Patrick Dunn (RAF officer)
Encyclopedia
Air Marshal
Sir Patrick Hunter Dunn KBE
CB
DFC
(31 December 1912 - 17 June 2004) was a Royal Air Force
officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Flying Training Command
.
and the University of Glasgow
, Dunn joined the Royal Air Force 1933. He served in World War II
as Officer Commanding No. 80 Squadron
, Officer Commanding No. 274 Squadron
and then a Station Commander at RAF Amriya. He had a total of nine combat victories. He continued his war service on the staff at Headquarters No. 203 Group before becoming Aide de Camp to Lord Trenchard in 1942. He transferred to Headquarters RAF Fighter Command
and became Group Captain, Operations at Headquarters No. 12 Group
in 1944 and Sector Commander at RAF Coltishall
in 1945.
After the War he was appointed Deputy Director of Personal Services at the Air Ministry
and then became Senior Air Staff Officer at AHQ Malaya in which role he used air power to combat the communist forces in the jungles on the ground during the Malayan Emergency
. He went on to be an Instructor at the NATO Defence College in 1951 before becoming Group Captain, Plans and then Air Commodore, Operations at Headquarters RAF Fighter Command in 1953. He was made Commandant of the RAF Flying College at Manby
in 1956, Deputy Air Secretary in 1958 and Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group
in 1961. His final posting was as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Flying Training Command
in 1964 before retiring in 1967.
In retirement he became Chairman of the airline British Eagle
.
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 Patrick Hunter Dunn KBE
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...
CB
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...
(31 December 1912 - 17 June 2004) was a 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 of Flying Training Command
RAF Flying Training Command
Flying Training Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force which controlled units responsible for delivering flying training. The command's headquarters were at Shinfield Park, Reading in Berkshire.-History:...
.
RAF career
Educated at Loretto SchoolLoretto School
Loretto School is an independent school in Scotland, founded in 1827. The campus occupies in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh.-History:Loretto was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. Langhorne came from Crosby Ravensworth, near Kirkby Stephen. The school was later taken over by his son,...
and the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, Dunn joined the Royal Air Force 1933. He served in 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...
as Officer Commanding No. 80 Squadron
No. 80 Squadron RAF
No. 80 Squadron RAF was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force squadron active from 1917 until 1969. It was operative during both World War I and World War II.-Establishment and early service:...
, Officer Commanding No. 274 Squadron
No. 274 Squadron RAF
No. 274 Squadron RAF began to form as a patrol squadron, intended to fly Vickers Vimys, at Seaton Carew in November 1918 a few days before the end of World War I. The squadron formation was then cancelled. It was reformed on 15 June 1919 as a bomber squadron, flying Handley Page V/1500s, but...
and then a Station Commander at RAF Amriya. He had a total of nine combat victories. He continued his war service on the staff at Headquarters No. 203 Group before becoming Aide de Camp to Lord Trenchard in 1942. He transferred to Headquarters RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
and became Group Captain, Operations at Headquarters No. 12 Group
No. 12 Group RAF
No. 12 Group of the Royal Air Force was a command organization that exisited over two separate periods, namely the end of World War I when it had a training function and from just prior to World War II until the early 1960s when it was tasked with an air defence role.No. 12 Group was first formed...
in 1944 and Sector Commander at RAF Coltishall
RAF Coltishall
The former Royal Air Force Station Coltishall, more commonly known as RAF Coltishall , was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, North-North-East of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1938 to 2006....
in 1945.
After the War he was appointed Deputy Director of Personal Services 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...
and then became Senior Air Staff Officer at AHQ Malaya in which role he used air power to combat the communist forces in the jungles on the ground during the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
. He went on to be an Instructor at the NATO Defence College in 1951 before becoming Group Captain, Plans and then Air Commodore, Operations at Headquarters RAF Fighter Command in 1953. He was made Commandant of the RAF Flying College at Manby
Manby
Manby is a village in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Situated approximately five miles east of Louth, the village had a population of 833 at the 2001 Census....
in 1956, Deputy Air Secretary in 1958 and Air Officer Commanding 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...
in 1961. His final posting was as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Flying Training Command
RAF Flying Training Command
Flying Training Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force which controlled units responsible for delivering flying training. The command's headquarters were at Shinfield Park, Reading in Berkshire.-History:...
in 1964 before retiring in 1967.
In retirement he became Chairman of the airline British Eagle
British Eagle
British Eagle International Airlines was a major British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline that operated from 1948 to 1968....
.