Michael Beavis

Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Gordon Beavis, KCB, CBE, AFC (13 August 1929 – 7 June 2020) was a Royal Air Force officer who served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Support Command from 1981 to 1984.

Sir Michael Beavis
Born(1929-08-13)13 August 1929
Died7 June 2020(2020-06-07) (aged 90)
Pissouri, Cyprus
Buried
Pissouri, Cyprus
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1947–87
RankAir Chief Marshal
Commands heldSupport Command (1981–84)
RAF Staff College, Bracknell (1980–81)
No. 10 Squadron (1966–68)
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Air Force Cross

RAF career

Educated at Kilburn Grammar School, Beavis joined the Royal Air Force in 1947 and was commissioned two years later.[1] In June 1961 Beavis set the record for the fastest non-stop flight from the UK to Australia which he established by flying a Vulcan from RAF Scampton to RAAF Richmond in just over 20 hours.[2][3]

He became Officer Commanding No. 10 Squadron flying VC10s in 1966 and Group Captain Flying at RAF Akrotiri in 1968.[1] He was appointed Assistant Director of Defence Policy at the Ministry of Defence in 1971, Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Germany in 1976 and Director General of RAF Training in 1977.[1] He went on to be Commandant of the RAF Staff College, Bracknell in 1980, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Support Command in 1981 and Deputy Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Central Europe in 1984 before retiring in 1987.[1]

Family

In 1949 he married Joy Marion Jones; they had one son and one daughter.[1] He died in Cyprus on 7 June 2020.[4]

References
  1. Debrett's People of Today 1994
  2. Qantas flies London-Sydney non-stop Flight International, 26 August 1989
  3. No. 214 (Federated Malay States) Squadron Royal Air Force
  4. Beavis
Military offices
Preceded by
John Curtiss		 Commandant of the RAF Staff College, Bracknell
1980–1981		 Succeeded by
David Parry-Evans
Preceded by
Sir John Gingell		 Commander-in-Chief Support Command
1981–1984		 Succeeded by
Sir David Harcourt-Smith
Preceded by
Sir John Gingell		 Deputy Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Central Europe
1984–1986		 Succeeded by
Sir Joseph Gilbert
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