Man with a forceful reputation

Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collins commanded the 1st Battalion, the Royal Irish Regiment, which was part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. On the whole the brigade had a "quiet war" being tasked to put out fires and then hold the vital Ramaliyah oil field.

Later, units from the brigade, including Parachute Regiment battalions as well as the Royal Irish, were switched to helping mop up in Basra and surrounding towns. Here there was trouble with mobs of looters and prisoners of war.

Lt-Col Collins, 43, has the reputation of being a colourful and forceful personality, with a distinguished record in special forces operations. He achieved instant fame on both sides of the Atlantic with his "speech before battle" to the battalion, with its touch of Shakespeare's Henry V firing up his troops before the battle of Agincourt.

It certainly struck a chord with the Bush administration and it is understood that a framed copy was displayed in the Oval Office.

It is highly unusual that a commanding officer should be investigated so quickly after returning from a war and handing over command of his battalion.

The charges relate to incidents following the taking of Um Qasr and Basra in the south. The investigation of such a senior figure is bound to have been sanctioned by his superior commanders.

The inquiry itself will be conducted by detectives of the Special Investigations Branch of the Royal Military Police. They will report to a Board of Inquiry, who will then decide on further action.

Several witnesses have reported chaos among the prisoners of war and the civilians fleeing Basra during and after the allied advance into Iraq's second city. Frequently there were riots in the prisoners' cages, with British guards having to use their fists and batons to defend themselves.

When the battalion returned to its base at Canterbury earlier this month Lt-Col Collins immediately handed over command. He had been due to go several months ago, but had stayed on specifically to take his men to Iraq.

It was a role he felt he had been born into. His childhood ambition was to join the Army and he would run home from school to shed his uniform and change into a camouflage kit his mother Mary, had bought him.

She said: "One day I was making a uniform for one of his Action Man toys and he looked at me and said 'I'm going to be a great soldier'"

Lt-Col Collins was born and bred in Belfast and graduated in history from the city's Queen's University, before entering Sandhurst military college.

He served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Berlin and also saw action in the Gulf War of 1991.

Lt-Col Collins earned the nickname Nails from his men because of his toughness. He lives with his wife Caroline, their four sons and a daughter at How Barracks in Canterbury. His interests include shooting, fly-fishing and golf.

Mary, 72, said before the start of the war: "He's like a father to his troops and they respect him."