| Michael Beetham | |
|---|---|
| 17 May 1923 – | |
 Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham Crown Copyright |
|
| Place of birth | London, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1941–1982 |
| Rank | Marshal of the Royal Air Force |
| Battles/wars | World War II Aden Emergency Falklands War |
| Awards | GCB, CBE, DFC, AFC |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael James Beetham, GCB, CBE, DFC, AFC, DL, (b. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Marshal of the Royal Air Force ( MRAF) is the highest rank in the Royal Air Force. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Aden Emergency was an insurgency against British crown forces in what is now the country of Yemen on the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Falklands War (Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur also called the Falklands Conflict/Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom 's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries Marshal of the Royal Air Force ( MRAF) is the highest rank in the Royal Air Force. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom 's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord-Lieutenant of an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county 17 May 1923) is a former World War II bomber pilot and a high-ranking commander in the Royal Air Force from the 1960s to the 1980s. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them [1]
At present, Beetham is one of only four people holding his Service's most senior rank and excluding Prince Philip's honorary rank, Beetham has the longest time in rank, making him the senior Marshal of the Royal Air Force. [2]
Beetham was born in London and educated at St Marylebone Grammar School. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. St Marylebone Grammar School ( SMGS) was a grammar school in London from 1792 to 1981
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World War II
As a young man he witnessed the Battle of Britain from the ground which prompted him to join the RAF in May 1941. Flight Lieutenant ( Flt Lt in the RAF; FLTLT in the RAAF and RNZAF, F/L in the former RCAF) is a junior The Battle of Britain (German ''Luftschlacht um England'' is the name given to the sustained strategic effort by the German Luftwaffe during the summer and Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Following flying training in the United States and Great Britain, he was assigned flying duties with 50 Squadron just prior to the Battle of Berlin. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands No 50 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force History No The Battle of Berlin was a British bombing campaign on Berlin from November 1943 to March 1944 as well as other German cities to prevent concentration During the Battle, Beetham flew his Lancaster on bombing missions over Berlin 10 times. "Lanc" redirects here Distinguish from Lank (adjective and from Amon Lanc (a place in Tolkien's fiction Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. In a raid over Augsburg he lost an engine and he survived the Nuremberg Raid in which many Bomber Command aircraft were destroyed. Augsburg is an independent City in the south-west of Bavaria. RAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAF 's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968 In February 1944, whilst Beetham was on a training flight, one of his aircraft's engines caught fire. Beetham and his crew bailed out, landing by parachute near East Kirkby; Beetham then joined the Caterpillar Club. East Kirkby is a village situated on the A155 south of Horncastle in Lincolnshire. The Caterpillar Club is an informal association of people who have successfully used a Parachute to bail out of a disabled aircraft In May 1944 Beetham was posted to a flying instruction role. Beetham returned to operation duties with 57 Squadron just as the war in Europe was coming to an end. No 57 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force flying squadron History 57 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed on 8 June He was involved in dropping supplies to the Dutch and in the repatriation of prisoners-of-war. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands In November 1945, just after the end of World War II, Beetham was posted to 35 Squadron which was then selected to carry out the victory fly-past and conduct a good-will tour of the United States. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including No XXXV (Madras Presidency or 35 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed on February 1 1916 at Thetford as a reconnaissance squadron equipped [3]
Post-war career
In 1953, Beetham was posted to the Air Ministry's Operational Requirements Branch. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force. Much of his time was taken up with the problems of bringing the V-bombers into service. History Early development RAF Bomber Command ended World War II with a policy of using heavy four- Piston-engined bombers for massed Notably, Beetham also drafted the first specification for the TSR 2. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Beetham's next appointment was as the Personal Staff Officer to Task Force Commander of Operation Buffalo. Military history notes three events named Operation Buffalo: 1 The open-air nuclear test explosions witnessed by Beetham led him to the view that it would never be possible to limit the extent of a nuclear war. [4]
Beetham was promoted to wing commander in 1958 and he then took up the post of Officer Commanding 214 Squadron. Wing Commander ( Wg Cdr in the RAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, W/C in the former RCAF) is a commissioned In July 1959 Wing Commander Beetham captained the first aircraft, a Valiant bomber, to fly non-stop from the UK to Cape Town. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the [5]
Khormaksar
After several staff tours during which time he was promoted to Group Captain, Beetham was appointed Station Commander RAF Khormaksar (in Aden) in November 1963. Group Captain ( Gp Capt in the RAF and Indian Air Force, GPCAPT in the RNZAF and RAAF, G/C in the former RAF Khormaksar is a former Royal Air Force station in Aden, during the 1960s it was the busiest station in the RAF with nine squadrons based Aden (ˈeɪdən Arabic: عدن) is a city in Yemen, 170 kilometers east of Bab-el-Mandeb. At the time of his arrival, Khormaksar was the RAF's largest overseas base and markedly overcrowded. That December saw the start of a major terrorist campaign against British forces in Aden (the Aden Emergency) and over the next two years Beetham spent considerable time dealing with the security of his overcrowded station. The Aden Emergency was an insurgency against British crown forces in what is now the country of Yemen on the southern Arabian Peninsula. However the security problems did not prevent the aircraft based at Khormaksar being used on operations in the neighbouring region of Radfan. Radfan or the Radfan Hills is a region of the Republic of Yemen.
