Air Marshal Sir Frederick Beresford Sowrey, (14 September 1922 – 24 July 2019) 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. He served as Director of Defence Policy at the Ministry of Defence from 1968 to 1970, and Commandant of the National Defence College from 1972 to 1975.

Early life

Sowrey was born on 14 September 1922 to Group Captain

Frederick Sowrey Group Captain Frederick Sowrey, (25 July 1893 – 21 October 1968) was a British aviator, military officer, and a flying ace of the First World War credited with thirteen aerial victories. He was most noted for his first victory, when he shot d ...

. He was educated at

Charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey Londo ...

, a public school in Godalming, Surrey.

RAF career

Second World War

Sowrey was commissioned into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve General Duties Branch on 24 August 1941 as a pilot officer on probation (emergency). He was given the

service number A service number is an identification code used to identify a person within a large group. Service numbers are most often associated with the military; however, they may be used in civilian organizations as well. National identification numbers may ...

107942. He received his pilot training in Canada, and joined

No. 26 Squadron RAF No. 26 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1915 and was disbanded for the last time in 1976. The squadron's motto is ''N Wagter in die Lug'' (Afrikaans) (A guard in the sky), and the badge is a springbok's head couped. History 1915 ...

in March 1942 flying

P-51 Mustangs The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

. On 20 August 1942, his commission was confirmed and he was promoted to flying officer (

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

). From 1942 to 1944, he undertook

aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of i ...

in the

European theatre The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

. On 20 August 1943, he was promoted to flight lieutenant (war substantive). After a posting to the Flying Instructors School in 1944, he then served with the

First Allied Airborne Army The First Allied Airborne Army was an Allied formation formed on 2 August 1944 by the order of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. The formation was part of the Allied Expeditionary For ...

in 1945.

Postwar service

Following the Second World War, Sowrey was granted a permanent commission in the

on 1 July 1946 as a flight lieutenant with seniority from 1 September 1945. From 1946 to 1948, he served in No. 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force. He attended the Fighter Gunnery School from 1949 to 1950. As part of the half-yearly promotions, he was promoted to

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 1 January 1951. He was appointed

Officer Commanding The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, t ...

No. 615 Squadron in 1951, was awarded the Air Force Cross in the

1954 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1954 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1954 to celebrat ...

, and attended

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. ...

. Sowrey served in the Chiefs of Staff Secretariat between 1955 and 1958 and, as part of the half-yearly promotions, he was promoted to

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 1 July 1956. Sowrey served as Officer Commanding No. 46 Squadron RAF from 1958 to 1960, then as Personal Staff Officer to Air Chief Marshal Sir Thomas Pike, Chief of the Air Staff, from 1960 to 1962. He served as Commanding Officer of

RAF Abingdon Royal Air Force Abingdon or more simply RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps. History The airfield was opened in 1932, initially as ...

, Oxfordshire, for two years from 1962, and spent 1965 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 ...

, receiving promotion to air commodore on 1 July 1965. Sowrey was 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 ...

1965 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1965 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate t ...

. Sowrey served as Senior Air Staff Officer Middle East Command (Aden) from 1966 to 1967, was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the

1968 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1968 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the '' Lo ...

, and served as Director of Defence Policy at the Ministry of Defence from 1968 to 1970. He was a Senior Air Staff Officer in

RAF Training Command Training Command was the Royal Air Force's command responsible for flying and ground training from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1968 to 1977. Training Command was formed from RAF Inland Area on 1 May 1936 and absorbed into RAF Support Command on 13 ...

from 1970 to 1972, being appointed an acting

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 June 1970, and was promoted to that rank on 1 July 1971. Sowrey served as Commandant of the National Defence College from November 1972 to 1975. In August 1975 he was appointed Director General of RAF Training, then served as the UK Representative at the Permanent Military Deputies Group

CENTO The Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), also known as the Baghdad Pact and subsequently known as the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed in 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Tur ...

(Central Treaty Organisation) from 1977 to 1979, originally with the acting rank of air marshal, before being promoted to that rank on 1 January 1978. Sowrey was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

in the

1978 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1978 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginn ...

, and retired from the Royal Air Force on 5 April 1980.

Post-RAF career

After leaving the RAF, Sowrey was a research fellow at the

International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...

from 1980 to 1981. He then became involved in a number of organisations. From 1981 to 1993 he was chairman, and afterwards president, of the Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society, and has been a member of the Board of Conservators of

Ashdown Forest Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of open heathland occupying the highest sandy ridge-top of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated some south of London in the county of East Sussex, England. Rising to an elevation o ...

since 1984, and a trustee of both the Guild of Aviation Artists and

Amberley Chalk Pits Museum Amberley Museum is an open-air industrial heritage museum at Amberley, near Arundel in West Sussex, England. The museum is owned and operated by Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre, a not-for-profit company and registered charity, and has the su ...

since 1990. He served as chairman of the Victory Services Association from 1985 to 1989, and then as president from 1989 to 1993. He was also chairman of RAF Historical Society, which he helped establish in 1986, until appointed life vice president in 1996. Sowrey was also a frequent entrant in the

London to Brighton Veteran Car Run The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is the world's longest-running motoring event, held on a course between London () and Brighton (), England. To qualify, participating cars must have been built before 1905. It is also the world's largest ...

, driving a 1901

Darracq A Darracq and Company Limited owned a French manufacturer of motor vehicles and aero engines in Suresnes, near Paris. The French enterprise, known at first as A. Darracq et Cie, was founded in 1896 by Alexandre Darracq after he sold his Gladi ...

he bought in 1990 and restored himself.

Personal life

In 1946, Sowrey married Anne Margaret Haviland (née Bunbury). She was the widow of Pilot Officer Richard Haviland, who had been killed in a flying accident in August 1940. Together, Sowrey and his wife had two children; one son and one daughter. His death was announced on Facebook on 28 July 2019.https://www.facebook.com/hawkertyphoonRB396/posts/2410199349195331