Christopher Hartley

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Christopher Harold Hartley KCB CBE DFC AFC (born January 31, 1913 in Oxford ; † July 29, 1998 ibid) was a British Air Force officer in the Royal Air Force , who last served in the rank of Lieutenant General ( Air Marshal ) between 1963 and 1966 as Deputy Chief of the air Staff ( Deputy Chief of the air Staff ) and 1967-1970 controller of Aircraft in the air Ministry, or was last in technology Ministry.

Life

Aviation training and World War II

Hartley was the son of Brigadier General Harold Hartley , the lecturer of physical chemistry at Balliol College of the University of Oxford was, and a grandson of the historian Arthur Lionel Smith , the 1916-1924 head ( master was) of Balliol College. After attending the renowned Eton College, Christopher Hartley himself began studying zoology at Balliol College and took part in zoological expeditions to Sarawak in 1932 and Spitzbergen in 1933 as a student . In 1934 he joined the Oxford University Air Squadron , the university's flight squadron . He then continued his studies at King's College of the University of Cambridge and graduated this with distinction. After another zoological research expedition to Greenland in 1937, he became an assistant professor of science at Eton College.

On August 23, 1938 Hartley was accepted with the rank of lieutenant (pilot officer) in the volunteer air force reserve RAFVR ( Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve ). In the following years he completed training flights at No. 5 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF , No. 6 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF and No. 7 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF and was ultimately an instructor himself at No. 2 Flying Training School RAF on the military airfield RAF Brize Norton . After the outbreak of the Second World War , he became a pilot in September 1939 in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAAF) No. 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron RAF . After his promotion to Lieutenant ( Flying Officer ) on 23 February 1940 and to Captain ( Flight Lieutenant ) on 17 March 1941, he became a pilot and flight training with Commander of fighter aircraft of type Boulton Paul Defiant equipped No. 256 Squadron RAF at the RAF Squires Gate Air Force Base . This was followed by a use as a pilot in an interceptor unit (FIU Fighter Interception Unit ) and after 1943 as a flight instructor, fighter control officer and finally as commander of the flying unit at Ford of Britain . During this time he was involved in operational deployments, which are managed by the RAF, a dive bomber of the type Junkers Ju 88 to get into the possession. For this he was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) on January 1, 1944 . In addition, he was mentioned in the war report on June 8, 1944 for his services there ( Mentioned in dispatches ). After a brief employment in the staff of the Central Fighter Establishment (CFE ), founded on October 1, 1944, he became Assistant Head of Technical Affairs of the Intelligence Department in the Air Force Staff on November 1, 1944. In this use he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on January 26, 1945 .

Staff officer in the post-war period

After the end of the Second World War, Hartley initially continued to work in the air force staff and was accepted into the RAF as a professional soldier ( Permanent Commission ) in September 1945 . On January 1, 1946, he was mentioned again in the war report and three months later on April 2, 1946 promoted to Major ( Squadron Leader ), this promotion being dated back to January 1, 1945. After attending the 17th course for staff officers at RAF Staff College Bracknell , he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel ( Wing Commander ) July 1, 1947 , this promotion also being dated back to October 1, 1946. After a subsequent employment in the intelligence department of the Air Ministry , he returned between 1949 and 1950 to the RAF Staff College Bracknell, where he was an officer in the command staff. During this time he was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on June 9, 1949 .

Hartley then took over his first command post in 1951, as the commanding officer of the RAF Wahn air base, which was part of the 2nd Tactical Air Fleet 2TAF ( RAF Second Tactical Air Force ) . After his promotion to Colonel ( Group Captain ) on 1 July 1952, he was deputy head of the surgery department of missiles at the home of Air Force Command ( RAF Home Command belonging) No. 61 Group RAF . After attending a NATO staff officer course for special weapons, he was in command of the Eastern Sector of the RAF Home Command. On January 1, 1957, he became Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

After Hartley was promoted to Air Commodore on July 1, 1958 , he assumed the role of Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of No. 12 (Fighter) Group RAF and was thus chief of staff of this unit.

