Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Charles Lowe, GCB, DFC, AFC[1] (14 March 1922 – 24 January 2018) was a Second World War pilot and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Sir Douglas Charles Lowe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 March 1922 |
| Died | 24 January 2018 (aged 95) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1940–1983 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands | Controller Aircraft (1975–82) No. 18 Group (1973–75) RAF Cranwell (1963–65) |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Flying Cross Air Force Cross Mentioned in Despatches |
Family
editDouglas Charles Lowe was born on 14 March 1922.[2] He married Doreen Elizabeth Nichols the daughter of Ralph Henry Nichols. Their only daughter, Frances Elizabeth Lowe, married Christopher Russell Bailey, the 5th Baron Glanusk.[3]
RAF career
editLowe enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) in 1940,and trained under the Arnold Scheme at Americus Georgia. He returned to England and flew as a pilot during the Second World War. As a sergeant, he was granted an emergency commission in the RAFVR as a probationary pilot officer on 4 January 1943.[4] He was promoted to probationary flying officer on 1 July 1943.[5]
As an acting flight lieutenant with No.75 (N.Z.) Squadron, Lowe was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 9 July 1943.[6] He was confirmed in his rank of flying officer on 23 December 1943,[7] and received a mention in despatches in January 1945.[8] Lowe was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) on 1 January 1945.[9] In the 1946 Birthday Honours, Lowe was decorated with the Air Force Cross.[10] He remained in the RAF post-war, being awarded a permanent commission in the rank of flying officer on 1 July 1946, with a subsequent promotion to flight lieutenant on 4 July.[11][12]
Lowe was promoted to squadron leader on 1 July 1952.
On 1 January 1958 he was promoted to wing commander on 1 January 1958[13][14] to command the Vickers Valiants of 148 Squadron at RAF Marham in Norfolk, part of the UK "V" force which was NATO's deterrent to the build-up of the Warsaw Pact nations led by the Soviet Union.
Promoted to group captain on 1 July 1962, he served as Station Commander at RAF Cranwell from November 1963 to 1965.[15][16] With his promotion to air commodore on 1 July 1966, he attained air officer rank.[17] He was promoted to air vice marshal on 1 January 1970 and appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1971 Birthday Honours.[18][19]
In 1973 Lowe was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group and he continued in this post until 1975.[20] Thereafter, he was promoted to air chief marshal and was appointed the Controller of Aircraft:[21] he remained in that post until late 1982.[22] Lowe was the Chief of Defence Procurement at the Ministry of Defence from 1982 to 1983.[23] He retired on 22 August 1983.[24]
Later life
editLowe died on 24 January 2018 at the age of 95.[25]
References
edit- ^ "Person Page". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ Birthdays The Independent, 14 March 1998
- ^ "Glanusk, Baron (UK, 1899)". Archived from the original on 9 May 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
- ^ "No. 35914". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 February 1943. p. 932.
- ^ "No. 36175". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 September 1943. p. 4138.
- ^ "No. 36084". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 July 1943. p. 3095.
- ^ "No. 36488". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 April 1944. p. 1943.
- ^ "No. 36866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1944. p. 73.
- ^ "No. 36909". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 January 1945. p. 574.
- ^ "No. 37598". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1946. p. 2816.
- ^ "No. 37870". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 January 1947. p. 600.
- ^ "No. 37895". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 February 1947. p. 1038.
- ^ "No. 39586". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 June 1952. p. 3582.
- ^ "No. 41266". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 December 1957. p. 7594.
- ^ "No. 42721". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1962. p. 5302.
- ^ "Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – RAF Station Commanders – Lincolnshire and East Midlands". rafweb.org. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "No. 44039". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 June 1966. p. 7468.
- ^ "No. 45013". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 January 1970. p. 221.
- ^ "No. 45384". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1971. p. 5959.
- ^ Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Group No's 10 – 19 Archived 5 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Defence Flight International, 18 September 1975
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack 1983
- ^ Birthdays The Times, 14 March 2007
- ^ "No. 49503". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 October 1983. p. 13293.
- ^ "Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Lowe – obituary". The Telegraph. 10 April 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.