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{{Short description|Royal Air Force Air Marshal (1916-1995)}}
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{{Infobox Military Person
{{for|the Scottish football player of the 1970s and 1980s|John Lapsley (footballer)}}
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|name= John Hugh Lapsley
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
|lived= 24 September 1916 - 21 November 1995
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
|placeofbirth=[[India]]
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{{Infobox military person
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|placeofdeath=[[Deben Registration District|Deben]], [[Suffolk]], [[England]]
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|name= Sir John Hugh Lapsley
|image=
|image=
|image_size=
|alt=
|caption=
|caption=
|nickname=
|nickname=
|birth_date= {{birth date|1916|09|24|df=yes}}
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|allegiance=United Kingdom
|birth_place= India
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|serviceyears= 1932–1973
|death_date= {{death date and age|1995|09|21|1916|09|24|df=yes}}
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|rank= [[Air Marshal]]
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|death_place= [[Deben Registration District|Deben]], [[Suffolk]], England
|placeofburial=
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|allegiance= United Kingdom
|branch= [[Royal Air Force]]
|branch= [[Royal Air Force]]
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|serviceyears= 1932–1973
|commands=[[No. 274 Squadron RAF]]<br>[[No. 125 Wing RAF]]<br>[[No. 74 Squadron RAF]]<br>[[RAF Wahn]]<br>[[Coastal Command]]
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|rank= [[Air Marshal]]
|unit=
|unit=
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|battles= [[World War II]]
|commands= [[RAF Coastal Command|Coastal Command]] (1968–69)<br/>[[No. 19 Group RAF|No. 19 (Reconnaissance) Group]] (1967–68)<br/>[[RAF Wahn]] (1954–56)<br/>[[Air Fighting Development Squadron]] (1949–51)<br/>[[No. 74 Squadron RAF|No. 74 Squadron]] (1947–49)<br/>[[No. 125 Wing RAF|No. 125 Wing]] (1943–44)<br/>[[No. 274 Squadron RAF|No. 274 Squadron]] (1941)
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|awards= [[Order of the British Empire|Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]<br>[[Order of the Bath|Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br>[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]<br>[[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]]
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|battles= [[Second World War]]
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|awards= [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]<br/>[[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]] (2)
|relations=
|laterwork= [[Save the Children Fund]]
|laterwork= [[Save the Children Fund]]
}}
}}
[[Air Marshal]] '''Sir John Hugh Lapsley''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KBE|CB|DFC|AFC}} (24 September 1916 – 21 November 1995)<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KqJ2BQAAQBAJ&dq=john+lapsley+1995&pg=PR66|title=Aces High, Volume 2: A Further Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Air Forces in WWII, Volume 2|chapter=LAPSLEY. John Hugh|author=Christopher Shores
[[Air Marshal]] '''Sir John Hugh Lapsley''' [[Order of the British Empire|KBE]], [[Order of the Bath|CB]], [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|DFC]], [[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|AFC]], [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] (24 September 1916 &ndash; 21 November 1995) was a [[World War II]] fighter pilot and, later, a senior [[Royal Air Force]] commander.
|publisher=Grub Street Publishing|year=2008|isbn=9781909808430}}</ref> was a British fighter pilot of the [[Second World War]] and, later, a senior [[Royal Air Force]] commander.

==RAF career==
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Lapsely joined the Royal Air Force as an Aircraft Apprentice in 1935 later being awarded a cadetship at the [[RAF College Cranwell]].<ref name=air>[http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Lapsley.htm Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshall Lapsley]</ref> In 1937 he was appointed to a permanent commission and a posting to [[No. 32 Squadron RAF|No. 32 Squadron]].<ref name=air/> By February 1941 he was in command of [[No. 274 Squadron RAF|No. 274 Squadron]] in [[Malta]], originally with [[Gloster Gladiator]] biplane fighters which were soon replaced by the [[Hawker Hurricane]].<ref name=air/> He was shot down near Tobruk on 19 April 1941 and was repatriated back to England to recover.<ref name=air/> At first he was only fit for instructional duties but by 1943 he was in command of [[No. 125 Wing RAF|No. 125 Wing]] with the [[Hawker Typhoon]] fighter bomber.<ref name=air/>


After the war he attended the [[RAF Staff College, Bracknell]] and then became Officer Commanding [[No. 74 Squadron RAF|No. 74 Squadron]] before taking command of the Air Fighting Development Squadron in 1949 and then taking over responsibility for Flying at the Central Flying Establishment in 1951.<ref name=air/> He went on to be Station Commander at [[RAF Wahn]] in 1954, Deputy Chief of Staff at Headquarters [[Second Tactical Air Force]] in 1961 and Director of the Defence Operations Staff on formation of the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] in 1964.<ref name=air/> He became Air Officer Commanding [[No. 19 Group RAF|No. 19 (Reconnaissance) Group]] in 1967 and Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, [[RAF Coastal Command|Coastal Command]] in 1968. Whilst serving as Commander-in Chief won Coastal Commands Scratch Golf Championship in 1969.<ref name=air/> In that capacity he accepted the first [[Hawker Siddeley Nimrod|Nimrod]] aircraft into service in October 1969.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%202966.html Four-jet Sub-Hunter Handover] Flight International, 9 October 1969</ref> His last appointment was as Head of the [[British Defence Staff – US|British Defence Staff]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] in 1970 before retiring in 1973.<ref name=air/> Whilst serving as Commander-in Chief he won Coastal Command's Scratch Golf Championship in 1969.
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Lapsely joined the Royal Air Force as an Aircraft Apprentice in 1935 later being awarded a cadetship at the [[RAF College Cranwell]]. In 1937 he was appointed to a permanent commission and a posting to [[No. 32 Squadron RAF|32 Squadron]]. By February 1941 he was in command of [[No. 274 Squadron RAF|274 Squadron]] in [[Malta]], originally with [[Gloster Gladiator]] biplane fighters which were soon replaced by the [[Hawker Hurricane]]. He was shot down near Tobruk on 19 April 1941 and was repatriated back to England to recover.


