Lawrence Pendred
Encyclopedia
Air Marshal
Sir Lawrence Fleming Pendred KBE
CB
DFC
(5 May 1899 - 1986) was a Royal Air Force
officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Flying Training Command
.
, Pendred joined the Royal Naval Air Service
in 1917 towards the end of World War I
and served as a pilot with No. 2 Squadron
. He specialised in intelligence and in 1930 he joined the Intelligence Staff at Headquarters RAF Transjordan and Palestine. He served in World War II
on the air staff in the Deputy Directorate of Operations (Home) and then in the Directorate of Plans. He continued his war service as Chief Intelligence Officer at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command
from 1941, as Director of Intelligence at the Air Ministry
from 1942 and as Chief Intelligence Officer at Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Air Force
from 1944. He spent the closing years of the War as Assistant Commandant at the RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park and then as Air Officer Commanding No. 227 Group.
After the War he was appointed Director of Intelligence to Supreme Commander, South East Asia and then, from 1947, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Intelligence). He went on to be Commandant at the School of Land/Air Warfare in 1950 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Flying Training Command
in 1952 before retiring in 1955. Under Pendred the standard training sequence for new pilots was the Provost
and then the Vampire
aircraft types.
In retirement he was President of the Old Epsomian Club.
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Lawrence Fleming Pendred KBE
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...
DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(5 May 1899 - 1986) 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 of 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:...
.
RAF career
Educated at Epsom CollegeEpsom College
Epsom College is an independent co-educational public school in Epsom, Surrey, England, for pupils aged 13 to 18. Founded in 1853 to provide support for poor members of the medical profession such as pensioners and orphans , Epsom's long-standing association with medicine was estimated in 1980 as...
, Pendred joined the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
in 1917 towards the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and served as a pilot with No. 2 Squadron
No. 202 Squadron RAF
No. 202 Squadron of the Royal Air Force presently operates the Sea King HAR.3 in the Search and rescue role at three stations in the northern half of the United Kingdom. It was originally formed as one of the first aeroplane squadrons of the RNAS before it became part of the RAF.-Formation and...
. He specialised in intelligence and in 1930 he joined the Intelligence Staff at Headquarters RAF Transjordan and Palestine. 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...
on the air staff in the Deputy Directorate of Operations (Home) and then in the Directorate of Plans. He continued his war service as Chief Intelligence 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...
from 1941, as Director of Intelligence 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...
from 1942 and as Chief Intelligence Officer at Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Air Force
Allied Expeditionary Air Force
The Allied Expeditionary Air Force was a component of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force which controlled the tactical air power of the Allied forces during Operation Overlord.Its effectiveness was less than optimal on two counts...
from 1944. He spent the closing years of the War as Assistant Commandant at the RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park and then as Air Officer Commanding No. 227 Group.
After the War he was appointed Director of Intelligence to Supreme Commander, South East Asia and then, from 1947, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Intelligence). He went on to be Commandant at the School of Land/Air Warfare in 1950 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of 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 1952 before retiring in 1955. Under Pendred the standard training sequence for new pilots was the Provost
BAC Jet Provost
The BAC Jet Provost was a British jet-powered trainer aircraft used by the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1993. The Jet Provost was also successfully exported, serving in many air forces worldwide....
and then the Vampire
De Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
aircraft types.
In retirement he was President of the Old Epsomian Club.