Air Commodore Martin Keith Widdowson (born 10 May 1946) was a senior Royal Air Force officer in the 1980s and 1990s and the 24th and last Commandant Royal Observer Corps.
Martin Keith Widdowson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 May 1946 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1964–96[1][2] |
| Rank | Air Commodore |
| Service number | 4232200 |
| Commands | Royal Observer Corps RAF Coningsby No. 23 Squadron |
Military career
editWiddowson was commissioned into the Royal Air Force on 25 March 1964, as an acting pilot officer.[1] A year later, on 25 March 1965, he was regraded as a pilot officer.[3] A year after that, on 25 March 1966, he was promoted to flying officer,[4] and he was appointed to a permanent commission on 1 October 1968.[5] He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 25 September 1969.[6] On 1 January 1974, he was promoted to squadron leader.[7] He was promoted to wing commander on 1 July 1981.[8]
His final operational flying appointment was as the Officer Commanding No. 23 Squadron in 1982 and by the late 1980s, he was Station Commander of RAF Coningsby.[9] He was promoted from wing commander to group captain on 1 January 1988.[10] On 1 July 1992,[11] he was promoted to air commodore[12] and in 1995 he was appointed as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of No. 11/18 Group RAF, simultaneously holding the appointment of 24th and last Commandant Royal Observer Corps until the ROC was Stood Down.[13] He retired from the RAF[2] on 14 September 1996.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b "No. 43314". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 May 1964. p. 3889.
- ^ a b "No. 54551". The London Gazette. 14 October 1996. p. 13685.
- ^ "No. 43612". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 March 1965. p. 3191.
- ^ "No. 43936". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 March 1966. pp. 3519–3520.
- ^ "No. 44850". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 May 1969. p. 5261.
- ^ "No. 44945". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 September 1969. p. 9959.
- ^ "No. 46174". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 January 1974. pp. 283–284.
- ^ "No. 48677". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 July 1981. p. 9312.
- ^ "Station OCs". rafweb.org. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ "No. 51188". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 January 1988. p. 38.
- ^ "No. 52983". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 July 1992. p. 11415.
- ^ "Half-yearly Service Promotions". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ "Units directly responsible to Ministry level". rafweb.org. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ "No. 54551". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 October 1996. p. 13685.
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