Ralph Cochrane
Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane GBE , KCB , AFC (born February 24, 1895 in Springfield , Scotland , † December 17, 1977 ) was a British officer in the Royal Air Force , most recently Air Chief Marshal .
Life
Cochrane was born to Thomas Cochrane, 1st Baron Cochrane of Cults born and at the Royal Naval College at Osborne and Dartmouth for a career in the Royal Navy trained. In World War I he served as an airship pilot and in 1919 received the permanent rank of Flight Lieutenant in the RAF. In the interwar period he held a number of staff positions and served as the commander of several squadrons. In 1925 he attended the RAF Staff College, in 1934 the School of Army Co-operation and in 1935 the Imperial Defense College. In 1937 he became first chief of staff in the newly formed Royal New Zealand Air Force in the rank of Group Captain .
During the Second World War , Cochrane was initially an aide-de-camp of King George VI. active. In July 1940, as a temporary Air Commodore, he was given command of the No. 7 Group of Bomber Command and became head of flight training in October of the same year. In September 1942 he received command of No. 3 (Bomber) Group and in February of the following year via No. 5 (Bomber) Group , which carried out some of its most important missions under his leadership. In February 1945, he took over as acting Air Marshal the Transport Command of the RAF.
In 1947 he became Commander in Chief of the Flying Training Command and from 1949 until his retirement he again took the post of aide-de-camp from George VI. as well as his successor Elizabeth II . His last position was that of Deputy Chief of the Air Staff under John Slessor from 1950.
After retiring in November 1952, Cochrane worked in the private sector as Managing Director of Atlantic Shipbuilding Co. (1953–1956), Rolls-Royce Ltd. (1956–1961) as well as chairman of the board of RJM Exports and of Cochranes of Oxford until his death.
Web links
- Air Chief Marshal The Hon Sir Ralph Cochrane on rafweb.org
- Bomber Command group commanders on raf.mod.uk
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cochrane, Ralph |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cochrane, Ralph Alexander (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British Air Force Officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 24, 1895 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Springfield , Scotland |
| DATE OF DEATH | 17th December 1977 |