Jonathon Riley. Source: Royal Armouries

An acclaimed British author and military commander whose latest book chronicles the generalship of Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock will deliver a free public lecture at Brock this week.

The Department of History will present a talk by Lt.-Gen. Jonathon Riley, “Isaac Brock and the Battle of Queenston Heights,” this Friday, Oct. 14, from 2 to 3 p.m. in Thistle 256.

Riley was appointed Director-General and Master of the Armouries in April 2009, responsible for the Royal Armouries collection of arms, armour and artillery on display at the Tower of London and other major museums in the U.K.

He served 36 years in the British army, latterly as Deputy Commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

Before that, he held military commands on operations in the Balkans as a battalion and brigade commander, in Sierra Leone as Joint Task Force Commander, and in Iraq as Divisional Commander.

Riley has an MA and PhD in history. He has published nine books, the two most recent being Decisive Battles: From Yorktown to Operation Desert Storm (2010), and A Matter of Honour: The Life, Campaigns and Generalship of Isaac Brock (2011).