Walter Pretty

Sir Walter Philip George Pretty , KBE , CB ( May 2, 1909 - January 17, 1975 ) was a British officer in the Royal Air Force , who last served as Lieutenant General ( Air Marshal ) between 1964 and 1966 as Deputy Chief of Defense Staff of the Armed Forces United Kingdom personnel and logistics (Deputy Chief of the Defense staff (personnel & logistics)) was.

Life

Officer training, World War II and staff officer

Walter Philip George Pretty began after attending Alleyn's School, founded in 1619, his officer training as a flight cadet of the B-squadron at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell , where he was part of the cricket and fencing team. After completing his training, he was accepted into the Royal Air Force (RAF) on July 26, 1930 with the rank of lieutenant (pilot officer) and became a pilot of No. 100 Squadron assigned to RAF . On October 9, 1931, he was appointed adjutant to the RAF Kai Tak military airport , where he was promoted to first lieutenant (Flying Officer) on January 26, 1932 . After his return he began on April 23, 1934 a telecommunications troops course at the Electrical and Wireless School and was promoted after its completion on July 18, 1935 telecommunications officer of an air attack sector and as such on January 26, 1936 to captain (flight lieutenant) . On April 24, 1937, he was part of an exchange program for the Royal Canadian Air Force added (RCAF), the air forces of Canada , and was there on October 1, 1938 was promoted to Major (Squadron Leader) .

After his return, Pretty was transferred to the Air Force Staff of the Air Strike Command ( RAF Fighter Command ) on May 15, 1939 , for which he worked at the RAF Biggin Hill air base as an assistant to Henry Tizard and Robert Watson-Watt with the development and military use of radio direction finding and radar technology . As such, he was a radar training officer at RAF Manston in 1939, where he trained pilots of the No. 600 RAF (City of London) Squadron in the use of radar technology for air interception missions. During the Battle of Britain in World War II , in 1940 he was in command of the Radar Early Warning Station ( Chain Home Low Station ) in Clacton-on-Sea . On September 24, 1940 he was transferred to the Technical Service of the Air Force and was on March 7, 1941 Commander of the Radar Technical School (No. 1 Radio Operator's School) at the RAF Cranwell military airfield . He was first mentioned in the war report on March 17, 1941 for his services there ( Mentioned in dispatches ) . On April 15, 1941, he moved to the headquarters of the RAF Fighter Command as a communications staff officer and was also mentioned for his services there in the war report and was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on June 11, 1942 .

Post-war period and promotion to Air Marshal

At the end of the war Walter Pretty was on May 7, 1945 Commander of the Telecommunications Troops (Command Signals Officer) of the RAF Fighter Command and as such was promoted to Colonel (Group Captain) on July 1, 1947 . In 1948 he moved to the Ministry of Civil Aviation as Director General of the Navigation Services Department , where he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) on January 2, 1950 and Brigadier General ( Air Commodore ) on July 1, 1952 ) promoted. On October 6, 1953, he moved from the technical service with the rank of Air Commodore back to the general military service of the Royal Air Force and took over the post of director of the department for electronic research and development in the Ministry of Supply. On May 9, 1955, he was appointed Administrative Staff Officer AOA (Air Officer Administration) of the 2nd Tactical Air Force ( RAF Second Tactical Air Force ) stationed in Bad Eilsen and promoted as such to Major General (Air Vice Marshal) on January 1, 1956 . On June 13, 1957, he was also raised to the Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).

On October 7, 1958, Pretty took over the post of General Director of the Organization Department of the Air Force Staff and then on October 9, 1961 that of Commanding General AOC ( Air Officer Commanding ) of the Air Force Telecommunications Command ( RAF Signals Command ), where he succeeded Air Vice Marshal Alick Foord-Kelcey became. He held this position until he was replaced by Air Vice Marshal Thomas Shirley on February 1, 1964. He was made Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) on January 1, 1962 and has since had the suffix "Sir". He was last on March 1, 1964 Deputy Chief of Defense Staff of the British Armed Forces personnel and logistics (Deputy Chief of the Defense Staff (Personnel & Logistics)) and received in this use at 1 July 1964 was promoted to Lieutenant General ( Air Marshal ) .

Pretty retired from active military service on October 3, 1966.

Web link

• Air Marshal Sir Walter Pretty (rafweb.org)

Individual evidence

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