Vice-Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
The British Vice-Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) was the post occupied by the senior Royal Air Force
officer who served as a senior assistant to the Chief of the Air Staff. The post was created during World War II on 22 April 1940 and its incumbement sat on the Air Council
. It was abolished in 1985 when the post's responsibilities were combined with those of the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Policy) and the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) to create a single post, the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
.
The Vice-Chief was responsible for defining the operational requirements for the RAF and conducting wider strategic planning.
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 served as a senior assistant to the Chief of the Air Staff. The post was created during World War II on 22 April 1940 and its incumbement sat on the Air Council
Air Council
Air Council was the governing body of the Royal Air Force until the merger of the Air Ministry with the other armed forces ministries to form the Ministry of Defence. It was succeeded by the Air Force Board.- Composition :...
. It was abolished in 1985 when the post's responsibilities were combined with those of the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Policy) and the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) to create a single post, the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
The Assistant Chief of the Air Staff is a senior appointment in the Royal Air Force. The incumbent is in practical terms the deputy to the head of the RAF, the Chief of the Air Staff....
.
The Vice-Chief was responsible for defining the operational requirements for the RAF and conducting wider strategic planning.
Vice chiefs of the air staff
Holders of the post included:- 22 April 1940 – 4 October 1940 Air MarshalAir MarshalAir marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Richard PeirseRichard PeirseAir Chief Marshal Sir Richard Edmund Charles Peirse KCB DSO AFC , was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:... - 4 October 1940 – 19 October 1942 Air Chief MarshalAir Chief MarshalAir chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Wilfrid FreemanWilfrid FreemanAir Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Rhodes Freeman, 1st Baronet, GCB, DSO, MC, RAF was one of the most important influences on the rearmament of the Royal Air Force in the years up to and including the Second World War.... - 19 October 1942 – 21 March 1943 Air Vice-MarshalAir Vice-MarshalAir vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
C E H MedhurstCharles MedhurstAir Chief Marshal Sir Charles Edward Hastings Medhurst KCB OBE MC was a First World War Royal Flying Corps pilot on the Western Front and later a senior officer in the Royal Air Force.-RAF career:...
(acting) Air Chief Marshal TedderArthur Tedder, 1st Baron TedderMarshal 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...
had been due to take the appointment but after a meeting with Eisenhower, the Americans asked Churchill to appoint Tedder as Air Commander for the whole Mediterranean area. - 21 March 1943 – 1 June 1946 Sir Douglas EvillDouglas EvillAir Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Claude Strathern Evill, GBE, KCB, DSC, AFC, RAF was a Royal Naval Air Service pilot during World War I and senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II.-Early life:...
- 1 June 1946 – 1947 Air Marshal Sir William DicksonWilliam 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...
- 1947 – 1948 Air Marshal Sir James RobbJames Robb (RAF officer)Air Chief Marshal Sir James Milne Robb GCB, KBE, DSO, DFC, AFC, RAF, was a senior Royal Air Force commander. After early service in the First World War with the Northumberland Fusiliers, Robb joined the Royal Flying Corps and became a flying ace credited with seven aerial victories...
- 1 November 1948 Air Marshal Sir Arthur SandersArthur Sanders (RAF officer)Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Penrose Martyn Sanders GCB KBE RAF was a Royal Flying Corps pilot during World War I and a senior Royal Air Force commander during World War II and the immediate post-war years.-RAF career:...
- 1 March 1950 Air Chief Marshal The Honorable Sir Ralph CochraneRalph CochraneAir Chief Marshal Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane, GBE, KCB, AFC, RAF was a British pilot and Royal Air Force officer, perhaps best known for his role in Operation Chastise, the famous "Dambusters" raid....
- 1 November 1952 Air Marshal Sir John BakerJohn Baker (RAF officer)Air Chief Marshal Sir John Wakeling Baker GCB, MC, DFC, ADC, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the middle of the 20th century.-Flying career:...
- 9 November 1953 Air Marshal Sir Ronald Ivelaw-ChapmanRonald Ivelaw-ChapmanAir Chief Marshal Sir Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman GCB, KBE, DFC, AFC, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the middle of the 20th century and the penultimate RAF commander-in-chief of the Indian Air Force....
- 16 September 1957 Air Marshal Sir Edmund HudlestonEdmund HudlestonAir Chief Marshal Sir Edmund Cuthbert Hudleston GCB, CBE, ADC, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.-RAF career:...
- 2 March 1962 Air Marshal Sir Wallace KyleWallace KyleAir Chief Marshal Sir Wallace Hart Kyle GCB, KCVO, CBE, DSO, DFC, RAF was a senior Royal Air Force commander and the Governor of Western Australia from 1975 to 1980.-Career:...
- November 1964 Air Marshal Sir Brian BurnettBrian BurnettAir Chief Marshal Sir Brian Kenyon Burnett GCB DFC AFC was a former senior Royal Air Force officer who became Air Secretary.-Early life and RAF career:...
- 6 November 1967 Air Marshal Sir Peter FletcherPeter Fletcher (RAF officer)Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Carteret Fletcher KCB OBE DFC AFC was a senior Royal Air Force officer who became Vice-Chief of the Air Staff.-RAF career:...
- 1 August 1970 Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis SmallwoodDenis SmallwoodAir Chief Marshal Sir Denis Graham Smallwood GBE, KCB, DSO, DFC, FRAeS, FRSA, was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:Educated at King Edward VI School in Birmingham, Smallwood joined the Royal Air Force in 1938....
- 1 November 1973 Air Marshal Sir Ruthven WadeRuthven WadeAir Chief Marshal Sir Ruthven Lowry Wade KCB DFC was a senior Royal Air Force officer who became Vice-Chief of the Air Staff.-RAF career:...
- February 1976 Air Marshal Sir David EvansDavid Evans (RAF officer)Air Chief Marshal Sir David George Evans GCB, CBE, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.-Military career:Born and educated in Canada, Evans was commissioned into the Royal Air Force under an emergency commission in 1944 during World War II...
- March 1977 Air Marshal Sir Peter TerryPeter TerryAir Chief Marshal Sir Peter David George Terry GCB is a retired senior Royal Air Force commander.-Royal Air Force career:...
- 30 January 1979 Air Marshal Sir John NichollsJohn Nicholls (RAF officer)Air Marshal Sir John Moreton Nicholls KCB, CBE, DFC, AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.-RAF career:...
- May 1980 Air Marshal Sir David CraigDavid Craig, Baron Craig of RadleyMarshal 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...
- August 1982 Air Marshal Sir Peter HardingPeter HardingMarshal 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:...