Key Appointments
- Colonel-in-Chief - His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, GVCO, CD
- Honorary Colonel - Michael Robinson
- Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel - vacant
- Commanding Officer - Lieutenant-Colonel Chris van den Berg, CD
- Deputy Commanding Officer- Major Mitchell Colomba, CD
- Regimental Sergeant Major - Chief Warrant Officer Jeremy Barnwell, CD
- Pipe Major - Sergeant Alex Rocheleau
- Regimental Major - Major (Retired) Greg Childs, CD, ESM
HRH Prince Michael of Kent, GVCO, CD
Prince Michael entered the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in January 1961 and was commissioned into the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert’s Own), a cavalry regiment in the British Army, in 1963. He saw service in Germany, Hong Kong and Cyprus where his squadron formed part of the UN peacekeeping force in 1971. Subsequent tours of duty, during a military career that spanned twenty years, included a number of appointments on the Defence Intelligence Staff.
A keen sportsman, Prince Michael represented the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in rowing, and was part of the team that won the Maiden Fours at Bedford in 1961. He is now Patron of the Thames Rowing Club. Prince Michael represented Great Britain as a bobsleigh driver for many years and was a reserve for the 1972 Olympics. As a vintage car enthusiast, he was part of the team in 1992 that broke the 1,000-mile record for cars over 5,000cc in a 1929 Bentley Special. A competitive rally driver, he is also a qualified pilot of both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.
Prince Michael of Kent has been Colonel-in-Chief of The Essex and Kent Scottish since 14 November 2001. He first visited his Regiment in Canada in March 2002 with subsequent visits in October 2007 and June 2009. He also attended with unit members at Dieppe, France in August 2012 for the 70th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid. His most recent visit to his Regiment was in May 2023 when he presented new King's and Regimental Colours to the Regiment. On 19 October 2015 in London, UK he was presented with his Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) for 12 years of service in the Canadian Forces by LCol J. Hodgins. His appointment follows that of his father HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent (1937-1942) and his mother HRH Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (1942-1968).
Prince Michael married Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz in Vienna in 1978. Their son Lord Frederick Windsor is an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, and their daughter Lady Gabriella Windsor is a Writer.
Visit His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent online at https://princemichael.org.uk/.
Honorary Colonel Michael Robinson, CD
Honorary Colonel (HCol) Michael Robinson is a graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton. While in university, he served in the army reserve (Lorne Scots) and completed infantry officer training. From 1980 to 1985, he served full-time as a Captain in command and staff positions including Executive Staff Officer at the National Defence College. Upon moving to Windsor, he transferred to The Essex and Kent Scottish serving as Commanding Officer from 1996 until 2001. He served in Canada’s army reserve for 26 years achieving the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He is a qualified military parachutist and has been awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration with bar, Canada 125 Commemorative Medal and Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
HCol Robinson has lived in Windsor since 1986 and was the President of PBL Insurance Limited. PBL grew to 220 employees with offices in seven Ontario communities before being sold in 2019 to NFP, an international broker expanding into Canada. He retired from NFP Canada as a Managing Director in 2021. He served the Windsor Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce from 1992 to 2003 including two terms as Chairman of the Board. After the border crisis triggered by 9/11, he co-chaired the Business Transportation Task Force which submitted a report on Border Issues to the Deputy Prime Minister in September 2002. He also served on the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s Border & Trade Development Committee. In September 2003 he received the National Volunteer of the Year Award from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce for his work on cross border issues. He is a Past President of the Windsor Club and a member of the Royal Canadian Military Institute.
He is an occasional sailor and scuba diver as well as an enthusiastic traveller and has journeyed extensively through 61 countries.
Lieutenant Colonel Chris van den Berg, CD
Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher (Chris) van den Berg has served in the Canadian Army Reserves since 2006, beginning as an Armoured Reconnaissance Officer. After transferring to the 1st Hussars in 2008, he held key leadership roles including Troop Leader, Battle Captain, and Platoon Commander on Operation CADENCE (Security for the 2010 G8 and G20 summits held in Ontario). He also served with the UK’s King’s Royal Hussars during Exercise MEDICINE MAN at CFB Suffield, Alberta.
