Thomas Kennedy (RAF officer)
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Sir Thomas Kennedy
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| Nickname(s) | Jock |
| Born | 19 May 1928 Hawick, Scotland |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1946–1986 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands held | Air Member for Personnel (1983–86) Royal Air Force Germany (1981–83) RAF Brize Norton (1970–71) No. 99 Squadron (1965–67) |
| Battles/wars | Berlin Airlift Korean War Suez Crisis |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Air Force Cross & Bar |
Air Chief Marshal Sir Thomas Lawrie "Jock" Kennedy GCB, AFC, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , & Bar, DL (19 May 1928 – 18 November 2013) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. He served as Deputy Commander of RAF Strike Command from 1979 to 1981, and Air Member for Personnel from 1983 to 1986. Following his retirement from the military, he served as Lord Lieutenant of Rutland.
Contents
Early life
Kennedy was born on 19 May 1928 in Hawick, Roxburghshire, Scotland.[1] He was educated at Hawick High School.[2] He was a member of the Boy Scouts.[3]
Military career
In April 1946, Kennedy joined the Royal Air Force as an airman as part of his National Service. He served for six months before being selected for officer training.[1] Having attended Royal Air Force College Cranwell, he was commissioned on 8 April 1949 as a pilot officer.[4] He was awarded the Philip Sassoon Memorial Trophy for best all-round cadet at Cranwell.[1] He was promoted to flying officer on 9 April 1950 with seniority from 8 April 1949,[5] and to flight lieutenant on 8 October 1951.[6]
Kennedy was appointed Deputy Commandant of the RAF Staff College, Bracknell in 1971,[7] Director of Air Support Operations in 1973[7] and Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group in 1977.[7] He went on to be Deputy Commander-in-Chief, RAF Strike Command in 1979[7] and was appointed to the combined posts of Commander-in-Chief Royal Air Force Germany and Commander Second Tactical Air Force in 1981.[7] His last appointment was as Air Member for Personnel in 1983 before retiring in 1986.[7]
Later life
In retirement, Kennedy became a Director of Dowty Group.[8] He served as controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund from 1988 to 1993 during which time more than £20 million was raised.[3]
He served as Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire[9] and later became Lord Lieutenant of Rutland.[10]
He died on 18 November 2013.[1]
Personal life
In 1959, Kennedy married Margaret Ann Parker. Together they had three children: one son and two daughters.[3]
Honours and decorations
In the 1953 Coronation Honours, Kennedy was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC).[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38605. p. 2285. 10 May 1949. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38912. p. 2423. 16 May 1950. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39381. p. 5914. 9 November 1951. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Senior Royal Air Force Appointments
- ↑ UK: Filling in the foxholes – Ex-military men in the arms trade Management Today, 1 May 1992
- ↑ Burke's Peerage
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 54728. p. 4181. 8 April 1997. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39863. p. 2989. 26 May 1953. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Deputy Commander-in-Chief Strike Command 1979–1981 |
Succeeded by Sir Peter Bairsto |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief RAF Germany Also Commander of the Second Tactical Air Force 1981–1983 |
Succeeded by Sir Patrick Hine |
| Preceded by | Air Member for Personnel 1983–1986 |
Succeeded by Sir Anthony Skingsley |
- Use dmy dates from April 2012
- 1928 births
- 2013 deaths
- British military personnel of the Suez Crisis
- Deputy Lieutenants of Leicestershire
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
- Lord-Lieutenants of Rutland
- People educated at Hawick High School
- People from Hawick
- Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
- Royal Air Force air marshals
- Royal Air Force personnel of the Korean War
