Percy Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Percy Ronald Gardner Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon, GBE
, CB
, CVO
, DSO
, RAF
(30 August 1904 – 8 February 1979) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force
in the mid-20th century. He was a squadron, station and group commander during World War II
and the fifth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps
after the War. He was awarded a US Distinguished Flying Cross in December 1946 and the American Bronze Star Medal
also in 1946.
. His family resided in a house on the Theobald's Park estate in Hertfordshire where the eccentric horse breeder and owner Lady Meux
had loaned his parents a house.
In the summer of 1914 he and his twin brother were sent to St. Aubyns Preparatory School
at Rottingdean
, and four years later both boys entered the Orange dormitory at Wellington College
where Percy was continually referred to as Bernard Minor incorrectly throughout his time at Wellington College. Having studied for and passing the entrance examination he entered the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell
in Lincolnshire
in 1922.
on 18 May 1924. Concurrently he also succeeded to the additional titles of 5th Baron Bandon of Bandonbridge, Cork
, 5th Viscount Bernard and 5th Viscount Bandon, of Bandonbridge, Cork.
There was little money attached to his inheritance and the main element, Castle Bernard outside Bandon
and eighteen miles south west of Cork, was derelict after being burned down by the IRA
four years earlier in 1920. The new Earl eventually received £123,000 (£4.7 million in today's terms) compensation for the damage to the family seat, which remains a ruin. The earl built a modern and modestly sized mansion alongside the castle ruins.
Although the British Army
and the Royal Navy
have always had a significant number of peers within their ranks the newly created Earl of Bandon was almost unique within the RAF. Known to one and all by the familial name of “Paddy” Bandon he developed a devilish sense of humour and was involved in many scrapes with superior officers during his career. There were a number of anecdotes told about the Earl, perhaps the most repeated was the occasion that he and several of his fellow pilots wearing grubby and disheveled flight dress, straight after combat flights, entered the Shepheard's Hotel
in Cairo
used as an officers’ mess during 1942. An immaculately dressed army officer snootily told him, "I am Major the Honourable
(A N Other), Assistant Provost Marshal. You and your men are improperly dressed and must leave." The Earl replied, "I am Group Captain
the Earl of Bandon
and therefore outrank you on both counts. Now do push off, there's a good chap."
. Two years later he was promoted to Flying Officer
and appointed as a Qualified Flying Instructor
(QFI) at No 5 Flying Training School RAF.
On 2 May 1930, by now a Flight Lieutenant
, he was posted as a QFI to the RAF's Central Flying School
but only stayed there eight months before he took up a post as Personal Assistant to the Air Officer Commanding the Middle East. In November 1931 he returned to active flying duties with No 216 Squadron RAF, also acting as squadron Adjutant
. During 1931 whilst still serving with No. 216 Squadron RAF
, he made the first non-stop flight from Khartoum to Cairo, re-filling his fuel tanks by hand from cans stored recklessly inside the aircraft’s cockpit.
Promotion to Squadron Leader
came on 13 January 1936 when the Earl was posted to RAF Ternhill
in Shropshire
as a flight commander at No 10 Flying Training School. At the end of 1938 Bandon spent several months as a supernumerary Squadron leader within No 6 (Auxiliary) Group RAF. The hiatus in his career ended in January 1939, just prior to the Second World War when he was summoned to a Headquarters staff posting as the Plans 3 Officer at the Directorate of Operational Plans at Adastral House. During his time in the Directorate he was a member of the committee that held talks in 1939 with delegates from Poland about the supply of Fairey Battle
s, Hawker Hurricane
s and Supermarine Spitfire
s, but the agreed provision failed to reach the country before the German victory.
and a short term posting to Senior Staff Officer, No. 2 Group RAF
. Later that year he received his first proper command when appointed Officer Commanding
No. 82 Squadron RAF
. A month later he was additionally designated Station Commander of RAF Watton
. On 17 May 1940, his squadron was detailed to carry out a raid against German columns around Gembloux
. When the expected fighter escort did not arrive, having already been intercepted by Bf109's, the twelve Blenheims pressed on to the target and were themselves attacked by Bf109's. All but one of the aircraft were shot down and that one collapsed when it landed back at base.
