Air Marshal Sir John Hugh Lapsley, (24 September 1916 – 21 November 1995) was a British fighter pilot of 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 ...

and, later, 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) and ...

commander.

RAF career

Lapsely joined the Royal Air Force as an Aircraft Apprentice in 1935 later being awarded a cadetship at the RAF College Cranwell.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshall Lapsley
/ref> In 1937 he was appointed to a permanent commission and a posting to No. 32 Squadron. By February 1941 he was in command of No. 274 Squadron in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, originally with Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters which were soon replaced by the

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

. He was shot down near Tobruk on 19 April 1941 and was repatriated back to England to recover. At first he was only fit for instructional duties but by 1943 he was in command of No. 125 Wing with the Hawker Typhoon fighter bomber. After the war he attended 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. I ...

and then became Officer Commanding

No. 74 Squadron Number 74 Squadron, also known as "Tiger Squadron" from its tiger-head motif, was a squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated fighter aircraft from 1917 to the 1990s, and then trainers until its disbandment in 2000. It w ...

before taking command of the Air Fighting Development Squadron in 1949 and then taking over responsibility for Flying at the Central Flying Establishment in 1951. He went on to be Station Commander at

RAF Wahn Cologne Bonn Airport (german: Flughafen Köln/Bonn 'Konrad Adenauer') is the international airport of Germany's fourth-largest city Cologne, and also serves Bonn, former capital of West Germany. With around 12.4 million passengers passing thro ...

in 1954, Deputy Chief of Staff at Headquarters

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, ...

in 1961 and Director of the Defence Operations Staff on formation of the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

in 1964. He became Air Officer Commanding No. 19 (Reconnaissance) Group in 1967 and Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, Coastal Command in 1968. Whilst serving as Commander-in Chief won Coastal Commands Scratch Golf Championship in 1969. In that capacity he accepted the first

Nimrod Nimrod (; ; arc, ܢܡܪܘܕ; ar, نُمْرُود, Numrūd) is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of ...

aircraft into service in October 1969. His last appointment was as Head of the British Defence Staff in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1970 before retiring in 1973. Whilst serving as Commander-in Chief he won Coastal Command's Scratch Golf Championship in 1969. In retirement he became Director General of the Save the Children Fund.National Archives
/ref> He is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's at

Benhall Benhall is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located to the south of Saxmundham, in 2007 its population was estimated to be 560, reducing to 521 at the 2011 Census. Geography Benhall is split into t ...

in Suffolk.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lapsley, John 1916 births 1995 deaths Burials in Suffolk Royal Air Force air marshals Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force personnel of World War II British World War II pilots Trenchard Brats British air attachés Military personnel of British India