Maurice Fox-Strangways, 9th Earl of Ilchester
Encyclopedia
Group Captain
Maurice Vivian de Touffreville Fox-Strangways, 9th Earl of Ilchester (1 April 1920-2 July 2006) served in the Royal Air Force
for 40 years, from 1936 to 1976. From 1955, he concentrated mainly as an engineer
involved with nuclear weapons. He succeeded his father as Earl of Ilchester
in 1970, and was also an active cross-bench
member of the House of Lords
until 1999.
His father was Walter Angelo Fox-Strangways, 8th Earl of Ilchester. He was born in Port Tawfiq in Egypt
while his father was serving in the Consular Service. He was educated at Kingsbridge Grammar School, and joined the Royal Air Force
as an apprentice in January 1936, aged 15. He trained at RAF Halton
and was posted to RAF Brize Norton
, where he served during the early months of the Battle of Britain
. In August 1940, he was bathing when an air raid
began. He ran naked into an air-raid shelter
, which happened to be reserved for members of the WAAF
. After this introduction, he married one of them, Diana Simpson, in November 1941.
He completed his service in the Second World War in India
and the Far East
. By his return to England in 1946, he was a Warrant Officer
. He continued his service at RAF Negombo in Ceylon and RAF Kai Tak
in Hong Kong
.
Fox-Strangeways was selected for commissioning and he attended the Royal Air Force Technical College at RAF Henlow
in 1953.
By the mid-1950s he was a Squadron Leader
and became involved with the development of nuclear weapons at the Directorate of Air Armament Engineering. He then moved to the headquarters of RAF Bomber Command
to work on the introduction of Thor intercontinental ballistic missile
s, before working at the missile testing range at Woomera
in South Australia
. He then served at the V bomber
base at RAF Finningley
.
As a Wing Commander
, he served at RAF Biggin Hill, involved in recruitment of officers and aircrew. Finally, promoted to Group Captain
, he was the assistant director of air weapons development at the Ministry of Technology, and was involved with the UK's Polaris ballistic missile programme.
He succeeded as Earl of Ilchester
on the death of his father in 1970. He retired from the RAF in 1976, having held every rank from aircraft apprentice
to Group Captain. In the House of Lords, he sat as a crossbencher from 1976, but waiting until 27 February 1980 to make his maiden speech
. He attended regularly until the hereditary peer
s were removed from the Lords in 1999. He was a member of the Select Committee on science and technology.
Outside the House of Lords, he was a director of Nottingham Building Society
from 1982 to 1989. He was active in the RAF Association at Biggin Hill
. He was president of the Society of Engineers, and later a patron. He was a Fellow of the Institute of Nuclear Engineers, and president from 1982 to 1984. He was a Freeman
of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
and became a liveryman
in 1987. He was a Freemason in the St George and Corner Stone Lodge.
He had no children, but was survived by his wife of over 64 years. On his death, the Earldom passed to his nephew, Robin Maurice Fox-Strangways, 10th Earl of Ilchester.
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...
Maurice Vivian de Touffreville Fox-Strangways, 9th Earl of Ilchester (1 April 1920-2 July 2006) served 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...
for 40 years, from 1936 to 1976. From 1955, he concentrated mainly as an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
involved with nuclear weapons. He succeeded his father as Earl of Ilchester
Earl of Ilchester
Earl of Ilchester, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1756 for Stephen Fox, 1st Baron Ilchester, who had previously represented Shaftesbury in Parliament. He had already been created Baron Ilchester, of Ilchester in the County of Somerset in 1741, and Baron Ilchester and...
in 1970, and was also an active cross-bench
Cross-bencher
A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and Australian Senate. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and opposition benches, where crossbenchers sit in the chamber; compare...
member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
until 1999.