Faced with a squadron consisting of himself, one flight commander, two Sergeant pilots and the ground crews, it was planned to disband the squadron but Bandon put forward a case on behalf of his ground crews that the squadron should be re-equipped. That evening twelve new Blenheims were delivered together with their crews. The following day they carried out a practice flight and that night he led six of them on a raid into Germany. This quality of leadership earned him a well-deserved DSO.
Promoted to Temporary Group Captain
he became Station Commander of two other RAF stations during the same year, spending only a few months at each. Firstly he commanded RAF West Raynham
(also in Norfolk
) before moving to nearby RAF Horsham St Faith
.
On 29 December 1942 he was posted overseas as the Air Staff Officer, HQ Air Forces in India. The following year he moved to Air Staff Officer HQ South East Asia Command
(SEAC). Bandon returned to operational command in July 1944 when he was promoted to Acting Air Commodore
and appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 224 Group RAF. During his time in command, 224 Group saw action in Burma, including fighting against the Japanese in the Arakan sector
. As AOC he very unofficially continued to fly on operational sorties, removing his Air Commodore rank badges and flying instead in a Flying Officer’s uniform.
taking over from the retiring Air Commodore Finlay Crerar
. The Earl assumed command of the Corps at a time when it had been officially stood down from duty and placed on a care and maintenance basis. Although a period of stand-down had been ordered the Corps was not completely disbanded, as it was anticipated that the ROC must continue as an essential component of the UK’s future post-war air defence system.
The wholetime cadre of ROC officers remained in post and the ROC centres across the UK were maintained and kept in good condition. Humorous cartoons of the era depicted the wholetime officers tending flower beds in front of the ROC centres with uniform sleeves rolled up, sunning themselves in deck-chairs or sleepily answering the front door in nightgown and nightcap with a candle in their hand. Although no longer being paid, many observers continued to meet and train weekly in private and membership of the unofficial Royal Observer Corps Club expanded.
Cabinet approval was finally given for the Corps to be re-formed in January 1947 and Air Commodore the Earl of Bandon enthusiastically drew upon a considerable number of wartime experienced observers to form the nucleus around which the Corps was rebuilt, together with a massive influx of new and younger recruits. During the next two years the ROC was reorganised and vigorously retrained, but on geographical lines similar to those that existed at the end of the war. The speed of the newly introduced jet aircraft exercised the minds of the ROC senior officers as they strived to adapt to a modern environment.
With the ROC rebuilt and back to full readiness, on 1 February 1949 Lord Bandon handed over his once more fully operational command to his successor Air Commodore Richard Jordan
. Having introduced the concept of annual ROC summer training camps in 1948 the Earl had formally opened the first two camps at RAF Thorney Island. In 1953 he returned as Air Vice-Marshal The Earl of Bandon to inspect the sixth annual camp at RAF Waterbeach and address the observers as a visiting VIP
guest of honour.
No. 2 Group
, Germany on 16 January 1950. Seven months later he returned to the UK as AOC No. 11 Group RAF
on promotion to Acting Air Vice-Marshal
, a rank that was made permanent on 1 Jan 1952. In 1953 he was tasked with the quite formidable duty of planning the flypast for the Coronation Review of the RAF at RAF Odiham
which took place on 15 July. This involved scheduling 640 aircraft to pass the reviewing point in 27 minutes. On completion of the flypast he marched to the saluting dais to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth, who bestowed him 'on the spot' as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
.
On the 1 October 1953 he was appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff with responsibility for RAF training. On 22 January 1956 he was promoted to Acting Air Marshal
and appointed as Commander in Chief of the 2nd Tactical Air Forces. In July 1957 his promotion to Air Marshal was made permanent and he was appointed Commander in Chief, Far East Air Force.
On the 1 July 1959 Lord Bandon was promoted to Air Chief Marshal
and his final RAF appointment came on 1 March 1961 when he became Commander, Allied Air Forces in Central Europe.
Never one for officialdom he had found himself 'in hot water' on a number of occasions throughout his career, one such being in 1957 when he received a reprimand from George Ward, Secretary of State for Air
, for stating to the British press that tactical nuclear weapons would soon be issued to air forces in Europe. Yet another reprimand arrived from Lord Mountbatten of Burma
after his virtual single handed high-jacking of the Indian Ocean island of Gan
as a RAF staging post. During his tenure as C in C, FEAF he took the opportunity of flying aboard Sunderland 'P-Peter' of 205/209 Sqn when it made the last ever flight by a RAF flying boat on 15 May 1959. He then took the salute at the disbandment of the Squadron at Changi on the 31st of the month.