Air officer appointments
He left Khormaksar in 1967 as an air officer and more senior appointments followed. An Air Officer is a British Royal Air Force officer of rank Air Commodore or higher These included: Commandant of the RAF Staff College at Bracknell, Assistant Chief of Staff (Plans and Policy) at SHAPE, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Strike Command and Commander-in-Chief RAF Germany and the Second Tactical Air Force. The RAF Staff College may refer to RAF Staff College Andover (active 1922 to 1940 and 1948 to 1970 RAF Staff College Bulstrode Park Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE) is the central command of NATO Military forces The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom 's combat aircraft from 1968 until The former Royal Air Force Germany ( RAFG) was a command of the Royal Air Force and part of British Forces Germany, consisting of those units The former RAF Second Tactical Air Force ( 2TAF) was one of three Tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF during and after World War [6]
Chief of the Air Staff
Beetham's final tour saw him appointed as the Chief of the Air Staff. The Chief of the Air Staff is the professional head of the Royal Air Force and a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Air Force Board. As the professional head of his Service, Beetham defended the decision to introduce the strike version of the Tornado and supported the introduction of the Airborne Early Warning Nimrod which was later cancelled. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout He also worked to build up the RAF's reserve forces. Towards the end of his tenure as Chief of the Air Staff, the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands occurred. The Falklands War (Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur also called the Falklands Conflict/Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the Beetham was involved in the decision to send the Task Force to the South Atlantic. [7] When Beetham relinquished his appointment in October 1982 he had served for more than five years, making him the longest serving Chief of the Air Staff since Trenchard. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO (3 February 1873 - 10 February
Later life
As a Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Beetham remains on the RAF's active list[8], although for practical purposes he retired in 1982. In the 1980s Beetham was Chairman of GEC Avionics. BAE Systems Avionics was the Avionics unit of BAE Systems until 2005 at which time it was transferred to SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems S Michael Beetham holds the appointment of Honorary Air Commodore of No 2620 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment. Air Commodore ( Air Cdre in the RAF, AIRCDRE in the RNZAF and RAAF, A/C in the former RCAF) is a rank in [9] He is President of the RAF Museum[10] whose conservation centre is named the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre in his honour. The Royal Air Force Museum ( RAF Museum) is a Museum dedicated to the history of Aviation, and the British Royal Air Force in particular Beetham is also President of the Bomber Command Association.
Beetham has written the foreword to three books:
- Bombs Gone: Development and Use of British Air-dropped Weapons from 1912 to Present Day - Patrick Stephens Ltd (1990)
- In Cobhams' Company - Published by Cobham Plc (1994)
- The Strategic War Against Germany - Frank Cass Publishers (1998)
In 2005, Beetham took part in his second fly past over London, this time as part of the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the end of Word War II. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting He joined the crew of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster bomber prior to its take off from Duxford. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight ( BBMF) is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, Duxford Aerodrome is located 8 Nautical miles (148 km south of Cambridge in the village of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England
References
- ^ Probert, H. (1991). High Commanders of the Royal Air Force. p. 85. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-772635-4
- ^ The Air Force List, 2006. HMSO ISBN 0-11-773038-6
- ^ Probert, H. The Office of Public Sector Information ( OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (usually abbreviated as HMSO (1991). High Commanders of the Royal Air Force. p. 85. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-772635-4
- ^ Probert, H. (1991). High Commanders of the Royal Air Force. p. 86. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-772635-4
- ^ Records set by the RAF, Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved on 13 January 2007. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ Probert, H. (1991). High Commanders of the Royal Air Force. p. 137. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-772635-4
- ^ Probert, H. (1991). High Commanders of the Royal Air Force. p. 89. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-772635-4
- ^ The Air Force List, 2006. HMSO ISBN 0-11-773038-6
- ^ Sir Michael Beetham, Marshal of the Royal Air Force visited No 2620 Squadron, RAF Marham. The Office of Public Sector Information ( OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (usually abbreviated as HMSO Royal Air Force Station Marham, commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station, a Military Airbase, near the Retrieved on 13 January 2007. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ History, RAF Museum. Retrieved on 13 January 2007. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Peter Horsley |
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Strike Command 1975–1976 |
Succeeded by Sir John Stacey |
| Preceded by N Maynard |
Commander-in-Chief RAF Germany 1976–1977 |
Succeeded by Sir John Stacey |
| Preceded by Sir Neil Cameron |
Chief of the Air Staff 1977–1982 |
Succeeded by Sir Keith Williamson |
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