His father was Walter Angelo Fox-Strangways, 8th Earl of Ilchester. He was born in Port Tawfiq in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
while his father was serving in the Consular Service. He was educated at Kingsbridge Grammar School, and joined 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...
as an apprentice in January 1936, aged 15. He trained at RAF Halton
RAF Halton
RAF Halton is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom, located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton.-History:...
and was posted to RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
, where he served during the early months of the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. In August 1940, he was bathing when an air raid
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
began. He ran naked into an air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
, which happened to be reserved for members of the WAAF
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
. After this introduction, he married one of them, Diana Simpson, in November 1941.
He completed his service in the Second World War in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. By his return to England in 1946, he was a Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
. He continued his service at RAF Negombo in Ceylon and RAF Kai Tak
RAF Kai Tak
RAF Kai Tak was a Royal Air Force station in Hong Kong. It was opened in 1927 and used for seaplanes. The RAF flight operated a few land based aircraft as well as having spare aircraft for naval units.-History:...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Fox-Strangeways was selected for commissioning and he attended the Royal Air Force Technical College at RAF Henlow
RAF Henlow
RAF Henlow is a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England, equidistant from Bedford, Luton and Stevenage. It houses the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine, the RAF Signals Museum and 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.- History :...
in 1953.
By the mid-1950s he was a 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...
and became involved with the development of nuclear weapons at the Directorate of Air Armament Engineering. He then moved to the headquarters of 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...
to work on the introduction of Thor intercontinental ballistic missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
s, before working at the missile testing range at Woomera
Woomera, South Australia
The town, or village, of Woomera is located in the south east corner of the Woomera Prohibited Area ; colloquially known as the Woomera Rocket Range...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. He then served at the V bomber
V bomber
The term V bomber was used for the Royal Air Force aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V-force or Bomber Command Main Force...
base at RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley is a former Royal Air Force station at Finningley, South Yorkshire, partly within the traditional county boundaries of Nottinghamshire and partly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now wholly within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster....
.
As a 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...
, he served at RAF Biggin Hill, involved in recruitment of officers and aircrew. Finally, promoted 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...
, he was the assistant director of air weapons development at the Ministry of Technology, and was involved with the UK's Polaris ballistic missile programme.
He succeeded as Earl of Ilchester
Earl of Ilchester
Earl of Ilchester, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1756 for Stephen Fox, 1st Baron Ilchester, who had previously represented Shaftesbury in Parliament. He had already been created Baron Ilchester, of Ilchester in the County of Somerset in 1741, and Baron Ilchester and...
on the death of his father in 1970. He retired from the RAF in 1976, having held every rank from aircraft apprentice
Aircraft Apprentice
The Aircraft Apprentice Scheme was a training programme for Royal Air Force ground crew personnel.-Formation:World War I saw the beginning of aerial combat. By 1 April 1918 the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service had amalgamated into the Royal Air Force...
to Group Captain. In the House of Lords, he sat as a crossbencher from 1976, but waiting until 27 February 1980 to make his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
. He attended regularly until the hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
s were removed from the Lords in 1999. He was a member of the Select Committee on science and technology.
Outside the House of Lords, he was a director of Nottingham Building Society
Nottingham Building Society
Nottingham Building Society is a building society founded in 1849 by a group led by Samuel Fox , a Quaker and prominent local grocer....
from 1982 to 1989. He was active in the RAF Association at Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill is an area and electoral ward in the outskirts of the London Borough of Bromley in southeast London, United Kingdom.-History:Historically the settlement was known as Aperfield and formed part of the parish of Cudham...
. He was president of the Society of Engineers, and later a patron. He was a Fellow of the Institute of Nuclear Engineers, and president from 1982 to 1984. He was a Freeman
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Guild was established in 1929 and was granted the status of a Livery Company in 1956...
and became a liveryman
Liveryman
For Livery Companies in the City of London, a Liveryman is a full member of their respective Company.Livery Company members fall into two basic categories: Freemen and Liverymen. One may join as a Freeman, and thereby acquire the "Freedom of the Company", upon fulfilling the Company's criteria...
in 1987. He was a Freemason in the St George and Corner Stone Lodge.
He had no children, but was survived by his wife of over 64 years. On his death, the Earldom passed to his nephew, Robin Maurice Fox-Strangways, 10th Earl of Ilchester.