He retired from the RAF on 6 February 1964 and took up residence at the family estate in Cork.
Cathedral
, in Kenya
. They divorced thirteen years later in 1946 just before he married Lois Russell, daughter of prominent Australian Francis Russell, on 2 October 1946.
In retirement the Earl discovered the pleasures of fishing, particularly in the River Bandon
which was well stocked with salmon, and in shooting, snipe and woodcock found in large numbers near Castle Bernard. He was also developing an enthusiastic skill as a gardener with a particular knowledge of rhododendrons. The Earl died on 8 February 1979 at Bon Secours Hospital in County Cork. aged 74 and without male issue. Consequently on his death all his titles became extinct. He was survived by Lois, Lady Bandon and the two daughters from his first marriage, Lady Jennifer Jane Bernard, of Castle Bernard (born April 1935) and Lady Frances Elizabeth Bernard (born February 1943). A portrait in oils (painted 1969) of the Earl, in his uniform as an Air Chief Marshal together with his robes as a peer of the realm, hangs in the main dining hall at the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell.
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...
Percy Ronald Gardner Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon, GBE
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...
, CVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, RAF
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...
(30 August 1904 – 8 February 1979) was a senior commander in the 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...
in the mid-20th century. He was a squadron, station and group commander during 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 the fifth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps
Royal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
after the War. He was awarded a US Distinguished Flying Cross in December 1946 and the American Bronze Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
also in 1946.
Early life
The elder of twin boys by twenty minutes and the son of Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Percy Hamilton Bernard and Lettice Mina Paget, Percy Bernard was born on 30 August 1904 in Gillingham, KentGillingham, Kent
Gillingham is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. The town includes the settlements of Brompton, Hempstead, Rainham, Rainham Mark and Twydall....
. His family resided in a house on the Theobald's Park estate in Hertfordshire where the eccentric horse breeder and owner Lady Meux
Valerie Susan Meux
Valerie Susan, Lady Meux, was a Victorian socialite and the wife of Sir Henry Meux, 3rd Baronet , a London brewer....
had loaned his parents a house.
In the summer of 1914 he and his twin brother were sent to St. Aubyns Preparatory School
St. Aubyns Preparatory School
St. Aubyns Preparatory School is a private co-educational school in Rottingdean, East Sussex, England, catering for children from the ages of 3 to 13. The school was formally founded in 1895 but has origins in educational establishments founded in the 18th century by the then vicar of Rottingdean,...
at Rottingdean
Rottingdean
Rottingdean is a coastal village next to the town of Brighton and technically within the city of Brighton and Hove, in East Sussex, on the south coast of England...
, and four years later both boys entered the Orange dormitory at Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
where Percy was continually referred to as Bernard Minor incorrectly throughout his time at Wellington College. Having studied for and passing the entrance examination he entered the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell
Cranwell
Cranwell is a village situated in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. It is part of the Civil Parish of Cranwell and Byard's Leap and is located 3.95 miles north-north-west of Sleaford and 16.3 miles south-east of the county town of Lincoln...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
in 1922.
Elevation to the peerage
Whilst still a Cadet in B Squadron at Cranwell, Bernard succeeded to the Irish Peerage title of 5th Earl of BandonEarl of Bandon
Earl of Bandon was a title created together with Viscount Bernard in the Peerage of Ireland in 1800 for the 1st Viscount Bandon. All the titles became extinct on the death of the 5th Earl in 1979....
on 18 May 1924. Concurrently he also succeeded to the additional titles of 5th Baron Bandon of Bandonbridge, Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, 5th Viscount Bernard and 5th Viscount Bandon, of Bandonbridge, Cork.
There was little money attached to his inheritance and the main element, Castle Bernard outside Bandon
Bandon, County Cork
Bandon is a town in County Cork, Ireland. With a population of 5,822 as of census 2006, Bandon lies on the River Bandon between two hills. The name in Irish means "Bridge of the Bandon", a reference to the origin of the town as a crossing-point on the river. In 2004 Bandon celebrated its...
and eighteen miles south west of Cork, was derelict after being burned down by the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
four years earlier in 1920. The new Earl eventually received £123,000 (£4.7 million in today's terms) compensation for the damage to the family seat, which remains a ruin. The earl built a modern and modestly sized mansion alongside the castle ruins.
