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Air Vice-Marshal J C T Downey (42208)
John Chegwyn Thomas b: 26 Nov 1920 r: 13 Dec 1975 d: 14 Feb 2010
CB – 14 Jun 1975, DFC – 6 Feb 1945, AFC – 7 Jun 1951, MRAeS.
Act Plt Off (P): 24 Jun 1939, Plt Off (P): 9 Dec 1939, Plt Off: 1 May 1940, Fg Off (WS): 9 Dec 1940, Flt Lt (WS): 9 Dec 1941, Act Sqn Ldr: xx xxx 1942, Flt Lt: 1 Sep 1945, Sqn Ldr: 1 Jul 1949, Wg Cdr: 1 Jul 1955, Gp Capt: 1 Jan 1960, Act A/Cdre: 2 Apr 1965?, A/Cdre: 1 Jul 1965, Act AVM: 28 Nov 1969, AVM: 1 Jan 1970.
24 Jun 1939: Appointed to a Short Service Commission.
xx xxx 1939: U/T Pilot, ?
xx Mar 1940: Pilot, No 608 (North Riding) Sqn. (Anson I/Botha/Hudson)
xx xxx 1940: Pilot, PRU (St Eval)
xx xxx xxxx: Officer i/c, No ? Flt
xx Sep 1941: Pilot, No 202 Sqn (Catalinas - Gibraltar)
xx xxx 1942: Navigation Instructor, ?
xx May 1944: Flight Commander, No 224 Sqn
xx xxx xxxx: Staff, Empire Radio School
29 Apr 1947: Appointed to a Permanent Commission in the rank of Flight Lieutenant (wef from 1 Jul 1946 [1 Sep 1945]
xx xxx xxxx: Staff, Empire Flying School
xx xxx 1949: Staff, RAF Flying College
xx xxx 1951: Attended RAF Staff College
xx xxx 1952: Staff Officer, Air Ministry.
xx xxx 1956: Staff, RAE Farnborough.
xx xxx 1959: Officer Commanding, Bomber Command Development Unit.
22 Feb 1960: Head of the Middle East Defence Secretariat, HQ Near East Air Force
21 Jan 1963: Officer Commanding, RAF Unit Farnborough/Experimental Flying Department.
2 Apr 1965: Director of Operational Requirements (3).
xx Jan 1968: Attended Imperial Defence College.
27 Jan 1969: AOC & Commandant, RAF College of Air Warfare.
28 Nov 1969: Commander, HQ Southern Maritime Air Region.
14 Jan 1972: Senior Air Force Member, Directing Staff, Royal College of Defence Studies.
xx xxx 1974: Deputy Controller Aircraft 'C', MoD (PE).
Educated at Whitgift School, he briefly working in a bank until joining the RAF on a short service commission in 1939. Following a short tour with No 608 Squadron he began flying photo reconnaissance Spitfires from St Eval before moving to Gibraltar, where he commanded a flight of Swordfish. After a tour as a navigation instructor he joined No 224 Squadron equipped with Liberators. He was awarded his AFC for anti-U-boat operations, having damaged the U-763 on 24 Sep 1944.
Whilst serving at the RAF Flying College, he captained Lincoln 'Aries III' on round the world flight of 29,000 miles, breaking the London - Khartoum record in the process in 1950.
He published “Management in the Armed Forces: An Anatomy of the Military Profession” in 1977.
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