|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Geoffrey Harold b: 6 Aug 1923 r: 6 Apr 1981 d: 1 Apr 2007
KBE – 31 Dec 1978, CB – 7 Jun 1974, BSc, FEng, FIEE, DipEl
(RAFVR): - Act Plt Off (P): 21 Oct 1942, Fg Off (P) (WS): 25 Sep 1943,
(RAF): - Fg Off: 1 Jul 1946 [25 Mar 1946], Flt Lt: 2 Jul 1946 [25 Sep 1946], Sqn Ldr: 1 Jul 1953, Act Wg Cdr: xx xxx 1958, Wg Cdr: 1 Jan 1959, Gp Capt: 1 Jul 1963, A/Cdre: 1 Jan 1971, Act AVM: 15 Feb 1973, AVM: 1 Jul 1973, Act AM: 3 Jun 1978, AM: 1 Jul 1978.
21 Oct 1942: Appointed to an Emergency Commission in the RAFVR
xx xxx xxxx: Officer, No 75 Signals Wing
xx xxx xxxx: Officer Commanding, No ? Unit
23 May 1947: Appointed to a Permanent Commission in the rank of Flying Officer. (wef 1 Jul 1946)
13 Jan 1957: Staff Officer, Directorate of Guided Weapon Defence
13 Jan 1958: Staff Officer, Directorate of Weapons Engineering
8 Aug 1961: Chief Weapons Instructor, RAF Technical College
xx xxx xxxx: Director of Guided Weapons Development
1 Feb 1965: Command Signals Officer, RAF Germany
5 Jan 1970: Director of Engineering Policy, MoD
xx Jan 1972: Attended Royal College of Defence Studies
15 Feb 1973: Air Officer Engineering, HQ Strike Command.
1 May 1976: Director-General of Engineering and Supply Management (RAF).
3 Jun 1978: Controller of Engineering and Supply (RAF)
Born in Lewes, Sussex in 1923, he attended the County Grammar School and was selected for a place at university under the wartime Hankey Scheme. This scheme selected school-leavers with good abilities in science, putting them through university before joining the services. He attended Bristol University for two years, where he studied Physics.
Following his award of a commission in the RAF, he was trained in the field of radar and was posted to No 75 Signals Wing at St Margaret’s Bay, Kent. He was than posted to command a mobile radar unit in Algeria and following the invasion of Italy, he took his unit there. With the end of the war, he returned to Bristol and completed his degree, gaining a first class honours degree.
Having spent a number of years working on radar, he entered the world of guided missile development and became involved in the development of the Bloodhound and Rapier systems. Following tours in Germany and at the MoD, during the latter of which he was involved in the development of the MRCA (Tornado prototype), he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies after which he became Air Officer Engineering at HQ Strike Command. His final two tours saw his return to MoD, first as Director-General of Engineering and Supply Management and then as Controller of Engineering and Supply, in which capacity he was also the RAF’s Chief Engineer.
Following retirement he became Director of the Metals Society, which he converted into the Institute of Materials, which was then awarded its Royal Charter.
This page was last updated on 08/06/17 using FrontPage 2003©
J L Forbes
[Top of Page]
H Ford
