Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

Sturley Philip Simpson, (13 June 1896 – 28 April 1966) 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 ...

commander.

RAF career

Simpson was commissioned into the

Bedfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the World War ...

in 1915 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Vice Marshal S P Simpson
/ref> Awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in 1927,At Buckingham Palace
Flight International, 24 February 1927 he was appointed Officer Commanding No. 4 Squadron in 1930 and Station Commander at

RAF Thornaby Royal Air Force Thornaby or more simply RAF Thornaby was a former Royal Air Force Station located near the town of Thornaby-on-Tees, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England. Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Coastal Command all operated fro ...

in 1938. During 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 ...

he commanded AHQ Gibraltar and then No. 18 Group. He retired in 1947. After the Second World War Simpson was Commandant at Northolt Aerodrome.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Sturley 1896 births 1966 deaths Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment officers British Army personnel of World War I Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Lion Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Air Force air marshals of World War II Royal Flying Corps officers