Sir Roger Palin | |
---|---|
Born | 8 July 1938 |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army (1958–63) Royal Air Force (1963–93) |
Years of service | 1958–93 |
Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
Commands held | RAF Germany No. 11 Group No. 43 Squadron |
Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air |
Air Chief Marshal Sir Roger Hewlett Palin, KCB , OBE (born 8 July 1938) is a former senior Royal Air Force commander.
Palin was educated at Canford School and St John's College, Cambridge. During his National Service, Palin served in the King's Royal Rifle Corps, being commissioned from cadet to second lieutenant on 10 May 1958. [1] On 6 October 1959 he joined the Territorial Army portion of the Parachute Regiment, as a second lieutenant with seniority from 10 May 1958, [2] and was promoted to lieutenant on 10 January 1960. [3] On 1 February 1961 he was placed on the unattached list. [4] On 1 February 1962 he rejoined The King's Royal Rifle Corps, Green Jackets Brigade, in the Army Emergency Reserve. [5]
On 21 January 1963 Palin joined the Royal Air Force, being granted a permanent commission as a flying officer, with seniority from 1 November 1961. [6] He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 1 May 1964, [7] and to squadron leader on 1 January 1970. [8] He served as Officer Commanding No. 43 Squadron. [9]
On 3 June 1972 he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. [10] On 1 January 1975 he was promoted to wing commander. [11] In the 1979 New Year Honours Palin was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). [12] He was promoted to group captain on 1 January 1980. [13] He then served as Aide-de-Camp to The Queen from 11 December 1981 [14] until 10 December 1982. [15] He was promoted to air commodore on 1 January 1984, [16] and to air vice marshal on 1 January 1986. [17]
He served as Air Officer Commanding, No. 11 Group from July 1987 [18] until March 1989, and was promoted to air marshal on 14 April [19] to serve as Commander-in-Chief RAF Germany and Second Tactical Air Force. [20] In the 1989 Birthday Honours he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). [21] Palin then served as Air Member for Personnel from 1991 [20] before retiring from the RAF on 1 July 1993. [22]
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Edward Johns, is a retired senior Royal Air Force commander. He was a fighter pilot in the 1960s, commanding officer of a squadron during the 1970s and a station commander in the 1980s. Johns served as one of three British directors of operations on the senior planning staff for Operation Granby in 1991 and then acted as a supporting commander for joint operations in the Balkans in 1994. As Chief of the Air Staff he advised the British Government on the air force aspects of the Strategic Defence Review and on NATO's air campaign in Kosovo.
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Marshal of the Royal Air Force David Brownrigg Craig, Baron Craig of Radley, is a retired Royal Air Force officer and member of the House of Lords. He was a fast jet pilot in the 1950s, a squadron commander in the 1960s and a station commander in the 1970s. He served as Chief of the Air Staff during the late 1980s, when the Boeing Airborne early warning and control system was ordered and the European Fighter programme was being developed. He then served as Chief of the Defence Staff during the Gulf War. He was granted a life peerage as Baron Craig of Radley after his retirement from active service in 1991, sitting as a crossbencher. As of 2022, he is the last living officer in the British Armed Forces to have held a five-star rank whilst on active service.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Hugh Moran, was a fast jet pilot and later a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. He was Commander-in-Chief of Air Command at the time of his unexpected death.
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Air Chief Marshal Sir John Barraclough was a Royal Air Force pilot during the Second World War who went on to become Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff.
Air Chief Marshal Stuart William Peach, Baron Peach, is a British retired senior Royal Air Force officer. After training as a navigator, Peach commanded IX (Bomber) Squadron and then became Deputy Station Commander RAF Bruggen. He was deployed as NATO Air Commander (Forward) in Kosovo in 2000. He went on to be Chief of Defence Intelligence in 2006, Chief of Joint Operations in 2009 and the first Commander of Joint Forces Command in December 2011 before being appointed Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in May 2013. Peach succeeded General Sir Nick Houghton as Chief of the Defence Staff on 14 July 2016. He succeeded General Petr Pavel as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee on 29 June 2018, serving as such until his retirement from NATO in June 2021.
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Air Marshal Sir Peter Edward Bairsto, was a Royal Air Force officer who served as Deputy Commander of Strike Command from 1981 until his retirement in 1984.
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Air Vice-Marshal John Nigel Carlyle Cooke, was a British doctor and senior Royal Air force officer. He served as Dean of Air Force Medicine from 1979 to 1983, and Senior Consultant RAF from 1983 to 1985. He was also a medical advisor to the European Space Agency, the Royal Air Force of Oman and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston, is a former senior officer in the Royal Air Force, who served as Chief of the Air Staff from 26 July 2019 until 2 June 2023. He previously served as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff from 2017 to 2018, and Deputy Commander (Personnel) and Air Member for Personnel and Capability from 2018 to 2019.
Air Vice-Marshal Peter James Murray Squires, is a senior Royal Air Force officer, who currently serves as the Commander of British Forces Cyprus. From August 2016 to October 2019 he served as Commandant of RAF College Cranwell. He was formerly a Harrier pilot and served as commander of No. 100 Squadron RAF, flying BAE Systems Hawks.
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