Air Commodore Dr John Buchan Ross, QHS,

CStJ The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

, (3 July 1912 – 24 January 2009) was a senior

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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) and ...

officer who served from 1935 in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, the

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

during World War II and in the Malaya Emergency.

Education

John Buchan Ross was born in

Tayport Tayport, also known as Ferry-Port on Craig, is a town and burgh, and parish, in the county of Fife, Scotland, acting as a commuter town for Dundee. The motto of the Burgh is ''Te oportet alte ferri'' ("It is incumbent on you to carry yourself ...

and educated at

Strathallan School Strathallan School is an independent boarding and day school in Scotland for boys and girls aged 7–18. The school has a campus at Forgandenny, a few miles south of Perth. School roll The school has 73 full-time staff, and 18 part-time staff ...

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. He graduated from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

with a

MB ChB Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

and

DTM&H Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H) is a postgraduate award, given after a prescribed period of instruction followed by an examination consisting of three parts; (a) a written examination (b) a practical laboratory examination and (c) ...

Career

Ross joined the Royal Air Force in 1935 and was posted to Iraq where he served as squadron medical officer. On 3 January 1938 he was granted a short term commission as a flying officer for three years on the active list having held seniority since 3 January 1937. On 3 January 1939 he was promoted to flight lieutenant having held seniority since 3 January 1938. Following the outbreak of

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 opposin ...

he was posted to the Far East. He specialised in tropical medicine and the treatment of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. In December 1941 he was promoted to squadron leader on a temporary basis, and not permanently until 1 September 1945. On 1 July 1948 Ross was promoted to wing commander, and on 1 October 1957 he was promoted to group captain. He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

on 10 December 1957 for his distinguished service in Malaya. Ross was appointed a Commander of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem on 14 January 1964. On 1 July 1964 he was promoted to air commodore, and on 25 August 1969 he was appointed

Honorary Surgeon to The Queen The Medical Household is the medical part of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarch, Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It mainly comprises a range of Physicians and Surgeons to the Sovereign and to the Royal Hous ...

, a position he held until his retirement. Ross retired from the Royal Air Force at his own request on 16 June 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, John Buchan 1912 births 2009 deaths People educated at Strathallan School Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force personnel of the Malayan Emergency Commanders of the Order of St John People from Tayport Scottish airmen Military personnel from Fife