Marshal of the Royal Air Force - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Marshal of the Royal Air Force (MRAF) is the highest rank 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...

. In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff

Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)

The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister...

, and to retired Chiefs of the Air Staff, who were promoted to it on their last day of service. Promotions to the rank have ceased since the British defence cuts of the 1990s. While surviving Marshals of the RAF retain the rank for life, the highest rank to which officers on active service are promoted is now Air Chief Marshal

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...

. Although general promotions have ceased, further promotions to Marshal of the Royal Air Force are still possible in wartime and also for members of the Royal Family

British Royal Family

The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...

and possibly other very senior officers in peacetime at the discretion of the Monarch.
Marshal of the Royal Air Force is a five-star rank and unlike the air marshal ranks, can properly be considered a marshal

Marshal

Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...

rank. MRAF has a NATO ranking code of OF-10, equivalent to an admiral of the fleet

Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)

Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....

in the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

or a field marshal in the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

.

The rank was instituted in 1919 and the first officer to be promoted to MRAF was Sir Hugh Trenchard

Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...

in 1927. Since that time, including Trenchard, there have been 25 men who have held the rank. Of those, 21 have been professional RAF officers and four have been senior members of the British Royal Family

British Royal Family

. Technically King George V

George V of the United Kingdom

George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....

did not hold the rank but as the Chief of the Royal Air Force he did wear the uniform of a marshal of the RAF. The only two RAF officers ever to have held the rank without serving as Chief of the Air Staff were Lord Douglas of Kirtleside and Sir Arthur Harris

Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet GCB OBE AFC , commonly known as "Bomber" Harris by the press, and often within the RAF as "Butcher" Harris, was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command during the latter half of World War...

Origins

Prior to the creation of the RAF's officer rank titles in 1919, it was proposed that by analogy with Field Marshal

Field Marshal

Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...

, the highest rank title should be Air Marshal

Air Marshal

Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...

. It was later decided to use the rank of Air Marshal as an equivalent rank to Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....

and Marshal of the Air was put forward as the highest RAF rank. This new rank title was opposed by the then Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Sir Henry Wilson, who considered that the title was "ridiculous". However, the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Hugh Trenchard

Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...

was unmoved and the title was adopted. This new title, which only existed on paper, did not last long. King George V

George V of the United Kingdom

George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....

took the view that the title of Marshal of the Air impinged upon the attributes which should properly be reserved for God

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

and the rank title was changed at the King's request to Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

Insignia, command flag and star plate

The rank insignia consists of four narrow light blue bands (each on a slightly wider black band) over a light blue band on a broad black band. This insignia is derived from the sleeve lace of an admiral of the fleet and is worn on the both the lower sleeves of the tunic or on the shoulders of the flying suit or the service working dress uniform. Marshals of the Royal Air Force wear shoulder boards with their service dress at ceremonial events. These shoulder boards show the air officer

Air Officer

An air officer is a Royal Air Force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". The term is also used by many Commonwealth nations who have a similar rank structure to the RAF....

's eagle surrounded by a wreath, two crossed marshal

Marshal

Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...

's batons

Baton (symbol)

The ceremonial baton is a short, thick stick, carried by select high-ranking military officers as a uniform article. The baton is distinguished from the swagger stick in being thicker and less functional . Unlike a staff of office, a baton is not rested on the ground...

and, since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

, the St Edward's Crown representing royal authority. Prior to 1953, the Tudor Crown (sometimes called the King's Crown) was used.

The command flag of a Marshal of the Royal Air Force has a broad red horizontal band in the centre with a thinner red band on each side of it.

The vehicle star plate for a Marshal of the Royal Air Force depicts five white stars (Marshal of the Royal Air Force is equivalent to a five-star rank) on an air force blue background.

The rank insignia and flag exists in some other air forces for equivalent ranks. The rank title differs slightly, often being a variation on Marshal of the Air Force

Marshal of the Air Force

Marshal of the Air Force is the English term for the most senior rank in a number of air forces. The ranks described by this term can properly be considered marshal ranks....

, usually with the name of the relevant air force in place of the words 'Royal Air Force'.

