Marshal of the Royal Air Force Marshal of the Royal Air Force (MRAF) is the highest rank in the Royal Air Force (RAF). In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), and to retired Chiefs of the Air Staff (CAS), who were ...

Sir Denis Frank Spotswood, (26 September 1916 – 11 November 2001) was a senior commander in 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 ...

. He fought in 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 flying boat pilot and then as a coastal

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

squadron commander during Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. He served as a station commander in the late 1940s and early 1950s before becoming a senior air commander in the late 1950s. As the Chief of the Air Staff in the early 1970s he had a major role in implementing the defence savings demanded by the

Heath Government Edward Heath of the Conservative Party formed the Heath ministry and was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II on 19 June 1970, following the 18 June general election. Heath's ministry ended after the February 19 ...

in the face of economic difficulties at the time.

RAF career

The son of Frank Henry Spotswood and Maud Caroline Spotswood (née Booth), Spotswood was educated at

Kingston Grammar School Kingston Grammar School is an independent co-educational day school in Kingston upon Thames, England. The school was founded by Royal Charter in 1561 but can trace its roots back to at least the 13th century.

before joining the

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

as a trainee journalist in 1932.Probert, p. 70 He decided to change career and joined the Royal Air Force, being commissioned as an acting pilot officer on 14 April 1936 and, after completing flying training, he was confirmed in the appointment on 6 January 1937. He was posted to No. 220 Squadron flying Ansons from

RAF Bircham Newton Royal Air Force Bircham Newton or more simply RAF Bircham Newton is a former Royal Air Force station located south east of Docking, Norfolk and north east of King's Lynn, Norfolk, England. History The site was first used during the First Wo ...

in 1936 in January 1937 and then transferred to No. 201 Squadron flying

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

flying boats from RAF Calshot in October 1937 and then to No. 209 Squadron flying

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 ...

and Stranraer flying boats from

RAF Invergordon Royal Air Force Alness or more simply RAF Alness is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of Alness, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland and north of Inverness, Inverness-shire. History RAF Alness was previously called RAF Invergordon ...

in February 1938. PBY Catalina landing

Spotswood served in the

, initially undertaking patrols of the

Western Approaches The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...

using the new Lerwick flying boats and then the new Catalina flying boats of No. 209 Squadron. He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 3 September 1940, and mentioned in despatches on 24 September 1941. Promoted to the rank of

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

on a temporary basis on 1 December 1941, he became Officer Commanding No. 500 Squadron flying Hudson coastal

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...

from

RAF St Eval Royal Air Force St. Eval or RAF St. Eval was a Royal Air Force station for the RAF Coastal Command, southwest of Padstow in Cornwall, England, UK. St Eval's primary role was to provide anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south wes ...

in April 1942.Probert, p. 71 Promoted to squadron leader on a war substantive basis on 18 July 1942, Spotswood and his squadron were deployed to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in November 1942 to take part in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 10 November 1942. Spotswood joined the Air Staff in the Directorate of Operations 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 ...

in April 1943, before attending the

RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park The RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park, was a satellite staff college for the Royal Air Force based at Bulstrode Park. History The college opened in 1941 at Bulstrode Park with the objective of providing staff officer training primarily for foreig ...

for much of the remainder of the year. He was mentioned in despatches again on 2 June 1943 and awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

on 28 September 1943. He was appointed Director of Plans at the Headquarters of the Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia in February 1944 and became a

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

on a temporary basis on 1 July 1944 and on a war substantive basis on 11 August 1944. He was promoted to

on a permanent basis on 1 September 1945. Appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginni ...

, Spotswood 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. ...

in February 1946 and was promoted to

on 1 July 1947. After becoming Station Commander at

RAF Horsham St Faith RAF Horsham St Faith is a former Royal Air Force station near Norwich, Norfolk, England which was operational from 1939 to 1963. It was then developed as Norwich International Airport. RAF Bomber Command use The airfield was first developed ...

in December 1947 and then Station Commander at

RAF Coltishall Royal Air Force Coltishall, more commonly known as RAF Coltishall , is a former Royal Air Force station located North-North-East of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, which operated from 1938 to 2006. It was a fighter airf ...

in January 1948, he was made an Officer of the Legion of Merit by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

on 9 March 1948. After attending the Air Defence Course at the School of Land/Air Warfare as well as the jet conversion course, Spotswood joined the Directing Staff at the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

in March 1950. He was sent on an exchange posting to the Tactical Operations Plans Branch at Headquarters

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

in June 1952, and having been promoted to group captain on 1 January 1954, he became Station Commander at

RAF Linton-on-Ouse RAF Linton-on-Ouse was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, England, north-west of York. It had satellite stations at RAF Topcliffe and Dishforth Airfield (British Army). The station opened in 1937. With t ...

in August 1954. He went on to be deputy director of Plans at the

in October 1956 and, having been appointed Aide-de-Camp to

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

on 18 June 1957, he became Commandant at the

RAF College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and ...

in August 1958. He was promoted to air commodore on 1 January 1960. Appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in the 1961

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

, Spotswood became Assistant Chief of the Staff (Air Defence) at

SHAPE A shape or figure is a graphical representation of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, texture, or material type. A plane shape or plane figure is constrained to lie ...

in June 1961. Promoted to

air vice-marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

on 1 July 1961, he became Chairman of the Pathfinder Study Group in November 1963, charged with determining the shape, size and cost of the RAF front line.Probert, p. 72 His main recommendation, which was implemented, was to merge

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Brita ...

and RAF Bomber Command to form

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 ...

. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 3 Bomber Group in August 1964 and Commander-in-Chief

RAF Germany The former Royal Air Force Germany (RAFG) was a command of the Royal Air Force and part of British Forces Germany. It consisted of units located in Germany, initially as part of the occupation following the Second World War, and later as part o ...

as well as Commander of the

Second Tactical Air Force The RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces ...

on 6 December 1965. Having been advanced to Knight Commander of the

in the 1966

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are prese ...

and been promoted to air marshal on 1 July 1966, Spotswood became Commander-in-Chief

on 26 August 1968. He was promoted to air chief marshal on 1 November 1968, and appointed Air Aide-de-Camp to the Queen on 7 July 1970. Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1971

, he became Chief of the Air Staff on 1 April 1971. As Chief of the Air Staff he had a major role in implementing the defence savings demanded by the

in the face of economic difficulties at the time.Probert, p. 73 Spotswood presented Prince Charles with his 'wings' at the end of his flying training in August 1971. Spotswood was promoted to

on 31 March 1974 and retired on the same day.

Later life

In retirement Spotswood became Deputy Chairman of

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

, a Director of

Dowty Group Dowty Group was a leading British manufacturer of aircraft equipment. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The firm ceased operating as an individual entity following its acquisition by T ...

and then a Director of Smiths Industries. He also became Chairman of the Trustees of the

RAF Museum The Royal Air Force Museum is a museum dedicated to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. The museum is a non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Defence and is a registered charity. The museum is split into two separate sites: * Ro ...

and of the Royal Star and Garter Home.Probert, p. 74 He died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

at Thamesfield Care Home in Henley-on-Thames on 11 November 2001.

Personal life

In July 1942 he married Margaret Ann Child; they had one son. His interests included golf and gardening.

References

Sources

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Spotswood, Denis 1916 births 2001 deaths Chiefs of the Air Staff (United Kingdom) Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Marshals of the Royal Air Force Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Officers of the Legion of Merit Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Rolls-Royce people People educated at Kingston Grammar School Commandants of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell People from Lewisham Military personnel from London