Ro Atherton
Encyclopedia
Group Captain
Ro Atherton MA
RAF
is a serving Royal Air Force Officer.
With a logistics background, Atherton joined the RAF at 17 in 1979 and completed training at RAF Henlow
.
She was the first female Station Commander RAF Wittering
and was charged with the radical reorganisation of the Royal Air Force's logistics organisation. This included the relocation of the majority of RAF Air Combat Support Units (ACSUs) to the Station and the creation of the A4 Force Headquarters.
Atherton raised a national controversy when she banned RAF Wittering personnel from wearing uniform whilst off duty. This was in response to reports that personnel from the station were receiving abuse due to the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan
.
Atherton deployed to Afghanistan
in July 2008 as Deputy Commander Joint Force Support Headquarters.
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...
Ro Atherton MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
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...
is a serving Royal Air Force Officer.
With a logistics background, Atherton joined the RAF at 17 in 1979 and completed training at RAF Henlow
RAF Henlow
RAF Henlow is a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England, equidistant from Bedford, Luton and Stevenage. It houses the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine, the RAF Signals Museum and 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.- History :...
.
She was the first female Station Commander RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire is the nearest town, the runways of RAF Wittering cross the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire....
and was charged with the radical reorganisation of the Royal Air Force's logistics organisation. This included the relocation of the majority of RAF Air Combat Support Units (ACSUs) to the Station and the creation of the A4 Force Headquarters.
Atherton raised a national controversy when she banned RAF Wittering personnel from wearing uniform whilst off duty. This was in response to reports that personnel from the station were receiving abuse due to the wars in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Atherton deployed to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in July 2008 as Deputy Commander Joint Force Support Headquarters.