Air chief marshal
Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...
Sir John Gilbert Davis, (24 March 1911 – 3 February 1989) 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) and ...
officer who served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief
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 1968 to 1969.
RAF career
Davis joined the Royal Air Force in 1933.
[Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal Sir John Davis]
/ref> He became a pilot and then attended specialist training in navigation before being appointed a Navigation Staff Officer at Headquarters 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 ...
in 1939.[ He served 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 opposin ...
, initially on secondment to the Turkish Air Force
The Turkish Air Force ( tr, ) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Turkish Air Force can trace its origins back to June 1911 when it was founded by the Ottoman Empire, however, the air force as it is known t ...
and then as Officer Commanding No. 269 Squadron.[
After the war he attended RAF Staff College and then joined the directing staff there.][ He was appointed Group Captain, Air Plans at Headquarters Middle East Air Force in 1951, Station Commander at ]RAF Topcliffe
Royal Air Force Topcliffe or RAF Topcliffe is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, England.
It was established as a RAF Bomber Command station in 1940. The British Army took over a large part of the site in 1974 and the airfield beca ...
in 1953 and 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 ...
in 1955.[ He went on to be Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters ]RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...
in 1958, Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group in 1959 and Air Officer Commanding RAF Malta
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 ...
in 1961.[ His last appointments were as Air Member for Supply and Organisation in 1963, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at ]RAF Flying Training Command
Flying Training Command was an organization of the Royal Air Force; it controlled flight training units. The command's headquarters were at Shinfield Park, Reading in Berkshire.
History
Flying Training Command was formed from the elements of ...
in 1966 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at 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 ...
in 1968 before retiring in 1969.[
In retirement he became ]Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
The Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (, Jèrriais: ''Gouvèrneux d'Jèrri'') is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown.
The Lieutenant Governor has his own flag in Jersey, ...
.Lieutenant Governors
This is Jersey
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, John
1911 births
1989 deaths
Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge
Governors of Jersey
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knights of the Order of St John
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People from Whitby
Royal Air Force air marshals
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Military personnel from Yorkshire