Although the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
have always had a significant number of peers within their ranks the newly created Earl of Bandon was almost unique within the RAF. Known to one and all by the familial name of “Paddy” Bandon he developed a devilish sense of humour and was involved in many scrapes with superior officers during his career. There were a number of anecdotes told about the Earl, perhaps the most repeated was the occasion that he and several of his fellow pilots wearing grubby and disheveled flight dress, straight after combat flights, entered the Shepheard's Hotel
Shepheard's Hotel
Shepheard's Hotel was the leading hotel in Cairo and one of the most celebrated hotels in the world between the middle of the 19th century and 1952....
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
used as an officers’ mess during 1942. An immaculately dressed army officer snootily told him, "I am Major the Honourable
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
(A N Other), Assistant Provost Marshal. You and your men are improperly dressed and must leave." The Earl replied, "I am Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
the Earl of Bandon
Earl of Bandon
Earl of Bandon was a title created together with Viscount Bernard in the Peerage of Ireland in 1800 for the 1st Viscount Bandon. All the titles became extinct on the death of the 5th Earl in 1979....
and therefore outrank you on both counts. Now do push off, there's a good chap."
Early RAF career
The Earl graduated from Cranwell in December 1924 and was posted as a pilot to No 4 Squadron RAF in the rank of Pilot OfficerPilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
. Two years later he was promoted to Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
and appointed as a Qualified Flying Instructor
Qualified Flying Instructor
Qualified Flying Instructor is a term mainly used in the UK and commonwealth Military, Army, Navy and Air Force for a person who has passed the appropriate course before being allowed to instruct in an aircraft. In the USA and elsewhere, the equivalent term is "IP"...
(QFI) at No 5 Flying Training School RAF.
On 2 May 1930, by now a Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
, he was posted as a QFI to the RAF's Central Flying School
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 it is the longest existing flying training school.-History:...
but only stayed there eight months before he took up a post as Personal Assistant to the Air Officer Commanding the Middle East. In November 1931 he returned to active flying duties with No 216 Squadron RAF, also acting as squadron Adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
. During 1931 whilst still serving with No. 216 Squadron RAF
No. 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'...
, he made the first non-stop flight from Khartoum to Cairo, re-filling his fuel tanks by hand from cans stored recklessly inside the aircraft’s cockpit.
Promotion to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
came on 13 January 1936 when the Earl was posted to RAF Ternhill
RAF Ternhill
RAF Ternhill is a small Royal Air Force station at Ternhill in Shropshire, near the towns of Newport and Market Drayton. The station, home of Volunteer Gliding Squadron 632, was a helicopter base but is now principally used as an outpost for the tri-service helicopter training establishment at RAF...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
as a flight commander at No 10 Flying Training School. At the end of 1938 Bandon spent several months as a supernumerary Squadron leader within No 6 (Auxiliary) Group RAF. The hiatus in his career ended in January 1939, just prior to the Second World War when he was summoned to a Headquarters staff posting as the Plans 3 Officer at the Directorate of Operational Plans at Adastral House. During his time in the Directorate he was a member of the committee that held talks in 1939 with delegates from Poland about the supply of Fairey Battle
Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force. The Battle was powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that gave contemporary British fighters high performance; however, the Battle was weighed...
s, Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
s and Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s, but the agreed provision failed to reach the country before the German victory.
World War II
On 1 January 1940 he received a promotion to Temporary Wing CommanderWing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
and a short term posting to Senior Staff Officer, No. 2 Group RAF
No. 2 Group RAF
Number 2 Group is a Group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was reactivated in 2000, and is today part of Air Command....
. Later that year he received his first proper command when 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...
No. 82 Squadron RAF
No. 82 Squadron RAF
No. 82 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that was first formed in 1917 and last disbanded in 1963. It served at times as a bomber unit, a reconnaissance unit and lastly as a Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile unit...
. A month later he was additionally designated Station Commander of RAF Watton
RAF Watton
Royal Air Force Station Watton is a former military airfield in Norfolk, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southwest of East Dereham....
. On 17 May 1940, his squadron was detailed to carry out a raid against German columns around Gembloux
Gembloux
Gembloux is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Namur, on the axis Brussels-NamurOn 1 January 2006 the municipality had 21,964 inhabitants...