Marshals of the Royal Air Force

Year of promotion	Officer	Year of birth	Year of death	Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...	1873	1956	Promoted 1 January 1927.
1933	Sir John Salmond John Salmond Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Maitland Salmond, GCB, CMG, CVO, DSO and Bar was a British military officer who rose to high rank in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I...	1881	1968	Promoted 1 January 1933.
1936	HM King Edward VIII Edward VIII of the United Kingdom Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...	1894	1972	Honorary rank. Promoted 21 January 1936.
1936	HM King George VI George VI of the United Kingdom George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...	1895	1952	Honorary rank. Promoted 11 December 1936.
1937	Sir Edward Ellington Edward Leonard Ellington Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Edward Leonard Ellington GCB, CMG, CBE was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force...	1877	1967	Promoted 1 January 1937.
1940	Cyril Newall, 1st Baron Newall Cyril Newall, 1st Baron Newall Marshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, 1st Baron Newall GCB OM GCMG CBE AM , was a British soldier and airman, who headed the Royal Air Force as the Chief of the Air Staff during the early part of the Second World War before serving as the sixth Governor-General of New Zealand...	1886	1963	Promoted 4 October 1940. Retired only 20 days later.
1944	Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Frederick Algernon Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford KG GCB OM DSO & Bar MC was a senior Royal Air Force officer and an advocate of strategic bombing...	1893	1971	Promoted 1 June 1944.
1945	Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, GCB was a senior British air force commander. During the First World War, he was a pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Flying Corps and he went on to serve as a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the inter-war...	1890	1967	Promoted 12 September 1945.
1946	William Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside	1893	1969	Promoted 1 January 1946.
1946	Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris	1892	1984	Promoted 1 January 1946, several months after retirement.
1950	Sir John Slessor John Slessor Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Cotesworth Slessor GCB, DSO, MC was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force . A pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I, he held operational commands in World War II and served in the RAF's most senior post, Chief of the Air Staff, from 1950 to...	1897	1979	Promoted 8 June 1950.
1953	HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....	1921
Honorary rank. Promoted 15 January 1953.
1954	Sir William Dickson William Dickson (RAF officer) Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir William Forster Dickson GCB, KBE, DSO, AFC was a Royal Naval Air Service aviator during World War I, an middle-ranking Royal Air Force officer during the inter-war years and a senior Royal Air Force commander during and after World War II...	1898	1987	Promoted 1 June 1954.
1958	Sir Dermot Boyle Dermot Boyle Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Dermot Alexander Boyle GCB, KCVO, KBE, AFC, RAF was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force.-RAF career:...	1904	1993	Promoted 1 January 1958.
1958	HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....	1900	1974	Honorary rank. Promoted 12 June 1958.
1962	Sir Thomas Pike Thomas Pike Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Thomas Geoffrey Pike GCB CBE DFC & Bar DL RAF was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force.-RAF career:...	1906	1983	Promoted 6 April 1962.
1967	Charles Elworthy, Baron Elworthy Charles Elworthy, Baron Elworthy Marshal of the Royal Air Force Samuel Charles Elworthy, Baron Elworthy KG, GCB, CBE, DSO, LVO, DFC, AFC was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force...	1911	1993	Promoted 1 April 1967.
1971	Sir John Grandy John Grandy Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Grandy GCB GCVO KBE DSO KStJ RAF was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force...	1913	2004	Promoted and retired on the same day (1 April 1971).
1974	Sir Denis Spotswood Denis Spotswood Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Denis Frank Spotswood GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.-RAF career:...	1916	2001	Promoted and retired on the same day (31 March 1974).
1976	Sir Andrew Humphrey Andrew Humphrey Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Andrew Henry Humphrey GCB, OBE, DFC, AFC, RAF was a senior commander in the British Royal Air Force...	1921	1977	Promoted 6 August 1976.
1977	Neil Cameron, Baron Cameron of Balhousie Neil Cameron, Baron Cameron of Balhousie Marshal of the Royal Air Force Neil Cameron, Baron Cameron of Balhousie, KT, GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force...	1920	1985	Promoted 31 July 1977.
1982	Sir Michael Beetham Michael Beetham Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael James Beetham GCB, CBE, DFC, AFC, DL is a former World War II bomber pilot and a high-ranking commander in the Royal Air Force from the 1960s to the 1980s....	1923
Promoted and retired on the same day (14 October 1982).
1985	Sir Keith Williamson Keith Williamson Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Keith Alec Williamson, GCB, AFC , is a retired senior officer in the Royal Air Force. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1982 to 1985.-RAF career:...	1928
Promoted and retired on the same day (15 October 1985).
1988	David Craig, Baron Craig of Radley David Craig, Baron Craig of Radley Marshal of the Royal Air Force David Brownrigg Craig, Baron Craig of Radley, GCB, OBE , is a retired Royal Air Force officer and member of the House of Lords...	1929
Promoted 14 November 1988.
1992	Sir Peter Harding Peter Harding Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Peter Robin Harding, GCB is a retired Royal Air Force Chief of the Air Staff, and Chief of Defence Staff.-RAF career:...	1933
Promoted 6 November 1992. Resigned commission 14 June 1994.

Excluding monarchs and members of the Royal Family

British Royal Family

, the only two RAF officers ever to have held the rank without serving as Chief of the Air Staff were Lord Douglas of Kirtleside and Sir Arthur Harris. Both held high command 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...

. Harris was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief 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...

and Douglas was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Fighter Command

RAF Fighter Command

RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...

, Middle East Command

RAF Middle East Command

Middle East Command was a command of the Royal Air Force formed on December 29, 1941 by renaming Headquarters RAF Middle East. During the early part of the Second World War the Command was one of the three major British service commands in the Middle East, the others being the British Army's...

and Coastal Command

RAF Coastal Command

RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...

.

King George V

George V of the United Kingdom

George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....

did not formally hold the rank of marshal of the RAF; rather he assumed the title of Chief of the Royal Air Force. In this capacity from time to time he wore RAF uniform with the rank insignia of a marshal of the RAF. He first publicly wore such uniform in 1935, the year before his death.

Unlike other MRAFs who only relinquished their appointments, Sir Peter Harding resigned from the RAF in 1994. Consequently, his name is no longer to be found in the Air Force List.

Origins

Insignia, command flag and star plate

Marshals of the Royal Air Force

See also