Martin Widdowson
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore
Martin Keith Widdowson (born 10 May 1946) was a British Royal Air Force
pilot
, a senior Royal Air Force
officer in the 1980s and 1990s and the 23rd and last Commandant Royal Observer Corps
.
on 25 March 1964, as an Acting Pilot Officer
. A year later, on 25 March 1965, he was regraded as a Pilot Officer
. A year after that, on 25 March 1966, he was promoted to Flying Officer
, and he was appointed to a permanent commission on 1 October 1968. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant
on 25 September 1969. On 1 January 1974, he was promoted to Squadron Leader
. He was promoted to Wing Commander
on 1 July 1981.
His final operational flying appointment was as the Officer Commanding
No. 23 Squadron
in 1982 and by the late 1980s, he was Station Commander of RAF Coningsby
. He was promoted from Wing Commander to Group Captain
on 1 January 1988. On 1 July 1992, he was promoted to Air Commodore
and in 1995 he was appointed as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of No. 11/18 Group RAF
, simultaneously holding the appointment of 23rd and last Commandant Royal Observer Corps
until the ROC was disbanded. He retired from the RAF on 14 September 1996.
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Martin Keith Widdowson (born 10 May 1946) was a British 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...
pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, 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 in the 1980s and 1990s and the 23rd and last Commandant Royal Observer Corps
Commandant Royal Observer Corps
The Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps was the Royal Air Force commander of the Royal Observer Corps. All the holders of the post were RAF officers in the rank of Air Commodore, initially retired reserve officers then Auxiliary officers and, since the end of World War II, serving officers...
.
Military career
Widdowson was commissioned into the Royal Air ForceRoyal 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...
on 25 March 1964, as an Acting Pilot Officer
Acting Pilot Officer
Acting Pilot Officer is the lowest commissioned grade in the Royal Air Force, being immediately junior to Pilot Officer. Unlike other RAF ranks which officers may hold in an acting capacity, Acting Pilot Officer is maintained as a separate grade. It normally denotes an officer who has recently...
. A year later, on 25 March 1965, he was regraded as a Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
. A year after that, on 25 March 1966, he was promoted to Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
, and he was appointed to a permanent commission on 1 October 1968. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
on 25 September 1969. On 1 January 1974, he was promoted to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
. He was promoted to Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
on 1 July 1981.
His final operational flying appointment was as the Officer Commanding
Officer Commanding
The Officer Commanding is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit , principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, the term Commanding Officer is applied to commanders of minor as well as major units.Normally an Officer Commanding is a company, squadron or battery...
No. 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:...
in 1982 and by the late 1980s, he was Station Commander of RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Martin Sampson since 10 December 2010.-Operational units:...
. He was promoted from Wing Commander 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...
on 1 January 1988. On 1 July 1992, he was promoted to Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
and in 1995 he was appointed as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of No. 11/18 Group RAF
No. 11/18 Group RAF
No. 11/18 Group was a short-lived formation of Strike Command in the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1996 as part of the post-Cold War reorganisation of the RAF. It absorbed the forces of No. 11 and No. 18 Groups, which were descended from the old Fighter Command and Coastal Command functional...
, simultaneously holding the appointment of 23rd and last Commandant Royal Observer Corps
Commandant Royal Observer Corps
The Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps was the Royal Air Force commander of the Royal Observer Corps. All the holders of the post were RAF officers in the rank of Air Commodore, initially retired reserve officers then Auxiliary officers and, since the end of World War II, serving officers...
until the ROC was disbanded. He retired from the RAF on 14 September 1996.