Philip Wigglesworth
Encyclopedia
Air Marshal
Sir (Horace Ernest) Philip Wigglesworth KBE
CB
DSC
(11 July 1896–31 May 1975) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force
.
, Wigglesworth joined the Royal Naval Air Service
, a precursor of the RAF, in 1916, flying both fighters and bombers. His actions during an aerial battle on 23 January 1917 resulted in a Distinguished Service Cross
for "conspicuous gallantry and enterprise": he suffered serious frost bite in that action.
He served in World War II
as head of the Combined Planning Staff at Headquarters Middle East Command, as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Middle East and then as Air Officer Commanding AHQ East Africa. He became Deputy Air Commander-in-Chief at Mediterranean Air Command in 1943 and Deputy Chief of Staff (Air) at SHAEF in 1944. After the War he was commander of the British Air Forces of Occupation
from 1946 to 1948 when he retired.
He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the 1946 New Year Honours
. He later became President of the Old Cestrefeldian Society.
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 (Horace Ernest) Philip Wigglesworth 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...
DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
(11 July 1896–31 May 1975) was a senior officer 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...
.
RAF career
Educated at Chesterfield Grammar SchoolBrookfield Community School
Brookfield Community School is a school located on Chatsworth in the west of the town of Chesterfield, Derbyshire in England.-Admissions:Brookfield Community School is a secondary school and a Sports College And A Language College...
, Wigglesworth joined the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
, a precursor of the RAF, in 1916, flying both fighters and bombers. His actions during an aerial battle on 23 January 1917 resulted in a Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
for "conspicuous gallantry and enterprise": he suffered serious frost bite in that action.
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 head of the Combined Planning Staff at Headquarters Middle East Command, as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Middle East and then as Air Officer Commanding AHQ East Africa. He became Deputy Air Commander-in-Chief at Mediterranean Air Command in 1943 and Deputy Chief of Staff (Air) at SHAEF in 1944. After the War he was commander of the British Air Forces of Occupation
RAF Second Tactical Air Force
The former RAF Second Tactical Air Force was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force during and after the Second World War...
from 1946 to 1948 when he retired.
He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the 1946 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
. He later became President of the Old Cestrefeldian Society.