Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Kenyon Burnett, (10 March 1913 – 16 September 2011) 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 who became

Air Secretary The Air Secretary and Chief of Staff, Personnel is the Royal Air Force officer with responsibility for appointments, promotions, postings, and discipline of high ranking members of the British air force. From 1978 to 1983 the Air Secretary was ...

and served as the last Commander-in-Chief of Far East Command.

Early life

The grandson of

Ernest Burnett Ernest Wildman Burnett (22 September 1844 – 22 December 1931) was an English first-class cricketer. Born at Brighton, Burnett was educated at Harrow School. He made his debut in first-class cricket for the Gentlemen of Marylebone Cricket ...

, Burnett was born in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

in India, where his father was principal of

Nizam College The Nizam College is a constituent college of Osmania University established in 1887 during the reign of Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, in Basheerbagh, Hyderabad, Telangana. History The Nizampur University College was originally the "Mirsa ...

. He was educated at Charterhouse School,Nicholas Owen meets Sir Brian Burnett
Surrey Life, 11 November 2009

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, B ...

and

Wadham College Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

RAF career

Burnett joined the Reserve of Air Force Officers in 1932 and transferred to the RAF in 1934. Burnett's name came to prominence in 1938, when he was the navigator and second pilot of a Wellesley bomber that completed a record-breaking non-stop flight of 7,158 miles from

Ismailia Ismailia ( ar, الإسماعيلية ', ) is a city in north-eastern Egypt. Situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal, it is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate. The city has a population of 1,406,699 (or approximately 750,000, includi ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

to Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, for which Burnett was awarded the AFC. He served in

World War II 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 opposing ...

as Commander of No. 51 Whitley Squadron and then as Commander of No. 33 Air Navigation School in Canada before becoming Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters No. 25 Group in 1944. After the War he became an instructor at the

RAF Staff College, Bracknell The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air Force staff college active for most of the second half of the 20th century. Its role was the training of staff officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of air force matters. ...

and then joined the UN Military Staff Committee in New York. He served on the Joint Planning Staff 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 1949 and became Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters No. 3 Bomber Group from 1951. He was made Station Commander at the RAF 'V' Bomber Station

RAF Gaydon Royal Air Force Gaydon or more simply RAF Gaydon is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Wellesbourne, Warwickshire and north west of Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. RAF Gaydon opened in 1942 and is known for its role during the ...

in 1954, Director of Bombing and Reconnaissance Operations at the Air Ministry in 1956 and Air Officer in charge of Administration at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command in 1959. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 3 Group in 1961, Vice-Chief of the Air Staff in 1964 and

in 1967. His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief Far East Command in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

in 1970 before he retired in 1972.

Wimbledon chairmanship

Upon his retirement he became Chairman of the

All England Lawn Tennis Club The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam t ...

, a position he held for ten years until retiring in 1984. His chairmanship was highly influential in shaping the modern history of the club. The year prior to his appointment 81 players of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) had boycotted the Wimbledon Championships, and relations between the players and the club were still strained. Burnett's calm manner and patient and tactful approach smoothed the way for reconciliation. He is also credited with giving a young

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...

a steer in the right direction following numerous reportings of McEnroe to the referee's office.Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burnett
The Telegraph, 20 September 2011 Burnett also felt that the Royal Box should be utilised when members of the Royal family were not in attendance and implemented this rule.

Personal and sporting achievements

Burnett was a keen sports player and received many accolades including two Blues at Oxford University (tennis & squash). Prior and post Second World War he won the Army squash championships and was undefeated at squash in the world from 1937 to 1939. He also played in the post-war 1946 Wimbledon Championships. He married Valerie St. Ludger (d. 2003) and continued to live an active life playing tennis and skiing until he was over 90. He is survived by his two sons Robert and Bruce.

References

External links