Gareth Clayton (RAF officer)
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Sir Gareth Thomas Butler Clayton KCB
DFC
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(13 November 1914 - 5 February 1992) was a senior Royal Air Force
officer who became Air Secretary
.
as a Flight Commander with No. 25 Squadron and then with No. 100 Squadron
before being appointed Officer Commanding No. 576 Squadron
in 1943 and then Deputy Station Commander at RAF Faldingworth
in 1944. He then served on the Air Staff at No. 1 Group
and as a Staff Officer on the Future Operational Plans Staff at the Air Ministry
.
After the War he became Air Attaché in Lisbon
and then Station Commander first at RAF Cottesmore
and then at RAF Honington
. He was appointed Director of Operations - Air Transport & Overseas Theatres in 1959, Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group
in 1962 and Chief of Staff for the Second Tactical Air Force in 1963. He went on to be Director-General of RAF Personnel Services in 1966, Chief of Staff at Headquarters RAF Strike Command
in 1969 and Air Secretary
in 1970 before retiring in 1972.
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Gareth Thomas Butler Clayton KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
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Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
(13 November 1914 - 5 February 1992) was a senior Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
officer who became Air Secretary
Air Secretary
The Air Secretary is the Royal Air Force appointment of which the incumbent is responsible for policy direction on personnel management for members of the RAF. From 1978 to 1983 the Air Secretary was more often referred to as Air Officer Commanding Royal Air Force Personnel Management Centre. It is...
.
RAF career
Clayton joined the Royal Air Force in 1936. He served in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a Flight Commander with No. 25 Squadron and then with No. 100 Squadron
No. 100 Squadron RAF
No. 100 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is based at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, UK, and operates the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk.-World War I:No. 100 was established on 23 February 1917 at Hingham in Norfolk as the Royal Flying Corps' first squadron formed specifically as a night bombing unit and...
before being appointed Officer Commanding No. 576 Squadron
No. 576 Squadron RAF
-History:No. 576 Squadron was formed on 25 November 1943 from 'C' Flight of 103 squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds in Lincolnshire. They started operations beginning in the night of 2 to 3 December 1943, when seven Avro Lancasters were send out to bomb Berlin. Eleven months later 576 Squadron moved to...
in 1943 and then Deputy Station Commander at RAF Faldingworth
RAF Faldingworth
RAF Faldingworth was an airfield used by RAF Bomber Command during and after World War II. It was located close to the village of Faldingworth in Lincolnshire...
in 1944. He then served on the Air Staff at No. 1 Group
No. 1 Group RAF
Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two operations groups in Air Command.The group is today referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK plus RAF Unit Goose Bay in Canada, which is used extensively as an...
and as a Staff Officer on the Future Operational Plans Staff at the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
.
After the War he became Air Attaché in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and then Station Commander first at RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cottesmore was a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. The station housed all the operational Harrier GR9 squadrons in the Royal Air Force, and No 122 Expeditionary Air Wing...
and then at RAF Honington
RAF Honington
RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station located south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. Although used as a bomber station during the Second World War, RAF Honington is now the RAF Regiment depot and home to the Joint CBRN Regiment.-RAF use:...
. He was appointed Director of Operations - Air Transport & Overseas Theatres in 1959, Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group
No. 11 Group RAF
No. 11 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century, finally disbanding in 1996. Its most famous service was during 1940 when it defended London and the south-east against the attacks of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.-First World War:No. 11 Group was...
in 1962 and Chief of Staff for the Second Tactical Air Force in 1963. He went on to be Director-General of RAF Personnel Services in 1966, Chief of Staff at Headquarters RAF Strike Command
RAF Strike Command
The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007: it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations - No. 1...
in 1969 and Air Secretary
Air Secretary
The Air Secretary is the Royal Air Force appointment of which the incumbent is responsible for policy direction on personnel management for members of the RAF. From 1978 to 1983 the Air Secretary was more often referred to as Air Officer Commanding Royal Air Force Personnel Management Centre. It is...
in 1970 before retiring in 1972.
Further reading
- And Then There Was One! by Air Chief Marshal Sir Gareth Clayton, Published by the author 1992