Thomas Shirley

Sir Thomas Ulric Curzon Shirley , KBE , CB , FRAeS , FIEE ( June 4, 1908 - January 16, 1982 ) was a British officer in the Royal Air Force , who last served as Major General (Air Vice Marshal) between 1964 and 1966 as Commanding General AOC-in-C (Air Officer Commanding in Chief) of the Air Forces Telecommunications Command ( RAF Signals Command ) was.

Life

Officer training, World War II and staff officer

After attending school in 1925, Thomas Ulric Curzon Shirley began training as an aircraft mechanic in the eighth training course at the Electrical and Wireless School on the Flowerdown military base . After its completion, he began his officer training as a Flight Cadet of the B-squadron in 1928 at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell , where he was engaged as a Flight Cadet Corporal and was awarded both the Hyde Thompson Trophy and the Humanistics Trophy . After completing his officer training, he was accepted into the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a professional soldier (Permanent Commission) with the rank of Lieutenant (Pilot Officer) on July 26, 1930 and as a pilot to No. 4 Squadron RAF . He was promoted to first lieutenant (Flying Officer) on January 26, 1932 and began a telecommunications troop training course at the Electrical and Wireless School on April 23, 1934 . On July 15, 1935, he was initially a communications officer of No. 13 Squadron RAF and received there on January 26, 1936 his promotion to captain (Flight Lieutenant) , whereupon he was transferred to the military airport RAF Kai Tak on October 1, 1936 as a communications officer.

After Thomas Shirley had been promoted to Major (Squadron Leader) on October 1, 1938 , he first took over the post of communications officer at the headquarters of the Air Forces in the Far East (RAF Far East) on June 11, 1938, and was subsequently on November 28, 1938 Relocated to the RAF Seletar air base . Thereupon he changed on March 6, 1940 from telecommunications officer to the headquarters of the air forces in the Middle East (RAF Middle East) and on April 24, 1940 to the technical service of the RAF. From December 1, 1940, he was a staff officer in the telecommunications department of the Air Force Staff during World War II . After 1941 graduated from the RAF Staff College Bulstrode Park, he became commander in 1941 ( Commanding Officer ) of Fernmeldgeschwaders and 1945 deputy head of the telecommunications department of the Air Staff. For his services in World War II, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) on January 1, 1946 and was also mentioned in the war report ( Mentioned in dispatches ) .

Post-war period and promotion to Air Vice Marshal

Shirley, who was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (Wing Commander) on October 1, 1946 , was appointed Chief Communications Officer of the Air Force Transport Command ( RAF Transport Command ) on June 23, 1947 , where he received his next promotion to Colonel (Group Captain) . In 1948 he attended the Combined Staff College (CSC) and after its completion on September 18, 1950, he became aide-de-camp of King George VI. and on November 6, 1950, head of the high-frequency technology department in the Air Force Staff. From February 6, 1952 to February 1, 1953, he was also the aide-de-camp of Queen Elizabeth II and was promoted to Brigadier General ( Air Commodore ) on January 1, 1953 .

After Thomas Shirley attended Imperial Defense College (IDC) in 1956, he became Air Officer Commanding of the RAF Technical College at RAF Henlow on January 1, 1957 and Chief Technology Officer STSO on March 1, 1959 ( Senior Technical Staff Officer) at the headquarters of the Air Force Combat Command ( RAF Fighter Command ) . There he was promoted to Major General ( Air Vice Marshal ) on January 1, 1960 and to Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on June 10, 1960 .

Most recently, Shirley, who was also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS) and the Institution of Electrical Engineers (FIEE), succeeded Air Vice Marshal Walter Pretty on February 1, 1964, Commanding General AOC-in-C (Air Officer Commanding in Chief ) of the Air Force Telecommunications Command ( RAF Signals Command ) . On January 1, 1966, he was made Knight Commander of the Order of British Empire (KBE) and has since had the addition of "Sir". On May 7, 1966 he had to hand over his post as commander of the RAF Signals Command prematurely for health reasons to Air Vice Marshal Benjamin Ball . Three months later, on August 9, 1966, he finally resigned from active military service and retired.

Web link

• Air Vice-Marshal Sir Thomas Shirley (rafweb.org)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ RAF Signals Command (rafweb.org)
2. ↑ KNIGHTS AND DAMES (leighrayment.com)