Peter Fletcher

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Sir Peter Carteret Fletcher KCB OBE DFC AFC FRAeS (born October 7, 1916 in Durban - † January 2, 1999 in London ) was a British Air Force officer in the Royal Air Force , who last served in the rank of General ( Air Chief Marshal ) from 1971 to 1973 Controller aircraft in the Department of Defense .

Life

Pilot training and World War II

Fletcher began studying law at Rhodes University in Grahamstown after attending St George's College , but joined the Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) in 1939 . On March 21, 1940, he moved to the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) and was promoted to first lieutenant ( Flying Officer ) there. First he was pilot and aviation commander of No. 135 Squadron RAF in British India and was promoted to Captain ( Flight Lieutenant ) on September 21, 1941 . In March 1942 he took his first command post, as a commander on Ceylon stationed No. 258 Squadron RAF . He was responsible for the reorganization of this season, which had previously fought against Japanese associations in the Dutch East Indies . Shortly thereafter, in April 1942, there were renewed combat missions during the attack in the Indian Ocean . In the course of one of these operations was shot down by its own fire, but was able to jump off with a parachute despite being fired by Japanese fighter planes and save himself.

In July 1942, Fletcher took over the role of commander of the RAF Belvedere military airport . For his services he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on December 29, 1942 . After November 18, 1944, he attended the 13th staff course at the RAF Staff College (Overseas) in Haifa . After graduating, he became an officer on the staff of this staff college on March 24, 1945. On June 14, 1945 he was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and on September 1, 1945 he was promoted to Major ( Squadron Leader ).

Staff officer in the post-war period

Fletcher then became an officer in the command staff of the Joint Services Staff College (JSSC) in 1946, before he became an officer in the Joint Planning Staff of the Air Force after his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel ( Wing Commander ) on July 1, 1951. During this time he was previously awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) on January 1, 1951 . He was then between May 26, 1953 air force attaché at the embassy in Norway and from 1956 to 1958 officer in the management staff of the Imperial Defense College in London .

On January 1, 1958, Fletcher was promoted to Colonel ( Group Captain ) and then took over the post of commander of the RAF Abingdon Air Force Base. He then became Deputy Director of the Joint Planning Staff on November 14, 1960 and was promoted to Air Commodore on July 1, 1961 in this role. He then took over on 28 October 1961, the post of the head of the department for operational requirements in the Air Staff and dealt in this position, especially with the negotiations to supply the RAF transport aircraft type Lockheed C-130 Hercules .

Promotion to Air Chief Marshal

Fletcher was on April 1, 1964 Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Policy ) and promoted as such three months later on July 1, 1964 to Major General ( Air Vice Marshal ). He also became Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on January 1, 1965 . He then took over a command post on March 1, 1966, as the successor to Air Vice Marshal Leslie Mavor as Commander ( Air Officer Commanding ) of No. 38 Group RAF . He remained in this post until his replacement by Air Vice Marshal Harold Brownlow Martin on August 1, 1967.

Fletcher himself was on November 6, 1967 successor to Air Marshal Brian Burnett deputy chief of the Air Force Staff ( Vice Chief of the Air Staff ) and was as such on January 1, 1969 to Lieutenant General ( Air Marshal ). On January 1, 1968, he was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath and has since had the addition of "Sir". His successor as Vice Chief of the Air Staff was replaced on August 1, 1970 by Air Marshal Denis Smallwood , who thus took over one of the first units of the newly created Air Force Support Command ( RAF Air Support Command ).

Subsequently, Fletcher was on September 1, 1970 as the successor to Air Marshal Christopher Hartley aircraft controller (aircraft controller ) in the technology department. In this position he was responsible for supplying the RAF with airworthy aircraft, whereupon they in turn issued an RTS ( Release to Service ) certificate that the respective aircraft is operational. In 1971, the office of aircraft controller was placed under the Department of Defense's procurement department and he himself was promoted to General ( Air Chief Marshal ) on May 1, 1971 . On June 1, 1973, he was replaced as Aircraft Controller by Air Chief Marshal Neil Wheeler . Almost two months later, Fletcher left active military service on July 30, 1973.

After his retirement, Fletcher became an employee of the aircraft manufacturer Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd and, after founding British Aerospace in 1977, was a board member responsible for corporate strategy and corporate planning. In this position he worked for BAe until 1983 and at the same time was a member of the supervisory board of Airbus SAS from 1979 to 1982 . He then worked as a freelance aviation consultant for various aircraft manufacturers. In 1986 he also became a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS).

His marriage to Marjorie Kotze in 1940 resulted in two daughters.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ London Gazette . No. 34937, HMSO, London, September 3, 1940, p. 5346 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).
  2. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 35837, HMSO, London, December 25, 1942, p. 5638 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).
  3. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 38020, HMSO, London, July 18, 1947, p. 3415 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).
  4. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 39104, HMSO, London, December 29, 1950, p. 31 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).
  5. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 43529, HMSO, London, December 29, 1964, p. 3 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).
  6. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 44484, HMSO, London, December 29, 1967, p. 3 ( PDF , accessed February 14, 2016, English).
personal data
SURNAME Fletcher, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fletcher, Sir Peter Carteret (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Air Force officer in the United Kingdom
DATE OF BIRTH October 7, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Durban
DATE OF DEATH January 2, 1999
Place of death London