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 Michael John Armitage, (25 August 1930 – 25 December 2022) was a British 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

Educated at Newport Grammar School on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

, Armitage joined the Royal Air Force's Aircraft Apprentice Scheme at

RAF Halton Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World W ...

in 1947.Debrett's People of Today 1994 He was appointed Officer Commanding No. 17 Squadron in 1967 and Station Commander at

RAF Luqa Royal Air Force Luqa was a Royal Air Force station located on the island of Malta, now developed into the Malta International Airport. It hosted aircraft of Air Headquarters Malta (AHQ Malta) during the Second World War. Particularly during ...

in 1972. He was then Director of Forward Policy in 1976, Deputy Commander of

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 ...

in 1978 and Senior RAF Representative on the Directing Staff at the

Royal College of Defence Studies 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 1980. He went on to be Director of Service Intelligence in 1982, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Intelligence) in 1983 and Chief of Defence Intelligence in 1984. Finally he became Air Member for Supply and Organisation in 1985, Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1988 before retiring in 1990.

Personal life and death

Following the dissolution of his first marriage he married Gretl Renate Steinig in 1970. Armitage died on 25 December 2022, at the age of 92.

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Armitage, Michael 1930 births 2022 deaths Royal Air Force air marshals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Trenchard Brats Place of birth missing