Air Chief Marshal Sir Roger Hewlett Palin, (born 8 July 1938) is a former 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) an ...

commander.

Early life and army career

Palin was educated at

Canford School Canford School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18). Situated in 300 acres of parkland near to the market town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, south west England, it is one of the largest s ...

and St John's College, Cambridge. During his

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

, Palin served in the King's Royal Rifle Corps, being commissioned from cadet to second lieutenant on 10 May 1958. On 6 October 1959 he joined the Territorial Army portion of the Parachute Regiment, as a second lieutenant with seniority from 10 May 1958, and was promoted to lieutenant on 10 January 1960. On 1 February 1961 he was placed on the unattached list. On 1 February 1962 he rejoined

The King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...

Green Jackets Brigade The Green Jackets Brigade (known as O Group until 1948) was an administrative brigade of the British Army from 1946 to 1968, that administered the English rifle regiments. History After the Second World War the British Army had fourteen infantry ...

, in the Army Emergency Reserve.

RAF career

On 21 January 1963 Palin joined the Royal Air Force, being granted a permanent commission as a flying officer, with seniority from 1 November 1961. He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 1 May 1964, and 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 als ...

on 1 January 1970. He served as

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, t ...

No. 43 Squadron. On 3 June 1972 he was awarded the

Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air The Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, formerly the King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, was a merit award for flying service awarded by the United Kingdom between 1942 and 1994. It was replaced by the Queen’ ...

. On 1 January 1975 he was promoted to

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

. In the

1979 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1979 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 1979 to celebr ...

Palin was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He was promoted to group captain on 1 January 1980. He then served as Aide-de-Camp to The Queen from 11 December 1981 until 10 December 1982. He was promoted to air commodore on 1 January 1984, and to air vice marshal on 1 January 1986. He served as Air Officer Commanding, No. 11 Group from July 1987 until March 1989, and was promoted to air marshal on 14 April to serve as Commander-in-Chief

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 ...

and

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 the 1989 Birthday Honours he was made a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

(KCB). Palin then served as

Air Member for Personnel The Air Member for Personnel (AMP) is the senior Royal Air Force officer who is responsible for personnel matters and is a member of the Air Force Board. The AMP is in charge of all aspects of recruiting, non-operational flying and ground tr ...

from 1991 before retiring from the RAF on 1 July 1993.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Palin, Roger 1938 births Living people People educated at Canford School Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Royal Air Force air marshals King's Royal Rifle Corps officers Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air