Air Marshal Sir Peter Edward Bairsto, (3 August 1926 – 24 October 2017) 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 Deputy Commander of Strike Command from 1981 until his retirement in 1984.

Early life

Bairsto was born on 3 August 1926. He was educated at Rhyl Grammar School.

Military career

Bairsto joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in 1944 and transferred to the

in 1946Debrett's People of Today 1994 as an

aircraftman Aircraftman (AC) or aircraftwoman (ACW) is the lowest rank in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the air forces of several other Commonwealth countries. In RAF slang, aircraftmen are sometimes called "erks". Aircraftman ranks below leading ...

. He was commissioned into the

RAF Regiment The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by royal warrant in 1942, the Corps carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Examples of such ta ...

with the rank of

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

(on probation) on 10 May 1946. On 10 November 1946, his commission was confirmed and he was promoted to flying officer (

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

). On 17 July 1947, with the end of

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 ...

active service, he reverted to pilot officer with seniority from 10 May 1946. On 1 November 1947, he was promoted to flying officer. He transferred to the General Duties Branch, the branch containing navigators and pilots, on 12 December 1951 as a flying officer with seniority from that date. He was promoted to

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

on 1 August 1953, was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air in the

1955 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1955 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1955 to celebrat ...

and an Air Force Cross in the

1957 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1957 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the ''Lon ...

. In the half-yearly promotions of 1958, on 1 July, he was promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

. In the

1960 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1960 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to t ...

, Bairsto was awarded a further Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. He was promoted to

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

on 1 January 1969, and to air commodore on 1 July 1973 in the half-yearly promotions. He became Director of Operational Requirements in 1973, Senior Air Staff Officer at Support Command in 1977 (retitled Air Officer, Training Group at RAF Support Command in 1978) and Commander of the Northern Maritime Air Region in 1980. He went on to be Deputy Commander of Strike Command in 1981, and retired in 1984.

Later life

In retirement, Bairsto became an advisor to Ferranti Group. He also served as Deputy Lieutenant of

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

. He died on 24 October 2017.

Personal life

In 1947, he married Kathleen Clarbour; they had two sons and one daughter. Following the death of his first wife in 2008, he married Pamela Braid (née Gibson) on 15 May 2010 at Hope Park Parish Church,

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...

. By July 1973, he was a Member of the British Institute of Management (MBIM). He was Honorary Colonel of the 79 Engineer Regiment (Volunteers) until 3 August 1992.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bairsto, Peter 1926 births 2017 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath Deputy Lieutenants of Fife Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Air Force Regiment officers Royal Navy personnel of World War II Royal Navy sailors