John Davis (RAF officer)
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Sir John Gilbert Davis GCB
OBE
(24 March 1911 – 3 February 1989) was a Royal Air Force
officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Training Command
.
in 1939. He served in World War II
initially on secondment to the Turkish Air Force
and then as Officer Commanding No. 269 Squadron
.
After the War he attended RAF Staff College and then joined the directing staff there. He was appointed Group Captain, Air Plans at Headquarters Middle East Air Force
in 1951, Station Commander at RAF Topcliffe
in 1953 and Director of Plans at the Air Ministry
in 1955. He went on to be Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command
in 1958, Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group
in 1959 and Air Officer Commanding RAF Malta
in 1961. His last appointments were as Air Member for Supply and Organisation
in 1963, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Flying Training Command
in 1966 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Training Command
in 1968 before retiring in 1969.
In retirement he became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
.
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 John Gilbert Davis GCB
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...
OBE
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...
(24 March 1911 – 3 February 1989) was a 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...
officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Training Command
RAF Training Command
Training Command was the RAF's command responsible for flying and ground training from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1968 to 1977.-History:Training Command was formed from Inland Area on 1 May 1936 and absorbed into RAF Support Command on 13 June 1977...
.
RAF career
Davis joined the Royal Air Force in 1933. He became a pilot and then attended specialist training in navigation before being appointed a Navigation Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Training CommandRAF Training Command
Training Command was the RAF's command responsible for flying and ground training from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1968 to 1977.-History:Training Command was formed from Inland Area on 1 May 1936 and absorbed into RAF Support Command on 13 June 1977...
in 1939. 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...
initially on secondment to the Turkish Air Force
Turkish Air Force
The Turkish Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. It ranks 3rd in NATO in terms of fleet size behind the USAF and Royal Air Force with a current inventory of 798 aircraft .-Initial stages:...
and then as Officer Commanding No. 269 Squadron
No. 269 Squadron RAF
No. 269 Squadron RAF was a maritime patrol unit of the Royal Air Force that saw service in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.-World War I:...
.
After the War he attended RAF Staff College and then joined the directing staff there. He was appointed Group Captain, Air Plans at Headquarters Middle East Air Force
Near East Air Force (Royal Air Force)
The former Royal Air Force Near East Air Force, more simply known as RAF Near East Air Force, was the Command organisation that controlled all Royal Air Force assets in the Western Mediterranean .-History:...
in 1951, Station Commander at RAF Topcliffe
RAF Topcliffe
RAF Topcliffe is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire. It is a satellite station of RAF Linton-on-Ouse.Topcliffe opened in September 1940 as a bomber station in RAF Bomber Command and was home to 77 and 102 Squadrons flying the Whitley heavy bomber. There was a decoy site at Raskelf...
in 1953 and Director of Plans 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 1955. He went on to be Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
in 1958, Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group
No. 1 Group RAF
Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two operations groups in Air Command.The group is today referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK plus RAF Unit Goose Bay in Canada, which is used extensively as an...
in 1959 and Air Officer Commanding RAF Malta
AHQ Malta
AHQ Malta was an overseas command of the Royal Air Force established on December 28, 1941 by renaming RAF Mediterranean under Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd....
in 1961. His last appointments were as Air Member for Supply and Organisation
Air Member for Supply and Organisation
The Air Member for Supply and Organisation was the senior Royal Air Force officer responsible for procurement matters: he was a member of the Air Force Board...
in 1963, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Flying Training Command
RAF Flying Training Command
Flying Training Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force which controlled units responsible for delivering flying training. The command's headquarters were at Shinfield Park, Reading in Berkshire.-History:...
in 1966 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Training Command
RAF Training Command
Training Command was the RAF's command responsible for flying and ground training from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1968 to 1977.-History:Training Command was formed from Inland Area on 1 May 1936 and absorbed into RAF Support Command on 13 June 1977...
in 1968 before retiring in 1969.
In retirement he became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
The Lieutenant Governor of Jersey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown....
.
Honours and awards
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe 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...
– 1 January 1968 (KCB - 1 Jan 1964; CB – 1 Jun 1953) - Officer of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe 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...
- 1 January 1945 - Knight of the Order of St JohnVenerable Order of Saint JohnThe Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
- 20 Jun 1969 - Air Aide-de-Camp to The QueenAir Aide-de-CampAn air aide-de-camp is a senior honorary aide-de-camp appointment for air officers in the Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Indian Air Force. Normally the recipient is appointed as an air aide-de-camp to the head of state...
(5 June 1967 - 21 June 1969) - Mentioned in Despatches - 1 Jan 1943
- Master of Arts (Queen's College, Cambridge) - 1937