Alfred Earle
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Sir Alfred Earle, GBE
, CB
, RAF
(11 December 1907 – 27 March 1990) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force
during World War II
who later became Vice-Chief of Defence Staff.
in 1925. He served in bomber squadrons in the UK and in Iraq
and then became an Instructor at the RAF School of Photography from 1930.
He served in World War II
1939 and commanded the new School of Photography in Blackpool
before joining the Directorate of Photography at the Air Ministry
in 1940. He transferred to the Directorate of Plans in 1941 and then formed and commanded No. 428 Squadron RCAF
in 1942. He was made Commander
of RAF Ridgewell
and RAF West Wickham in 1943 before joining the staff of General
Sir Hastings Ismay
for the Cairo Conference and then the Yalta Conference
. In 1945 he was made Air Officer Commanding
300 (Transport) Group in Australia
.
After the War he became Air Officer Commanding
No. 232 Group in South East Asia before joining the Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College, Bracknell
in 1946. He was made Senior Personnel Staff Officer at Headquarters Technical Training Command
in 1949 and then Commandant
of the Royal Australian Air Force
Staff College in 1951.
He became Director of Policy (Air Staff) in 1954 and Air Chief of Staff (Policy) in 1955. He was Air Officer Commanding
No. 13 Group
from 1957 and a Deputy Chief of Defence Staff from 1960. He was made Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Technical Training Command
in 1962 and Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in 1964; he retired in 1966.
from the RAF in 1966 he took up the position of Director-General of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence
which he held until 1968. From 1974 to 1976 he was the Chairman of Waveney
District Council.
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Alfred Earle, GBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(11 December 1907 – 27 March 1990) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who later became Vice-Chief of Defence Staff.
Military career
Earle was commissioned into the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in 1925. He served in bomber squadrons in the UK and in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and then became an Instructor at the RAF School of Photography from 1930.
He served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
1939 and commanded the new School of Photography in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
before joining the Directorate of Photography at the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
in 1940. He transferred to the Directorate of Plans in 1941 and then formed and commanded No. 428 Squadron RCAF
No. 428 Squadron RCAF
No. 428 Squadron RCAF, also known as 428 Bomber Squadron, and 428 Ghost Squadron, was a bomber squadron in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Throughout its service in the Second World War the squadron was based in England and flew bombing missions against the enemy. After the end of the war the...
in 1942. He was made Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of RAF Ridgewell
RAF Ridgewell
RAF Ridgewell is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 7½ miles NW of Halstead in Essex. During the war, the airfield was used by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force.-Overview:...
and RAF West Wickham in 1943 before joining the staff of General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Sir Hastings Ismay
Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay
General Hastings Lionel "Pug" Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay, KG, GCB, CH, DSO, PC was a British Indian Army officer and diplomat, remembered primarily for his role as Winston Churchill's chief military assistant during the Second World War and his service as the first Secretary General of NATO from 1952...
for the Cairo Conference and then the Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held February 4–11, 1945, was the wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D...
. In 1945 he was made Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
300 (Transport) Group in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
After the War he became Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
No. 232 Group in South East Asia before joining the Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College, Bracknell
RAF Staff College, Bracknell
The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air Force staff college active for most of the second half of the 20th century. Its role was the training of staff officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of air force matters...
in 1946. He was made Senior Personnel Staff Officer at Headquarters Technical Training Command
RAF Technical Training Command
Technical Training Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force which controlled units responsible for delivering aircraft maintenance training and other non-flying training, initially in Berkshire then in Cambridgeshire.-History:...
in 1949 and then Commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
of the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
Staff College in 1951.
He became Director of Policy (Air Staff) in 1954 and Air Chief of Staff (Policy) in 1955. He was Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
No. 13 Group
No. 13 Group RAF
No. 13 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century. It is most famous for having the responsibility for defending the North of Great Britain during the Battle of Britain-World War I:...
from 1957 and a Deputy Chief of Defence Staff from 1960. He was made Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Technical Training Command
RAF Technical Training Command
Technical Training Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force which controlled units responsible for delivering aircraft maintenance training and other non-flying training, initially in Berkshire then in Cambridgeshire.-History:...
in 1962 and Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in 1964; he retired in 1966.
Later life
After he retiredRetirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
from the RAF in 1966 he took up the position of Director-General of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
which he held until 1968. From 1974 to 1976 he was the Chairman of Waveney
Waveney
Waveney is a local government district in Suffolk, England, named after the River Waveney that forms its north-west border. The district council is based in Lowestoft, the major settlement in Waveney, which is the only unparished area in the district...
District Council.