Text links are shown below
- Home Page -
- About this site -
- Quick Menu -
- Main Menu -
- Members' Area -
- What's New -
- Help Needed -
- Jobs -
- Online Store -
- Dating -
- Reunions -
- Contact Me -
- Sign Guest Book -
- View Guest Book -
- Glossary -
- Bibliography -
Air Marshal Sir John Lapsley
John Hugh b: 24 Sep 1916 r: 6 Oct 1973 d: 21 Nov 1995
KBE
– 14 Jun 1969 (OBE – 8 Jun 1944), CB – 11 Jun 1966, DFC
– 3 Dec 1940, AFC – 8 Jun 1950, MiD - 2 Jun 1943, MiD
– 1 Jan 1946.
Plt Off: 18 Dec 1937, Fg Off: 18 Jun 1939, Flt Lt: 3 Sep 1940, Act Sqn Ldr: xx Feb 1941, (T) Sqn Ldr: 1 Dec 1941, Act Wg Cdr: 3 Aug 1942?, Sqn Ldr (WS): 3 Feb 1943, Sqn Ldr: 23 Jan 1945 [1 Dec 1941], Wg Cdr: 1 Jan 1949, Gp Capt: 1 Jul 1956, Act A/Cdre: xx xxx xxxx, A/Cdre: 1 Jan 1961, Act AVM: 1 Apr 1964, AVM: 1 Jan 1965, Act AM: 2 Sep 1968, AM: 1 Jul 1969.
xx xxx 1932: Aircraft Apprentice, No 1 School of Technical Training, RAF Halton.
xx xxx 1936: Flight Cadet, 'B' Sqn, RAF College.
18 Dec 1937: Appointed to a Permanent Commission
18 Dec 1937: Pilot, No 32 Sqn.
29 Mar 1938: Pilot, No 80 Sqn.
19 Aug 1940: Pilot, No 274 Sqn.
14 Dec 1940: Flight Commander, No 274 Sqn.
xx Feb 1941: Officer Commanding, No 274 Sqn.
xx Apr 1941: Sick Leave
xx xxx xxxx: Staff, HQ No 81 Group.
xx May 1942: Officer Commanding/Chief Flying Instructor, No 58 OTU.
xx Nov 1942: Officer Commanding, Training Wing, No 52 OTU.
xx xxx 1943: Officer Commanding, No ? Sqn.
xx Jun 1943: Officer Commanding, No 125 Airfield/Wing.
xx Jul 1944: Senior Fighter Controller, HQ 2nd TAF.
xx xxx 1946: Attended RAF Staff College.
xx xxx 1946: Air Staff, Directorate of Policy.
xx Apr 1947: Officer Commanding, No 74 Sqn.
xx xxx 1949: Officer Commanding, Air Fighting Development Squadron
xx xxx 1951: Officer Commanding - Flying, CFE
xx xxx 1953: Air Staff, HQ Fighter Command
xx xxx 1954: Officer Commanding, RAF Wahn
xx xxx xxxx: Air Staff, HQ 2nd TAF.
xx xxx 1958: Joint Planning Staff.
10 Feb 1961: Deputy Chief of Staff, HQ 2nd Tactical Air Force.
xx xxx 1963: Attended Imperial Defence College.
1 Apr 1964: Secretary of Chief of Staff's Committee/Director, Defence Operations Staff.
9 Feb 1967: AOC, No 19 (Reconnaissance) Group.
2 Sep 1968: AOC in C, Coastal Command/Commander Maritime Air, Eastern Atlantic Area & Channel Command.
28 May 1970: Defence Attaché, Washington/ Head of British Defence Staff - Washington.
Born in India, his father died when he was two and when his mother remarried, he was taken to the Falkland Islands by his stepftaher and from there John Lapsley became one of those 'Trenchard Brats', successfully completing an apprenticeship at Halton before being awarded a cadetship to the RAF College at Cranwell which he entered in 1935. He represented the College at Cricket and Swimming and attained the rank of Flight Cadet Sergeant. He was also awarded the 'John Anthony Chance' Memorial Prize. On graduation two years later he was posted to No 32 Squadron, but was soon transferred to No 80, which shortly afterwards was posted to Egypt. Prior to Italy's entry into the war, he was involved in anti-terrorist patrols in Palestine. During the early actions against the Italians, he was shot down behind enemy lines, but by bribing an Arab with his gold watch he was able to hitch a ride back to the British lines.
In August 1940, together with his CO, Sqn. Ldr. P H Dunn and Peter Wykeham-Barnes, he was posted to form No 274 Sqn which although initially equipped with Gladiators, was soon to become the first squadron in the Middle East equipped with Huirricanes. Whilst this change over was taking place the flying of the Hurricanes was limited to a few experienced pilots, John Lapsley being one of these. When Sqn Ldr Dunn left the squadron in February 1941, John Lapsley was promoted to replace him. However, his time in command was to cut short for on 19 April 1941, he was shot down near Tobruk but having managed to safely abandon his aircraft he was then shot at and wounded by the Bf109 pilot. He was saved by the actions of an Australian soldier who having reached him under fire then looked after him until night fall when a medical team was able to reach him. During his period in the Desert, he was credited with 11 enemy aircraft destroyed.
Repatriated to England it was to be 1942 before he was passed fit for flying duties but only on instructional duties. He eventually returned to operations on Spitfires before being appointed OC of No 125 Airfield (later Wing) equipped with the Typhoon. Attendance at the RAF Staff College brought with it on completion of the course, a posting to the Air Ministry. However, it was not long before he returned to flying, this time in command of No 74 Squadron, then equipped with the Meteor F3. Based at RAF Horsham St Faith in Norfolk, the squadron re-equipped with the newer F4 variant shortly before he left to join the Air Fighting Development Unit, also based at Horsham.
Various staff and command posts came his way until in 1964, he was selected by Earl Mountbatten to be the Secretary to the Chief of Defence Staffs. Following this appointment and having previously been involved in fighter operations, he found himself moving into the maritime field as firstly AOC, No 19 Group and then AOC in C, Coastal Command. During his tenure as AOC in C, he oversaw the introduction of Nimrod into service, a far cry from the Gladiators on which he began his flying career. His final appointment in the RAF was as Defence Attaché to Washington and Head of the British Defence Mission, a period during which he was involved in the Polaris programme.
Retiring from the RAF in 1973 he joined the Save The Children Fund, in 1974, as it's Director-General, a post he held for a year before becoming a member of the Council of the Officer's Pension Society and from 1978 until 1983, was the Director of the Falkland Island's Research & Development Association Ltd. In 1979, he entered local politics when he was elected onto Suffolk Coastal District Council becoming Chairman from 1983 eventually retiring in 1987.This page was last updated on 15/12/11 using FrontPage XP©
T A Langford-Sainsbury
