Two dedicated 1st Battalion the Highlanders adult volunteers from Inverness have been promoted.
Inverness Company Commander, Major Kevin Reid (50), who has commanded Inverness Company since 2011, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and has been appointed as the battalion’s new Deputy Commandant Cadets. Lt Col Reid is now responsible for all aspects of cadet training, from guiding and supporting the battalion’s thirty-four detachments in how they manage their training programmes to liaising with the battalion’s specialist training officers. Kevin has held numerous positions and appointments within the battalion over his 24-year career with the ACF – from detachment instructor, detachment commander, company training officer and even specialist positions such as sports officer.
Inverness Company Training Officer, Captain Alexander Mezals (35), who was Lt Col Reid’s second in command at Inverness Company, was promoted to Major and has now taken over Inverness Company as the company’s commander. In his new role as company commander Major Mezals now has overall responsibility for the training within the six detachments of Inverness Company – Aviemore, Fortrose, Fort Augustus, Fort William, Inverness and Raigmore.
Alexander has also held quite a few positions within the battalion throughout his 17-year career with the cadets – from starting as a detachment instructor to being a detachment commander for both Raigmore and Inverness detachments.
Both Lt Col Reid and Major Mezals received their promotions from Battalion Commandant Colonel Iain Cassidy at the Inverness Company Weekend at the CTC in Dingwall.
The promotions will allow Kevin and Alexander’s years of knowledge to further benefit the organisation as a whole – which now covers the Highlands, Moray, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.
