Air Chief Marshal Sir David George Evans, (14 July 1924 – 21 February 2020) was a senior commander of the

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 ...

Career

Born and educated in Canada, Evans was commissioned into the

as a pilot officer under an emergency commission on 7 April 1944 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 ...

. He underwent pilot training in Canada and he then completed operational training in

Ismaïlia 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 ...

in Egypt. On 7 October 1944, he was promoted to flying officer (war substantive). Evans was one of the first RAF officers to enter

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concentra ...

. He was promoted to flight lieutenant (war substantive) on 7 April 1946. His promotion to flying officer was confirmed on 30 September 1947 with seniority from 7 April 1946. Evans was promoted to the substantive rank of flight lieutenant on 29 October 1948, with promotions to squadron leader on 1 October 1954, to wing commander on 1 July 1959 and to group captain on 1 July 1964. He piloted the British

bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...

team at the 1964 Olympics. In 1973 Evans was made Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group, in 1976 he was appointed Vice Chief of the Air Staff and he went on to be Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief

RAF Strike Command The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007 when it merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air C ...

the following year. He was Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from 1981 to 1983.

Later life

In retirement, Evans became a Non-Executive Director of

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marcon ...

Awards and decorations

On 9 June 1955, Squadron Leader Evans was awarded the

Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air The Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, formerly the King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, was a merit award for flying service awarded by the United Kingdom between 1942 and 1994. It was replaced by the Queen’ ...

. In 1985 he was made King of Arms of the Order of the Bath.

References

, - , - , - , - 1924 births 2020 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Canadian military personnel from Ontario {{RAF-bio-stub