Robert Freer

Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert William George Freer, GBE, KCB, FRAeS, FRSA (1 September 1923 – 15 January 2012) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer who served as Deputy Commander of Strike Command from 1978 to 1979.

For the physician, see Robert Freer (physician).

Sir Robert Freer
Born(1923-09-01)1 September 1923
Darjeeling, India
Died15 January 2012(2012-01-15) (aged 88)
Farnham, Surrey, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1942–1982
RankAir Chief Marshal
Commands heldRoyal College of Defence Studies (1980–82)
No. 18 Group (1975–78)
No. 11 Group (1972–75)
RAF Seletar (1963–66)
No. 92 Squadron (1955–57)
Battles/warsSecond World War
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air

RAF career

Educated at Gosport Grammar School, Freer joined the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and became a flying instructor.[1] He was given command of No. 92 Squadron in 1955,[1] and became Station Commander of RAF Seletar in Singapore in 1963 during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation.[2] He was made Deputy Director of Defence Plans in 1966, Deputy Commandant of the RAF Staff College, Bracknell in 1969 and Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Near East Air Force in 1971.[1] He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group in 1972, Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group in 1975 and Deputy Commander of Strike Command in 1978.[1] His last appointment was as Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1980 before he retired in 1982.[1]

In retirement he became a Director of Rediffusion.[1] He died at home on 15 January 2012.[3]

Family

In 1950 he married Margaret Tinkler; they had one son and one daughter.[1]

gollark: That is an oddly specific time constraint, and C++?
gollark: Well, it seems incomprehensible, so who knows.
gollark: If it compiles, it runs, thus use C with all warnings disabled.
gollark: > they were probably too busy patting themselves on the back that their 100% type-safe code with type level computations, lenses and optimized memoization fucking compiled correctly to remember to test and make sure the program actually works;yroc;.
gollark: §ure.

References
  1. Debrett's People of Today 1994
  2. Proceedings of the Royal Air Force Historical Society, Issue No.13, 1994, p. 27
  3. Telegraph announcements
Military offices
Preceded by
Sir David Fraser		 Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies
1980–1982		 Succeeded by
Sir William Pillar
Preceded by
Sir Alfred Ball		 Deputy Commander-in-Chief Strike Command
1978–1979		 Succeeded by
Sir Thomas Kennedy
Preceded by
Douglas Lowe		 Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group
1975–1978		 Succeeded by
Philip Lagesen
Preceded by
Ivor Broom		 Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group
1972–1975		 Succeeded by
William Harbison
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