. When the expected fighter escort did not arrive, having already been intercepted by Bf109's, the twelve Blenheims pressed on to the target and were themselves attacked by Bf109's. All but one of the aircraft were shot down and that one collapsed when it landed back at base.
Faced with a squadron consisting of himself, one flight commander, two Sergeant pilots and the ground crews, it was planned to disband the squadron but Bandon put forward a case on behalf of his ground crews that the squadron should be re-equipped. That evening twelve new Blenheims were delivered together with their crews. The following day they carried out a practice flight and that night he led six of them on a raid into Germany. This quality of leadership earned him a well-deserved DSO.
Promoted to Temporary Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
he became Station Commander of two other RAF stations during the same year, spending only a few months at each. Firstly he commanded RAF West Raynham
RAF West Raynham
RAF West Raynham was a Royal Air Force station located west of the village of West Raynham in Norfolk, England. It opened in the 1930s and closed in 1994. During the Second World War, RAF Bomber Command operations from RAF West Raynham claimed 86 aircraft. The site was sold by the Ministry of...
(also in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
) before moving to nearby RAF Horsham St Faith
RAF Horsham St Faith
RAF Horsham St Faith was a Royal Air Force station near Norwich, Norfolk, England from 1939 to 1963. It was then developed as Norwich International Airport.-RAF Bomber Command use:...
.
On 29 December 1942 he was posted overseas as the Air Staff Officer, HQ Air Forces in India. The following year he moved to Air Staff Officer HQ South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II.-Background:...
(SEAC). Bandon returned to operational command in July 1944 when he was promoted to Acting Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
and appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 224 Group RAF. During his time in command, 224 Group saw action in Burma, including fighting against the Japanese in the Arakan sector
Rakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
. As AOC he very unofficially continued to fly on operational sorties, removing his Air Commodore rank badges and flying instead in a Flying Officer’s uniform.
Royal Observer Corps
In December 1945 the Earl became the fifth Commandant of the Royal Observer CorpsRoyal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
taking over from the retiring Air Commodore Finlay Crerar
Finlay Crerar
Air Commodore Finlay Crerar CBE RAF, was a senior Royal Air Force officer during the Second World War who served as the fourth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps and led the ROC through the final two years of the war and the difficult period of the V-1 flying bomb raids on Southern...
. The Earl assumed command of the Corps at a time when it had been officially stood down from duty and placed on a care and maintenance basis. Although a period of stand-down had been ordered the Corps was not completely disbanded, as it was anticipated that the ROC must continue as an essential component of the UK’s future post-war air defence system.
The wholetime cadre of ROC officers remained in post and the ROC centres across the UK were maintained and kept in good condition. Humorous cartoons of the era depicted the wholetime officers tending flower beds in front of the ROC centres with uniform sleeves rolled up, sunning themselves in deck-chairs or sleepily answering the front door in nightgown and nightcap with a candle in their hand. Although no longer being paid, many observers continued to meet and train weekly in private and membership of the unofficial Royal Observer Corps Club expanded.
Cabinet approval was finally given for the Corps to be re-formed in January 1947 and Air Commodore the Earl of Bandon enthusiastically drew upon a considerable number of wartime experienced observers to form the nucleus around which the Corps was rebuilt, together with a massive influx of new and younger recruits. During the next two years the ROC was reorganised and vigorously retrained, but on geographical lines similar to those that existed at the end of the war. The speed of the newly introduced jet aircraft exercised the minds of the ROC senior officers as they strived to adapt to a modern environment.
With the ROC rebuilt and back to full readiness, on 1 February 1949 Lord Bandon handed over his once more fully operational command to his successor Air Commodore Richard Jordan
Richard Jordan (RAF officer)
Air Marshal Sir Richard Bowen Jordan KCB DFC ADC RAF was a bomber pilot and squadron commander during the Second World War, a senior Royal Air Force officer during the Second World War and sixth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps, in the post war period of the early 1950s.-Early Royal Air...
. Having introduced the concept of annual ROC summer training camps in 1948 the Earl had formally opened the first two camps at RAF Thorney Island. In 1953 he returned as Air Vice-Marshal The Earl of Bandon to inspect the sixth annual camp at RAF Waterbeach and address the observers as a visiting VIP
Very Important Person
A Very Important Person, or VIP is a person who is accorded special privileges due to his or her status or importance.Examples include celebrities, heads of state/heads of government, major employers, high rollers, politicians, high-level corporate officers, wealthy individuals, or any other...
guest of honour.
