The Commanding Officer (C.O.) is the top soldier of any Infantry Battalion, normally someone who would have soldiered within his Battalion from Subaltern upwards. By the time he reached Lieutenant Colonel the Lance Corporal in his first Platoon could well be a senior Warrant officer or even the Regimental Sgt Major. Such is the way of a British Infantry Battalion. To most Soldiers the C.O. was a distant figure who you didn’t wish to meet on orders ‘The guard room beckons’
Listed below are the Commanding officers of the 1st Battalion Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment from the birth of the Regiment through to the amalgamation with the Gloucestershire Regiment in 1994.

Lt Col G.F. WOOLNOUGH M.C. 1959-1961

Lt Col D.E. BALLANTINE O.B.E. M.C. 1961 -1963

Lt Col F.H.B. BOSHELL D.S.O.1963-1965 

Lt Col J. R. RODEN M.B.E 1965-1967 

Lt Col T. A. GIBSON M.B.E 1967-1969

Lt Col D. T. CRABTREE 1969-1972

Lt Col W.G.R. TURNER M.B.E. 1972-1975

Lt Col C. B. LEA COX 1975-1977

Lt Col D. A. JONES 1977-1980

Lt Col G. COXON M.B.E. 1980-1982

Lt Col W. A. MACKERETH 1982-1984

Lt Col A. C. KENWAY 1984-1987

LT Col S.W.J. SAUNDERS 1987-1989

Lt Col D. J. A. STONE 1989-1992

Lt Col H. M. PURCELL 1992-1994