Following graduate studies abroad, he returned in 2012 as the Operations Officer at the 31 Canadian Brigade Group Battle School and later served at the Brigade Headquarters planning a major commemorative trip to the Netherlands. Promoted to Major in 2016 he deployed to Afghanistan in 2018 as Commanding Officer of Task Force Kabul under Operation ADDENDA. He later commanded A Squadron and deployed on Operation LASER (CF response to pandemic) in 2020 before becoming Deputy Commanding Officer. In 2021, he was promoted to LCol and assumed command of the 1st Hussars. He was also appointed Commanding Officer of the 31 Territorial Battalion Group, overseeing major exercises across Ontario and Michigan from 2023 to 2025. On September 27, 2025 LCol van den Berg was appointed Commanding Officer of The Essex and Kent Scottish.
He is a graduate of the Joint Command and Staff Programme and holds degrees in Criminology and Public Administration. He lives in London with his wife Marit and their four children and works at Western University
Major Mitchell Colomba, CD
Major Mitchell Colomba enrolled in the Canadian Forces in June 2014 as an Infantry Officer with The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment and completed his officer training in 2015 and 2016. Over the following years, Major Colomba held junior officer positions within the Regiment, gaining a wealth of experience in command and staff duties.
In 2019, Major Colomba was appointed Officer Commanding A Company, a role in which he successfully led and mentored soldiers, contributed to the Regiment’s training and operational readiness, and reinforced the strong traditions of The Essex and Kent Scottish. His leadership has been recognized both at home and abroad. Domestically, he deployed on Operation LASER (CF response to COVID-19 pandemic) . Internationally, he deployed to Kuwait in 2021 on Operation IMPACT (CF mission to build the military capabilities of Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon).
Major Colomba assumed the position of Deputy Commanding Officer of the Essex and Kent Scottish in October 2025, continuing his dedication to the Regiment and the Canadian Forces.
Outside his military service, Major Colomba is a Police Constable with the Windsor Police Service, serving the community as a patrol officer in South Windsor since 2023. He is also a graduate of the University of Windsor, where he earned an Honours degree in 2016 with a double major in Criminology and Family and Social Relations.
Chief Warrant Officer Jeremy Barnwell, CD
Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Jeremy Barnwell was born and raised in Chatham, ON. He joined The Essex and Kent Scottish in November 1999. In 2005, CWO Barnwell deployed to Afghanistan on Operation ATHENA/ARCHER, and was awarded the South West Asia Service Medal (SWASM) and General Service Medal (GSM). He was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) in 2012 and clasp in 2023.
CWO Barnwell has held many leadership positions with The Essex and Kent Scottish such as Platoon 2IC, Operations Warrant Officer and Company Sergeant Major. He took part in Operation PROVISION (resettling Syrian refugees) as the Auxiliary Security Force Warrant Officer in 2015, and Operation LASER (CF response to pandemic) in 2020 as the Camp Services Warrant Officer. He was promoted to Master Warrant Officer (MWO) in 2022. He was promoted to CWO and appointed Regimental Sergeant Major on September 27, 2025.
Outside the military, CWO Barnwell works for Service Canada. He also has 20+ years of experience in residential construction and renovations. His other interests are football, camping and spending time with his family.
He lives in Chatham with his wife, Tressy. They have four children one grandchild.
Pipe Major (Sgt) Alex Rocheleau
Biographical information is not available at this time.
Major (Retired) Greg T. Childs, CD, ESM
Born and raised in Chatham, Ontario Major Childs attended the John McGregor Secondary School, joining their Cadet Corps at an early age. On the recommendation of his father, an Essex Scottish WWII veteran, he joined The Essex and Kent Scottish (E&K Scot). As a Master Warrant Officer, he joined the Regular Army with the rank of Lieutenant for a limited engagement, then transferred back into E&K Scot. Major Childs has held the appointments of Platoon Commander, Company Commander, Regimental Major and Deputy Commanding Officer. For many years he was the CO's representative on the Regimental Association Board of Directors. Major Childs has completed 44 years of service with E&K Scot and retired in August 2010.
After 33 years service, he is a retired Detective from London Police Force as a Forensic Identification expert investigating homicides and other major crimes. He was a bomb-disposal Sergeant for 20 years, instructing frequently at the Canadian Police College. Police Sergeant Childs was the protocol officer for London Police.
He is married with two adult children.