Norman Coslett
Encyclopedia
Air Marshal
Sir (Thomas) Norman Coslett KCB
OBE
(8 November 1909 - 9 November 1987) was a senior Royal Air Force
officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Maintenance Command
.
at the beginning of World War II
and was then sent to the United States as Liaison Officer to the American aircraft manufacturers in 1942 before returning to join the India Office at the Air Ministry
in 1943.
After the War he was appointed Officer Commanding
RAF Lüneburg and then became Deputy Director of Technical Training at the Air Ministry in 1947. He went on to be Commandant at the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment in 1948, Deputy Director of Technical Planning at the Air Ministry in 1954 and Senior Technical Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Coastal Command
in 1957. His last appointments were as Commandant at No 1 School of Technical Training in 1958, Air Officer Commanding No. 24 Group in 1961 and Air Officer Commanding RAF Maintenance Command
in 1963 before retiring in 1966.
In retirement he became a Director of Flight Refuelling
.
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir (Thomas) Norman Coslett 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...
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(8 November 1909 - 9 November 1987) 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 Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Maintenance Command
RAF Maintenance Command
RAF Maintenance Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling maintenance for all the United Kingdom-based units from formation on 1 April 1938 until being renamed RAF Support Command on 31 August 1973.- History :...
.
RAF career
Coslett joined the Royal Air Force in 1926. He served as a pilot with No. 216 SquadronNo. 216 Squadron RAF
No. 216 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Lockheed Tristar K1, KC1 and C2 from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.- History :216 Squadron was formed at RAF Manston by re-numbering No. 16 Squadron RNAS when the RAF was established in 1918, hence it is always spoken of as 'two-sixteen Squadron'...
at the beginning of World War II
World 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...
and was then sent to the United States as Liaison Officer to the American aircraft manufacturers in 1942 before returning to join the India Office 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...
in 1943.
After the War he was appointed Officer Commanding
Officer Commanding
The Officer Commanding is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit , principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, the term Commanding Officer is applied to commanders of minor as well as major units.Normally an Officer Commanding is a company, squadron or battery...
RAF Lüneburg and then became Deputy Director of Technical Training at the Air Ministry in 1947. He went on to be Commandant at the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment in 1948, Deputy Director of Technical Planning at the Air Ministry in 1954 and Senior Technical Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
in 1957. His last appointments were as Commandant at No 1 School of Technical Training in 1958, Air Officer Commanding No. 24 Group in 1961 and Air Officer Commanding RAF Maintenance Command
RAF Maintenance Command
RAF Maintenance Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling maintenance for all the United Kingdom-based units from formation on 1 April 1938 until being renamed RAF Support Command on 31 August 1973.- History :...
in 1963 before retiring in 1966.
In retirement he became a Director of Flight Refuelling
Cobham plc
Cobham plc is a British manufacturing company based in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
.