Ascent to the Air Marshal

On July 20, 1959 Hartley eventually took over as successor to Air Vice Marshal John Embling even the post of Commander ( Air Officer Commanding ) of the No. 12 (Fighter) Group RAF . He received there on July 1, 1960 his promotion to major general ( Air Vice Marshal ) and remained in this post until his formal replacement by Air Vice Marshal Robert Bateson on June 1, 1961. He himself had been an assistant since January 1, 1961 chief of air Staff for operational requirements ( Assistant chief of the air Staff (operational requirements) ). On June 10, 1961, he became Companion of the Order of the Bath .

Hartley then succeeded Air Marshal Ronald Lees as Deputy Chiefs of the Air Staff on June 5, 1963 . On June 8, 1963, he was beaten Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) and has since had the addition of "Sir". After the victory of the Labor Party in the general election on October 15, 1964 , the new government signaled under Prime Minister Harold Wilson 's intention that future plans for the single beam vertical takeoff fighter plane Hawker Siddeley P.1154 , the transport plane Armstrong Whitworth AW.681 and reconnaissance aircraft BAC Abandon TSR.2 . He then led a group that was supposed to test alternative types of aircraft in the United States and then report to Secretary of Defense Denis Healey . Based on the report, the two-engine McDonnell F-4 fighter aircraft and the Lockheed C-130 transport aircraft were ultimately purchased . During this time he was promoted to Lieutenant General ( Air Marshal ) on July 1, 1965 and remained in this position until he was replaced by Air Vice Marshal Reginald Emson on April 1, 1966.

He then succeeded aerospace engineer Morien Morgan as Controller of Aircraft (CA) in the Ministry of Aviation in 1966 or, after its dissolution on February 15, 1967, in the Ministry of Technology . In this position he was responsible for supplying the RAF with airworthy aircraft, whereupon the RAF in turn issued an RTS ( Release to Service ) certificate that the aircraft in question was operational. He was also involved in civil aviation projects such as the extensive international program for the Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde 101/102 . On September 1, 1970, Hartley was replaced as Controller of Aircraft by Air Chief Marshal Peter Fletcher and retired just under a month later on September 29, 1970.

Shortly after his retirement, Hartley became a board member of the aircraft manufacturer Westland Aircraft in 1971 and was a member of it until 1983. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and then Deputy Chairman of the Board of the British Hovercraft Corporation between 1974 and 1978 . During this time, some important decisions were made about the V-bomber units of the RAF, which contributed to the fact that he denied the Ministry of Aviation the competence to carry out larger projects.

Hartley was married twice. His first marriage to Anne Sitwell in 1937 was dissolved in 1943. His second marriage to Margaret Watson in 1944, who died in 1989, had two sons.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ London Gazette . No. 34547, HMSO, London, September 2, 1938, p. 5610 ( PDF , accessed February 16, 2016, English).
  2. ↑ London Gazette . No. 34881, HMSO, London, June 25, 1940, p. 3869 ( PDF , accessed February 16, 2016, English).
  3. ↑ London Gazette . No. 35165, HMSO, London, May 16, 1941, p. 2816 ( PDF , accessed February 16, 2016, English).
  4. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 36309, HMSO, London, January 1, 1944, p. 44 ( PDF , accessed February 16, 2016, English).
  5. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 36910, HMSO, London, January 26, 1945, p. 580 ( PDF , accessed February 16, 2016, English).
  6. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 37518, HMSO, London, April 2, 1946, p. 1625 ( PDF , accessed February 16, 2016, English).
  7. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 40960, HMSO, London, January 1, 1957, p. 9 ( PDF , accessed February 16, 2016, English).
  8. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 42370, HMSO, London, June 10, 1961, p. 4145 ( PDF , accessed February 16, 2016, English).
personal data
SURNAME Hartley, Christopher
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hartley, Christopher Harold (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Air Force officer in the United Kingdom
DATE OF BIRTH January 31, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Oxford
DATE OF DEATH July 29, 1998
Place of death Oxford