Air Marshal Sir Thomas Norman Coslett, (8 November 1909 – 9 November 1987) 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) and ...
officer who served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief
RAF Maintenance Command
RAF Maintenance Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling maintenance for all the United Kingdom-based units from formation on 1 April 1938 until being renamed RAF Support Command on 31 August 1973.
History ...
from 1963 to 1966.
RAF career
Coslett joined the Royal Air Force in 1926.
[Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir Norman Coslett]
/ref> He served as a pilot with No. 216 Squadron at the beginning 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 was then sent to the United States as Liaison Officer to the American aircraft manufacturers in 1942 before returning to join the India Office 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 1943.[
After the war 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, ...
RAF Lüneburg and then became deputy director of Technical Training at the Air Ministry in 1947.[ He went on to be Commandant at the ]Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment
The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE) was a branch of the British Air Ministry, that researched and developed non-traditional airborne applications, such as gliders, rotary wing aircraft, and dropping of personnel and equipment b ...
in 1948, deputy director of Technical Planning at the Air Ministry in 1954 and Senior Technical Staff Officer at Headquarters Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
in 1957.[ His last appointments were as Commandant at No 1 School of Technical Training in 1958, Air Officer Commanding No. 24 Group in 1961 and Air Officer Commanding Maintenance Command in 1963 before retiring in 1966.][
In retirement he became a Director of Flight Refuelling.People and Posts]
Flight International, 16 October 1969
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coslett, Norman
1909 births
1987 deaths
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Royal Air Force air marshals
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Military personnel from Cardiff