Air Vice Marshal Sir Alan Hunter Cachemaille Boxer, (1 December 1916 – 26 April 1998) was a senior

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

officer.

Early life

Boxer was born in Hastings, New Zealand, on 1 December 1916, and was educated at

Nelson College Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private preparatory school for year 7 and 8 boys. The school also has ...

from 1927 to 1935.''Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–2006'', 6th edition

RAF career

Boxer joined the

in January 1939 and saw service during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

as a pilot with No. 161 Squadron at

RAF Tempsford RAF Tempsford is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of Sandy, Bedfordshire, England and south of St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, England. As part of the Royal Air Force Special Duty Service, the airfield was perhaps the most ...

, as a flight commander with No. 138 Squadron and then as Commanding Officer of No. 161 Squadron from 1943.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Vice-Marshal Sir Alan Boxer
/ref> He continued his war service on the staff in the Directorate of Intelligence at the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

from September 1943 and then on the staff at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command from February 1945. Boxer remained in the Royal Air Force after the war. Boxer flew B-29s over Korea while on secondment to the USAF.Newton, Dennis ''Kiwis over Korea'' article ''Fly Past'' magazine February 2006 pp. 61–2 He became Officer Commanding No. 7 Squadron in 1956, Station Commander at

RAF Wittering Royal Air Force Wittering or more simply RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire i ...

in 1958 and Group Captain responsible for Plans at Headquarters Bomber Command in 1959. He went on to be Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters No. 1 Group in 1963, Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command in 1965 and Defence Services Secretary in 1967 before retiring in 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boxer, Alan 1916 births 1998 deaths New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand Companions of the Order of the Bath New Zealand Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Nelson College People from Hastings, New Zealand Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Air Medal Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari