Marshal of the Royal Air Force

Marshal of the Royal Air Force

Marshal of the Royal Air Force is the highest rank in the Royal Air Force. In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff, 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...

 Sir Keith Alec Williamson, GCB

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...

, AFC

Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)

The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...

 (born 25 February 1928), is a retired senior officer 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...

. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1982 to 1985.

RAF career

Williamson was born in Leytonstone

Leytonstone

Leytonstone is an area of east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is a high density suburban area, located seven miles north east of Charing Cross in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Essex...

 and educated at Bancroft's School

Bancroft's School

Bancroft's School is a co-educational independent school in Woodford Green, London. The school has around 1,000 pupils aged between 7 and 18...

 and Market Harborough Grammar School. Unlike most of the RAF's senior leaders, Williamson initially joined the Service as an airman. Following training as an Aircraft Apprentice he was selected for a cadetship at RAF College Cranwell and commissioned in 1950. Williamson was given command of 23 Squadron

No. 23 Squadron RAF

No. 23 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. Until October 2009, it operated the Boeing Sentry AEW1 Airborne Warning And Control System aircraft from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.-First World War:...

 and then took charge of RAF Gütersloh

RAF Gütersloh

The former Royal Air Force Station Gütersloh, more commonly known as RAF Gütersloh, was a Royal Air Force Germany military airbase, the nearest Royal Air Force airbase to the East/West German border, in the vicinity of the town of Gütersloh. It was constructed by the Germans prior to World War II...

 in 1968. In 1972 he became Director of Air Staff Plans at 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 in 1975 he was appointed Commandant of the RAF Staff College, Bracknell

RAF Staff College, Bracknell

The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air Force staff college active for most of the second half of the 20th century. Its role was the training of staff officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of air force matters...

. He went on to be Assistant Chief of Staff at SHAPE

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons...

 with responsibility for Plans and Policy in 1977 and then became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Support Command

RAF Support Command

-History:It was formed on 31 August 1973 by the renaming of Maintenance Command, with No. 90 Group being added to it. Its responsibilities included all logistical and maintenance support requirements of the RAF...

 in 1978. He was made Commander-in-Chief 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 1980 and then served as Chief of the Air Staff from 15 October 1982 to 15 October 1985.

In retirement Williamson devoted much of his time to the Presidency of the Royal Air Forces Association

Royal Air Forces Association

The Royal Air Forces Association, more often known as RAF Association, or simply RAFA, is a UK based charitable organization which provides care and support to serving and retired members of the "Royal Air Forces" and their dependents.The organisation, which was formed in 1943, receives no funding...

.

Footnote

1. Strictly speaking, Marshals of the Royal Air Force remain on the active list even when they have, for all practical purposes, retired.

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