Alan Boxer
Encyclopedia
Air Vice-Marshal
Sir
Alan Boxer, KCVO
CB
DSO
DFC
(1 December 1916 – 26 April 1998) was a senior Royal Air Force
officer.
A New Zealander, he took a series of short-term jobs in order to help the family finances, his father having died when he was nine, whilst managing to take flying lessons in his spare time. With war clouds looming over Europe he decided to leave New Zealand
in 1938 and join the RAF. Having already amassed 175 hours he found himself posted as an instructor following his service flying training. He remained in Training Command for two years, but eventually in 1942 he was posted to an operational unit, No. 161 Squadron RAF
at RAF Tempsford
. Here he commanded the Hudson Flight and was involved in the delivery and collection of SOE
Agents from occupied France
, although many of his missions were long ranging to Scandinavia
and Poland
often lasting 13 hours. A spell as a staff officer at the Air ministry co-ordinating SOE flights was followed by a return to 161, this time as CO.
After the war he attended both the RAF Staff College
and the Army College at Haifa
before being given an exchange posting with the USAAF. Here he flew B29s
- on the West Coast of America
including a six-month tour of duty taking part in operations during the Korean War
. Following his return from the USA he spent a year at the Central Fighter Establishment
before being appointed to the Directing Staff
of the RAF Staff College.
After the Staff College he was tasked with reforming No. 7 Squadron RAF
as a Valiant
unit. Although the squadron officially reformed on 1 November 1956 at RAF Honington
, it was the end of the month before he was able to collect the first of its aircraft from the Vickers
factory at Wisley
. One of the tasks he performed with 7 Squadron was the transporting of an H bomb to Christmas Island
for the forthcoming tests. This necessitated him landing in the USA to re-fuel without being able to divulge the nature of his payload. Promotion to Group Captain
brought command of the Victor base at Wittering. A staff post at HQ RAF Bomber Command
and attendance at the Imperial Defence College was followed by two Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) posts. The first at HQ No 1 Group and the second as the last person to hold the post at Bomber Command before it was amalgamated with RAF Fighter Command
to form RAF Strike Command
.
In 1967 he became the first RAF officer to hold the post of Defence Services Secretary
, which involved liaising between the Ministry of Defence
and Buckingham Palace
. As such, he was heavily involved with the Prince of Wales
’s investiture
at Caernarfon
in 1969. Retiring in 1970, he spent a brief period working as a planning inspector with the Department of the Environment
but soon became despondent with the Civil Service
and left to concentrate on his other two great passions, sailing and conservation.
KCVO
– 13 June 1970, CB
– 1 January 1968, DSO
– 23 March 1945, DFC
– 26 March 1943, VM (SC) – 21 January 1944, BSM – 25 May 1951, AM (US) – 25 May 1951
Air Vice-Marshal
Air 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...
Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Alan Boxer, KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
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...
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
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...
(1 December 1916 – 26 April 1998) was a senior 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.
A New Zealander, he took a series of short-term jobs in order to help the family finances, his father having died when he was nine, whilst managing to take flying lessons in his spare time. With war clouds looming over Europe he decided to leave New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1938 and join the RAF. Having already amassed 175 hours he found himself posted as an instructor following his service flying training. He remained in Training Command for two years, but eventually in 1942 he was posted to an operational unit, No. 161 Squadron RAF
No. 161 Squadron RAF
No. 161 Squadron was a highly secretive unit of the Royal Air Force tasked with missions of the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. Their primary role was to drop and collect secret agents and equipment into and from Nazi-occupied Europe...
at RAF Tempsford
RAF Tempsford
RAF Tempsford in Bedfordshire, England was perhaps the most secret Royal Air Force airfield in World War II. It was home to the Special Duties Squadrons, No. 138, which dropped Special Operations Executive agents and their supplies into occupied Europe, and No...
. Here he commanded the Hudson Flight and was involved in the delivery and collection of SOE
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
Agents from occupied France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, although many of his missions were long ranging to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
often lasting 13 hours. A spell as a staff officer at the Air ministry co-ordinating SOE flights was followed by a return to 161, this time as CO.
After the war he attended both the RAF Staff College
RAF Staff College
The RAF Staff College may refer to:*RAF Staff College, Andover *RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park *RAF Staff College, Bracknell...
and the Army College at Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
before being given an exchange posting with the USAAF. Here he flew B29s
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
- on the West Coast of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
including a six-month tour of duty taking part in operations during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Following his return from the USA he spent a year at the Central Fighter Establishment
Central Fighter Establishment
The Central Fighter Establishment was a Royal Air Force formation that dealt with the development Fighter aircraft tactics. It also tested new fighter aircraft and equipment. It also dealt with the training of squadron and flight commanders. It was formed on 1 October 1944 as part of No. 12 Group...
before being appointed to the Directing Staff
Directing Staff
Directing Staff are the military officers who comprise the permanent instructional staff at a military staff college. They are customarily one rank higher than the officers undergoing instruction....
of the RAF Staff College.
After the Staff College he was tasked with reforming No. 7 Squadron RAF
No. 7 Squadron RAF
No. 7 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC.2 from RAF Odiham, Hampshire.-Formation and early years:No. 7 Squadron was formed at Farnborough Airfield on 1 May 1914 as the last squadron of the RFC to be formed before the First World War, but has been disbanded and reformed...
as a Valiant
Vickers Valiant
The Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant was a British four-jet bomber, once part of the Royal Air Force's V bomber nuclear force in the 1950s and 1960s...
unit. Although the squadron officially reformed on 1 November 1956 at RAF Honington
RAF Honington
RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station located south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. Although used as a bomber station during the Second World War, RAF Honington is now the RAF Regiment depot and home to the Joint CBRN Regiment.-RAF use:...
, it was the end of the month before he was able to collect the first of its aircraft from the Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
factory at Wisley
Wisley
Wisley is a small village in Surrey, England. It lies between Cobham and Woking. It is the home of the Royal Horticultural Society's Wisley Garden. The River Wey runs through the village....
. One of the tasks he performed with 7 Squadron was the transporting of an H bomb to Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
for the forthcoming tests. This necessitated him landing in the USA to re-fuel without being able to divulge the nature of his payload. Promotion to Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
brought command of the Victor base at Wittering. A staff post at HQ 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...
and attendance at the Imperial Defence College was followed by two Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) posts. The first at HQ No 1 Group and the second as the last person to hold the post at Bomber Command before it was amalgamated with RAF 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...
to form RAF Strike Command
RAF Strike Command
The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007: it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations - No. 1...
.
In 1967 he became the first RAF officer to hold the post of Defence Services Secretary
Defence Services Secretary
The Defence Services Secretary is a senior member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Reporting to the Private Secretary's Office, he is responsible for liaison between the Sovereign and the British Armed Forces...
, which involved liaising between the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
and Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
. As such, he was heavily involved with the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
’s investiture
Investiture
Investiture, from the Latin is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent...
at Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
in 1969. Retiring in 1970, he spent a brief period working as a planning inspector with the Department of the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
but soon became despondent with the Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
and left to concentrate on his other two great passions, sailing and conservation.
KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
– 13 June 1970, 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...
– 1 January 1968, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
– 23 March 1945, 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...
– 26 March 1943, VM (SC) – 21 January 1944, BSM – 25 May 1951, AM (US) – 25 May 1951