In retirement he became Director General of the [[Save the Children Fund]].<ref>[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=2161-directorgeneral&cid=0#0 National Archives]</ref>
At first he was only fit for instructional duties but by 1943 he was in command of [[No. 125 Wing RAF|125 Wing]] with the [[Hawker Typhoon]] fighter bomber. In 1968 he took up the post of Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, [[RAF Coastal Command|Coastal Command]].


He is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's at [[Benhall]] in Suffolk.
When he retired from the air force in 1973 he became Director General of the [[Save the Children Fund]].
[[File:The grave of John Lapsley in the churchyard of St Mary's, Benhall.jpg|thumb|The grave of John Lapsley in the churchyard of St Mary's, Benhall]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
*[http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Lapsley.htm Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Marshall Lapsley]


{{start box}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box|
{{succession box|
title=Commander-in-Chief [[RAF Coastal Command|Coastal Command]]|
title=[[RAF Coastal Command|Air Officer C-in-C Coastal Command]]|
before=[[Paul Holder|Sir Paul Holder]]|
before=[[Paul Holder|Sir Paul Holder]]|
after=None|
after=None|
years=1968&ndash;1968}}
years=1968–1969}}
|-
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{{end box}}
{{s-bef | before = [[George Lea|Sir George Lea]]}}
{{s-ttl | title = {{nowrap|[[British Defence Staff – US|Head of the British Defence Staff]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]}}| years =1970–1973}}
{{s-aft | after =[[Ian Easton (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Ian Easton]]}}
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{{s-end}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapsley, John}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapsley, John}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force air marshals]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force air marshals]]
[[Category:RAF College Cranwell graduates]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British World War II pilots]]
[[Category:Trenchard Brats]]
[[Category:British air attachés]]
[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]

Latest revision as of 07:23, 14 April 2024

For the Scottish football player of the 1970s and 1980s, see John Lapsley (footballer).

Sir John Hugh Lapsley
Born(1916-09-24)24 September 1916
India
Died21 September 1995(1995-09-21) (aged 78)
Deben, Suffolk, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1932–1973
RankAir Marshal
Commands heldCoastal Command (1968–69)
No. 19 (Reconnaissance) Group (1967–68)
RAF Wahn (1954–56)
Air Fighting Development Squadron (1949–51)
No. 74 Squadron (1947–49)
No. 125 Wing (1943–44)
No. 274 Squadron (1941)
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Force Cross
Mentioned in Despatches (2)
Other workSave the Children Fund

Air Marshal Sir John Hugh Lapsley, KBE, CB, DFC, AFC (24 September 1916 – 21 November 1995)[1] was a British fighter pilot of the Second World War and, later, a senior Royal Air Force commander.

RAF career[edit]

Lapsely joined the Royal Air Force as an Aircraft Apprentice in 1935 later being awarded a cadetship at the RAF College Cranwell.[2] In 1937 he was appointed to a permanent commission and a posting to No. 32 Squadron.[2] By February 1941 he was in command of No. 274 Squadron in Malta, originally with Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters which were soon replaced by the Hawker Hurricane.[2] He was shot down near Tobruk on 19 April 1941 and was repatriated back to England to recover.[2] At first he was only fit for instructional duties but by 1943 he was in command of No. 125 Wing with the Hawker Typhoon fighter bomber.[2]

After the war he attended the RAF Staff College, Bracknell and then became Officer Commanding No. 74 Squadron before taking command of the Air Fighting Development Squadron in 1949 and then taking over responsibility for Flying at the Central Flying Establishment in 1951.[2] He went on to be Station Commander at RAF Wahn in 1954, Deputy Chief of Staff at Headquarters Second Tactical Air Force in 1961 and Director of the Defence Operations Staff on formation of the Ministry of Defence in 1964.[2] He became Air Officer Commanding No. 19 (Reconnaissance) Group in 1967 and Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, Coastal Command in 1968. Whilst serving as Commander-in Chief won Coastal Commands Scratch Golf Championship in 1969.[2] In that capacity he accepted the first Nimrod aircraft into service in October 1969.[3] His last appointment was as Head of the British Defence Staff in Washington, D.C. in 1970 before retiring in 1973.[2] Whilst serving as Commander-in Chief he won Coastal Command's Scratch Golf Championship in 1969.

In retirement he became Director General of the Save the Children Fund.[4]

He is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's at Benhall in Suffolk.

The grave of John Lapsley in the churchyard of St Mary's, Benhall

References[edit]

  1. ^ Christopher Shores (2008). "LAPSLEY. John Hugh". Aces High, Volume 2: A Further Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Air Forces in WWII, Volume 2. Grub Street Publishing. ISBN 9781909808430.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshall Lapsley
  3. ^ Four-jet Sub-Hunter Handover Flight International, 9 October 1969
  4. ^ National Archives
Military offices
Preceded by Air Officer C-in-C Coastal Command
1968–1969 		Succeeded by
None
Preceded by Head of the British Defence Staff in Washington, D.C.
1970–1973 		Succeeded by
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