Douglas Lowe (RAF officer)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Charles Lowe, GCB, DFC, AFC[1] (14 March 1922 – 24 January 2018) was a Second World War pilot and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Sir Douglas Charles Lowe
Born	(1922-03-14)14 March 1922
Died	24 January 2018(2018-01-24) (aged 95)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1940–1983
Rank	Air Chief Marshal
Commands held	Controller Aircraft (1975–82) No. 18 Group (1973–75) RAF Cranwell (1963–65)
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Flying Cross Air Force Cross Mentioned in Despatches

Family

Douglas Charles Lowe was born on 14 March 1922.[2] He married Doreen Elizabeth Nichols the daughter of Ralph Henry Nichols. Their only daughter, Frances Elizabeth Lowe, married Christopher Russell Bailey, the 5th Baron Glanusk.[3]

WW2 in the RAF

He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) in 1940, and flew as a sergeant pilot during the Second World War. He was commissioned in the RAFVR as a pilot officer on 4 January 1943 [4] and promoted to flying officer on 1 July 1943.[5], then to acting flight lieutenant

Flying with No.75 (N.Z.) Squadron, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 9 July 1943.[6] and received a mention in despatches in January 1945.[7] Lowe was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) on 1 January 1945.[8]

After WW2

After the war he remained in the RAF, being awarded a permanent commission in the rank of flying officer on 1 July 1946. In the 1946 Birthday Honours, he was awarded the Air Force Cross.[9]

On 4 July 1947 he was promoted to flight lieutenant.[10][11]

On 1 July 1952 he was promoted to squadron leader.

Vickers Valiant 1957

On 1 January 1958 he was promoted to wing commander [12][13] to command 148 Squadron at RAF Marham in Norfolk, part of the UK "V" force flying the Vickers Valiant 4-engined "V" bomber. At this time the UK Royal Air Force was part of NATO's deterrent to possible aggression from the Warsaw Pact nations under the control of the Soviet Union (USSR).

On 1 July 1962 he was promoted to group captain as Station Commander at RAF Cranwell, part of the UK RAF College site, from November 1963 to 1965.[14][15]

Air Officer Career

On 1 July 1966 he was promoted to air commodore, the first air officer (one star rank).[16].

On 1 January 1970 he was promoted to air vice marshal (two star rank) , serving as Senior Air Staff Officer Near East Air Force (SASO NEAF) and appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1971 Birthday Honours.[17][18]

In 1973 he was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group as an Air Marshal (three star rank).[19]

In 1975 he was promoted to air chief marshal (four star rank) aa Controller of Aircraft:[20] ("CA") in charge of procurement of RAF aircraft and associated equipment, remaining in that post until 1982.[21]

Later in 1982 his procurement responsibilities were expanded to include Army and Navy equipment as Chief of Defence Procurement ("CDP") at the Ministry of Defence (UK MOD).

On 23 August 1983 he retired from military service.[22] [23]

Later life

He died on 24 January 2018 at the age of 95.[24]

References

1. "Person Page". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
2. Birthdays The Independent, 14 March 1998
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 May 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. "No. 35914". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 February 1943. p. 932.
5. "No. 36175". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 September 1943. p. 4138.
6. "No. 36084". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 July 1943. p. 3095.
7. "No. 36866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1944. p. 73.
8. "No. 36909". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 January 1945. p. 574.
9. "No. 37598". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1946. p. 2816.
10. "No. 37870". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 January 1947. p. 600.
11. "No. 37895". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 February 1947. p. 1038.
12. "No. 39586". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 June 1952. p. 3582.
13. "No. 41266". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 December 1957. p. 7594.
14. "No. 42721". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1962. p. 5302.
15. "Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – RAF Station Commanders – Lincolnshire and East Midlands". rafweb.org. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
16. "No. 44039". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 June 1966. p. 7468.
17. "No. 45013". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 January 1970. p. 221.
18. "No. 45384". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1971. p. 5959.
19. Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Group No's 10 – 19 Archived 5 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
20. Defence Flight International, 18 September 1975
21. Whitaker's Almanack 1983
22. Birthdays The Times, 14 March 2007
23. "No. 49503". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 October 1983. p. 13293.
24. "Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Lowe – obituary". 10 April 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.

Military offices
Preceded by R G Knott	Senior Air Staff Officer Near East Air Force 1969–1971	Succeeded by Robert Freer
Preceded by Michael Giddings	Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operational Requirements) 1971–1973	Succeeded by D Bower
Preceded by Sir Anthony Heward	Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group 1973–1975	Succeeded by Sir Robert Freer
Preceded by Sir Neil Wheeler	Controller Aircraft 1975–1982	Succeeded by Sir John Rogers
Preceded by Sir David Cardwell	Chief of Defence Procurement 1982–1983	Succeeded by Sir David Perry