John Grandy

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Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Grandy GCB GCVO KBE DSO KStJ (born February 8, 1913 in Northwood , London , † January 2, 2004 in Slough , Berkshire ) was an officer in the Royal Air Force . He was the only officer who fought as a squadron commander during the Battle of Britain and then reached the post of Chief of the Air Staff . In the latter role he coordinated the final steps in the RAF's withdrawal from the Persian Gulfand the Far East . He supervised the successive replacement of the attack aircraft F-111 , after which the role of nuclear deterrent was taken over by the Royal Navy .

Career

Born to Francis and Nell Grandy, John Grandy was educated at University College School in London. On September 11, 1931, he was accepted as a pilot on trial in the Royal Air Force. After completing his flight training, Grandy was appointed pilot of the No. 54 Squadron where he flew Bulldogs from RAF Hornchurch . He was raised to the rank of Pilot Officer on September 11, 1932 .

In April 1935 he became adjutant to No. 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron at RAF Hendon and began the instructor course at the Central Flying School in January 1936 . In June 1936 he was appointed flight lieutenant . In January 1937 he was assigned to the University of London Air Squadron as an adjutant.

Grandy initially served as an instructor for new flight squadrons at an RAF flight school during World War II . During the Battle of Britain, he commanded with Hurricanes equipped No. 249 Squadron. As the commander of RAF Duxford , he was responsible for the formation of the RAF's first Typhoon group. In 1943 he was given command of No. 240 Group RAF transferred to take over the defense of Tripoli . Towards the end of the war he commanded the No. 341 Wing in the war against Japan.

After the war, Grandy was appointed deputy director of operational training in the Air Ministry and Air Attaché in Brussels in January 1949 in 1946. On January 1, 1950, he was appointed Group Captain . In December 1954, he was appointed Air Commodore Commander of the Central Fighter Establishment . After attending Imperial Defense College , he became Commander in Chief of Operation Grapple , a series of hydrogen bomb tests in the Pacific. In 1958 he became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) .

At the beginning of 1961 Grandy took over command of the RAF Germany and also the 2nd Tactical Air Fleet 2TAF ( RAF Second Tactical Air Force ) with the rank of Air Marshal . In 1963 he became Commander in Chief of the RAF Bomber Command . On April 1, 1965, Grandy was finally named Air Chief Marshal . As such, he was Commander-in-Chief of the Far East Command from 1965 to 1967 and then Chief of the Air Staff until 1971. When he left active service, he was appointed Marshal of the Royal Air Force. Grandy was Governor of Gibraltar from October 1973 to November 1978 . He was then Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle until 1988 . In 2004 he died of a stroke.

literature

  • Henry Probert: High Commanders of the Royal Air Force . HMSO, 1991, ISBN 0-11-772635-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Sir John Grandy . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ a b c d Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Grandy . Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organization. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  3. ↑ http://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33755/page/6108
  4. ↑ http://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34294/page/3840
  5. ^ Probert, p. 66
  6. ↑ http://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/38795/supplements/6167  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.thegazette.co.uk  
  7. ↑ http://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/43618/supplements/3447  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.thegazette.co.uk  
  8. ↑ http://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/46117/page/12971
predecessor Office successor
Charles Elworthy Chief of the Air Staff
1967-1971 		Denis Spotswood
Varyl Begg Governor of Gibraltar
1973–1978 		William Jackson
personal data
SURNAME Grandy, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Air Force officer in the United Kingdom
DATE OF BIRTH February 8, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Northwood , London
DATE OF DEATH January 2, 2004
Place of death Slough , Berkshire