Later RAF career
After a period of sabbatical private study at the Imperial Defence College, the Earl became Air Officer CommandingAir Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
No. 2 Group
No. 2 Group RAF
Number 2 Group is a Group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was reactivated in 2000, and is today part of Air Command....
, Germany on 16 January 1950. Seven months later he returned to the UK as AOC No. 11 Group RAF
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...
on promotion to Acting Air Vice-Marshal
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
, a rank that was made permanent on 1 Jan 1952. In 1953 he was tasked with the quite formidable duty of planning the flypast for the Coronation Review of the RAF at RAF Odiham
RAF Odiham
RAF Odiham is a Royal Air Force station situated a little to the south of the historic small village of Odiham in Hampshire, England. It is the home of the Royal Air Force's heavy lift helicopter, the Chinook HC2, HC2A and HC3...
which took place on 15 July. This involved scheduling 640 aircraft to pass the reviewing point in 27 minutes. On completion of the flypast he marched to the saluting dais to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth, who bestowed him 'on the spot' as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
.
On the 1 October 1953 he was appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff with responsibility for RAF training. On 22 January 1956 he was promoted to Acting Air Marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
and appointed as Commander in Chief of the 2nd Tactical Air Forces. In July 1957 his promotion to Air Marshal was made permanent and he was appointed Commander in Chief, Far East Air Force.
On the 1 July 1959 Lord Bandon was promoted to Air Chief Marshal
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...
and his final RAF appointment came on 1 March 1961 when he became Commander, Allied Air Forces in Central Europe.
Never one for officialdom he had found himself 'in hot water' on a number of occasions throughout his career, one such being in 1957 when he received a reprimand from George Ward, Secretary of State for Air
George Ward, 1st Viscount Ward of Witley
George Reginald Ward, 1st Viscount Ward of Witley, PC , styled The Honourable George Ward until 1960, was a British Conservative politician...
, for stating to the British press that tactical nuclear weapons would soon be issued to air forces in Europe. Yet another reprimand arrived from Lord Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
after his virtual single handed high-jacking of the Indian Ocean island of Gan
RAF Gan
The former Royal Air Force Station Gan commonly known as RAF Gan, was a Royal Air Force military airbase on Gan Island, the southern-most island of Addu Atoll which is part of the larger groups of islands which form the Maldives, in the middle of the Indian Ocean.-History:The area was originally...
as a RAF staging post. During his tenure as C in C, FEAF he took the opportunity of flying aboard Sunderland 'P-Peter' of 205/209 Sqn when it made the last ever flight by a RAF flying boat on 15 May 1959. He then took the salute at the disbandment of the Squadron at Changi on the 31st of the month.
He retired from the RAF on 6 February 1964 and took up residence at the family estate in Cork.
Private life
Bandon married Maybel Elizabeth Playfair, the daughter of Raymond Playfair, on 28 February 1933 at NairobiNairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
, in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. They divorced thirteen years later in 1946 just before he married Lois Russell, daughter of prominent Australian Francis Russell, on 2 October 1946.
In retirement the Earl discovered the pleasures of fishing, particularly in the River Bandon
River Bandon
The River Bandon is a river in County Cork in Ireland. It rises at Nowen Hill , to the north of Drimoleague.The river then flows to Dunmanway, before turning eastward towards the twin villages of Ballineen and Enniskean...
which was well stocked with salmon, and in shooting, snipe and woodcock found in large numbers near Castle Bernard. He was also developing an enthusiastic skill as a gardener with a particular knowledge of rhododendrons. The Earl died on 8 February 1979 at Bon Secours Hospital in County Cork. aged 74 and without male issue. Consequently on his death all his titles became extinct. He was survived by Lois, Lady Bandon and the two daughters from his first marriage, Lady Jennifer Jane Bernard, of Castle Bernard (born April 1935) and Lady Frances Elizabeth Bernard (born February 1943). A portrait in oils (painted 1969) of the Earl, in his uniform as an Air Chief Marshal together with his robes as a peer of the realm, hangs in the main dining hall at the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell.