John Whitley (RAF officer)

Sir John Whitley
Sir John Whitley
Born	7 September 1905
Died	26 December 1997 (aged 92)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1926–62
Rank	Air Marshal
Commands held	Inspector-General of the RAF (1959–62); Air Member for Personnel (1957–59); No. 1 Group (1953–56); RAF Karachi (1946–47); No. 8 Group (1945–46); No. 4 Group (1945); No. 43 Base (1944–45); RAF Lissett (1943–44); RAF Linton-on-Ouse (1941–43); No. 149 Squadron (1940)
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Companion of the Order of the Bath; Distinguished Service Order; Air Force Cross & Bar; Mentioned in Despatches (3)

Air Marshal Sir John Rene Whitley, KBE, CB, DSO, AFC & Bar (7 September 1905 – 26 December 1997) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and also in the post-war years.

RAF career

Whitley joined the Royal Air Force in 1926.[1] While serving in India, he was awarded the Air Force Cross for relief flights after the 1935 Quetta earthquake.[1] He served in the Second World War as Officer Commanding No. 149 Squadron and then as Station Commander at RAF Linton-on-Ouse.[1] In April 1943, he was shot down in a Halifax bomber over Belgium. Landing by parachute in Northern France, with the help of the French Resistance he escaped through the Basque country to Spain.[2][3] Returning to England, he continued his war service as Station Commander at RAF Lissett and then as Air Officer Commanding No. 43 Base.[1] He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 4 Group and then Air Officer Commanding No. 8 Group.[1]

After the war he served as Assistant Air Officer Administration at Headquarters Air Command South East Asia and then as Station Commander at RAF Karachi.[1] He was appointed Director of Organisation (Establishments) at the Air Ministry in 1947 and Air Officer Administration at Headquarters Second Tactical Air Force in 1951.[1] He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group in 1953, Air Member for Personnel in 1957 and Inspector-General of the RAF in 1959 before retiring in 1962.[1]

gollark: None are safe, as they say.

gollark: The plague is *around* still, it just doesn't do much because sanitation is better.

gollark: But something something anthropic principle and populations were much more isolated until recently.

gollark: I did wonder a while ago why, if it was possible to have diseases which were both really lethal and contagious/airborne, humans were alive.

gollark: Can't wait for random people to be able to make custom diseases from the comfort of their home!

References

Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir John Whitley
Brickhill, P. (1962) Escape - or Die Pan London, pp. 137-155
Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary: Bomber Command Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Francis Fogarty	Air Member for Personnel 1957–1959	Succeeded by Sir Hubert Patch
Preceded by Sir Gilbert Nicholetts	Inspector-General of the RAF 1959–1962	Succeeded by Sir Paterson Fraser

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[air-1] Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir John Whitley

[2] Brickhill, P. (1962) Escape - or Die Pan London, pp. 137-155

[3] Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary: Bomber Command Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine