Air Chief Marshal Sir David John Pryer Lee, (4 September 1912 – 13 February 2004) was a

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 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 ...

and a senior commander in the 1950s and early 1960s.

RAF career

Educated at Bedford School,Obituary: Air Chief Marshal Sir David Lee
Daily Telegraph, 19 February 2004 Lee joined the Royal Air Force in 1930.
/ref> He served in the

as a pilot with No. 61 Squadron and then with No. 106 Squadron before becoming Deputy Director of Plans 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 ...

. He completed his war service as Officer Commanding No. 904 Wing in the Dutch East Indies where he was responsible for repatriating prisoners of war. After the War he joined the Directing Staff 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 was then was appointed Deputy Director, Policy at the Air Ministry before becoming Station Commander at

RAF Scampton Royal Air Force Scampton or RAF Scampton is a Royal Air Force station located adjacent to the A15 road near to the village of Scampton, Lincolnshire, and north-west of the city of Lincoln, England. RAF Scampton stands on the site of a Firs ...

in 1953. He went on to be Secretary of the Chiefs of Staff Committee in 1956, Air Officer Commanding Air Forces Middle East in 1959 and Commandant of the

in 1962. He last appointments were as

Air Member for Personnel The Air Member for Personnel (AMP) is the senior Royal Air Force officer who is responsible for personnel matters and is a member of the Air Force Board. The AMP is in charge of all aspects of recruiting, non-operational flying and ground tr ...

in 1965 and UK Military Representative to NATO in 1968 before retiring in 1971.

Family

In 1938 he married Denise Hartoch; they had a son and a daughter.

Books

Lee wrote three official histories of the RAF overseas: *''Flight from the Middle East: A history of the Royal Air Force in the Arabian Peninsula and adjacent territories 1945–1972'', HMSO 1980 *''Eastward: A history of the Royal Air Force in the Far East 1945–1972'', HMSO 1984 *''Wings in the Sun: A history of the Royal Air Force in the Mediterranean 1945–1986'', HMSO Books 1989 He also wrote two accounts of his own time in the RAF: *''Never Stop the Engine when it's Hot'', Thomas Harmsworth Publishing 1983 – recounting his time as a junior officer flying

Westland Wapiti The Westland Wapiti was a British two-seat general-purpose military single-engined biplane of the 1920s. It was designed and built by Westland Aircraft Works to replace the Airco DH.9A in Royal Air Force service. First flying in 1927, the Wa ...

s between the wars on the NorthWest Frontier of India *''...And We Thought the War Was Over'', Thomas Harmsworth Publishing 1991 – about his time as CO of 904 Tactical Wing of

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bom ...

s in the Dutch East Indies at the end of World War II

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, David 1912 births 2004 deaths People educated at Bedford School British World War II pilots British World War II bomber pilots Royal Air Force air marshals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath People from Luton Military personnel from Bedfordshire