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Army Major who led 41-gun salutes for King and Queen stripped of command over ‘inappropriate comments’ to female soldier
Maj Baileff, who joined the Army in 2010, was made an MBE in the most recent New Year’s Honours list
AN ARMY officer who this week led gun salutes for the King and Queen has been suspended over claims he made inappropriate comments to a female soldier under his command.
Major John Baileff MBE — the commander of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery — was stripped of command on returning to barracks.
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He has been accused of making “inappropriate comments” to women under his command.
Maj Baileff, 35, led two 41-gun salutes with the unit’s horse-drawn field guns in Green Park, central London, on Wednesday. The first marked the official State Opening of Parliament, the second was to celebrate Camilla’s 77th birthday.
But the moment he returned to Woolwich Garrison, where his 170-strong unit is based, the major was temporarily removed from his post.
Cavalry sources said that he was suspended without prejudice pending an investigation.
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The King’s Troop has the highest percentage of female soldiers in the Army. Around half of the troop are women and the unit has had three female commanding officers in charge of 120 horses.
Maj Baileff, who joined the Army in 2010, was made an MBE in the most recent New Year’s Honours list.
The gong rewarded his work on the Theatre Enabling Group, which supported four evacuations in two years. It is unclear if he worked on the airlift from Afghanistan capital Kabul or the Sudan evacuation.
Troops also prepared to evacuate British citizens from Lebanon and Israel during the recent conflict with Gaza after terror attacks.
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Maj Baileff said at the time: “I am hugely honoured to have been awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours List. Two years and four evacuation operations later, my time with the Theatre Enabling Group was unbelievable.
“It’s hard to put into words what it all means but it marks a very special end to an incredible year.”
The Sun understands that the allegations made against him predate Wednesday’s ceremonies.
It comes days after Major General James Roddis — a former special operations commander — admitted disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind at a court martial.
Maj Gen Roddis, who won a gong for gallantry in Afghanistan, two Queen’s Commendations for Valuable Service, two mentions in dispatches and an MBE, was accused of playing with a woman’s hair and kissing her on the cheek without consent.
He was the first general to face a sex assault court martial in modern military history and only the second general to face a court martial for more than 200 years.
An Army spokesperson said: “Soldiers at all levels of the British Army are held to the highest standards.
“If any individual is believed to have failed to meet those standards, we will investigate and take appropriate action where necessary. We won’t comment on individual cases.”
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