Nigel Maynard

Sir Nigel Martin Maynard KCB CBE DFC AFC (born August 28, 1921 at the RAF Cranwell airfield ; † June 18, 1998 ) was a British Air Force officer in the Royal Air Force , who last served in the rank of General ( Air Chief Marshal ) from 1976 to 1977 Commanding general of the RAF Strike Command was. When he was promoted to Air Chief Marshal on May 8, 1976, it was the first time in the history of the RAF that a father and son had been promoted to this high rank. His father FH Maynard was awarded this rank during the Second World War on July 1, 1941.

Life

Pilot training and World War II

At the beginning of World War II was Maynard pilot of flying boats of the type Short Sunderland in the No. 210 Squadron

Maynard was the first child to be born and baptized in one of the hangars at RAF Cranwell Air Base , and the son of Captain Forster Maynard, who served as Commanding General of the Coastal Command ( RAF Coastal Command ) on July 1, 1941 during World War II promoted to Air Chief Marshal.

After attending Aldenham School in Eltsree , Nigel Maynard began his aviation training in 1940 as a flight cadet at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell , the officers' school of the RAF. Due to the beginning of the Second World War, the training was greatly shortened, so that on June 21, 1940 he was accepted as a professional soldier ( Permanent Commission ) in the RAF and promoted to Lieutenant ( Pilot Officer ). He then became a pilot of flying boats of the type Short Sunderland at No. 210 Squadron RAF at the RAF Oban military base. After the transfer of his unit, he took part in combat missions in the Mediterranean , West Africa and the Middle East during the war.

On July 21, 1941, Maynard was promoted to first lieutenant ( Flying Officer ) and in the further course of the war he moved as a pilot from Short Sunderlands to No. 228 Squadron RAF . There he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on July 28, 1942 . In 1944 he became aide-de-camp for the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Most recently, towards the end of the war in 1945, he was a pilot in units of the RAF Transport Command .

Staff officer in the post-war period

After the war, Maynard was promoted to captain ( Flight Lieutenant ) on May 21, 1946 , with this promotion being dated back to January 21, 1944. This was followed by a job as a flight instructor, for which he was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) on January 1, 1947 . Eight months later, on August 1, 1947, he was promoted to Major ( Squadron Leader ). As such, he took over his first command in February 1949, as a commanding officer of No. 242 Squadron RAF . With this unit he flew supply missions for the Berlin population during the Berlin Airlift .

He then became an Air Ministry officer in April 1950 and was after his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel ( Wing Commander ) on January 1, 1952 a graduate of RAF Staff College Bracknell . After graduation, he was on January 12, 1953 staff officer at the Inspector-General of the RAF , Air Marshal Stephen Strafford . He was then transferred to the staff of the bomber command ( RAF Bomber Command ) in 1954 and in 1957 as a graduate of the Joint Services Staff College (JSSC). On December 30, 1957, he became senior staff officer SASO ( Senior Air Staff Officer ) of No. 25 Group RAF and as such promoted to Colonel ( Group Captain ) on January 1, 1959 .

On February 26, 1960 Maynard became the commander of the RAF Changi Air Force Base in Singapore and also acted as aide-de-camp for Queen Elizabeth II between January 1, 1961 and February 16, 1965. On January 1, 1963, he became Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). After his return from Singapore he was on December 19, 1962 head of the operational group at the headquarters of the transport command and on December 1, 1964 head of the Defense Planning Department of the Air Force in the Air Force Staff.

In this function, Maynard was promoted to Air Commodore on January 1, 1965 . In 1966 he took over the function of head of the defense planning department and was also chairman of the defense planning staff . In 1967 he was also a graduate of Imperial Defense College in London .

Promotion to Air Chief Marshal

As the successor to Air Vice Marshal Deryck Stapleton Maynard was appointed Commandant of RAF Staff College Bracknell on April 22, 1968 and promoted as such on July 1, 1968 to Major General ( Air Vice Marshal ). Air Commodore Michael Beetham succeeded him in this post on September 27, 1970 .

He himself then became Chief of Staff of the Air Forces in the Middle East ( RAF Far East Air Force ) on October 1, 1970 and on November 7, 1970, succeeded Air Vice Marshal Neil Wheeler as Commander-in-Chief ( Air Officer Commanding in Chief ) of the RAF Far East Air Force. He was the last commander in chief of this Air Force Command and remained there until October 31, 1971. On January 1, 1971, he was also Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).

Then Maynard was on January 8, 1972 first Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander in Chief of the attack command ( RAF Strike Command ) and was promoted in this use on July 1, 1972 to Lieutenant General ( Air Marshal ). On January 1, 1973 he was beaten Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB), so that he has since led the name suffix "Sir". He was replaced in March 1973 by Air Marshal Peter Horsley . He then succeeded Air Marshal Harold Brownlow Martin on April 3, 1973 as Commander in Chief of the British Air Force in Germany ( RAF Germany ) . At the same time he was in command of the 2nd Tactical Air Fleet 2TAF ( RAF Second Tactical Air Force ). He held these positions until he was replaced by Air Marshal Michael Beetham on January 19, 1976.

Maynard was promoted to General ( Air Chief Marshal ) on May 8, 1976 . For the first time in the history of the RAF, a father and son were promoted to this high rank. Two weeks later he was finally on May 21, 1976 as the successor to Air Chief Marshal Denis Smallwood Commanding General ( Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief ) of the Air Force Strike Command ( RAF Strike Command ). In this post he was replaced in May 1977 by Air Chief Marshal David Evans and then retired on May 21, 1977 from active military service.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ London Gazette . No. 34915, HMSO, London, 6 August 1940, p. 4811 ( PDF , accessed on 14 February 2016, English).
↑ London Gazette . No. 35646, HMSO, London, July 28, 1942, p. 3304 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).
^ London Gazette (Supplement). No. 37835, HMSO, London, January 1, 1947, p. 28 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).
^ London Gazette (Supplement). No. 42870, HMSO, London, January 1, 1963, p. 9 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).
^ London Gazette (Supplement). No. 45262, HMSO, London, January 1, 1971, p. 3 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).
^ London Gazette (Supplement). No. 45860, HMSO, London, January 1, 1973, p. 3 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).

personal data
SURNAME	Maynard, Nigel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Maynard, Nigel Martin (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British Air Force officer in the United Kingdom
DATE OF BIRTH	August 28, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH	RAF Cranwell military airfield
DATE OF DEATH	June 18, 1998

[1] London Gazette . No. 34915, HMSO, London, 6 August 1940, p. 4811 ( PDF , accessed on 14 February 2016, English).

[2] London Gazette . No. 35646, HMSO, London, July 28, 1942, p. 3304 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).

[3] London Gazette (Supplement). No. 37835, HMSO, London, January 1, 1947, p. 28 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).

[4] London Gazette (Supplement). No. 42870, HMSO, London, January 1, 1963, p. 9 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).

[5] London Gazette (Supplement). No. 45262, HMSO, London, January 1, 1971, p. 3 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).

[6] London Gazette (Supplement). No. 45860, HMSO, London, January 1, 1973, p. 3 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).