallantry while on operations in the Alps.
In 2006 he had reached the limit of his promotions within Red Legion without becoming a Staff Officer and this required experience back in the regular military. As a result he accepted a commission with the Royal Logistics Corps where he was responsible for heading the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare unit. This visit to the Royal Logistics Corps did not last too long as in 2010 he returned to Red Legion, first as an Officer responsible for running selection and then in charge of four "Hunter Teams". In 2014 he was approached by Brigadier Kelly to join his staff where he first acted as Chief Quartermaster and then later ran the Killing House. In 2018 he became the effective 2 I.C of the unit as Adjutant. When Brigadier Kelly announced his intention to retire in early 2022 the King appointed Corey as the new commander of the Red Legion. On 2nd July 2022 he assumed command of the unit.
In 1993 he married his then girlfriend of three years Elissa Newsome, a chiropractor he meet through the local hockey club he played for. The pair have three children, Jack (born 1995), Danielle (born 1998) and Hayley (born 2002). While Jack has dedicated his career to the military he is a listed director of Corey Medicine which is a business employing some 50 people in designing medical supports for injuries. His son Jack is currently serving as an officer in the Air Force flying helicopters. Danielle is a Maths teacher while Hayley is at University studying to become a vet. His son Jack has a three year old son called Leo.