Air Vice Marshal John Beresford Cole-Hamilton CB, CBE, RAF (1 December 1894 – 22 August 1945) was an airship pilot in the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I and a senior Royal Air Force commander during World War II.
During the early months of the War, Cole-Hamilton was Commandant at the RAF's School of Army Co-operation. In 1940 he was sent to France, taking up the post of Air Officer Administration on the Air Component of the British Expeditionary Force. Cole-Hamilton received a temporary promotion to air commodore in July 1940. With the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force, Cole-Hamiliton returned to Great Britain. In December Cole-Hamilton returned to an army co-operation training role, being appointed Air Officer Commanding (AOC) No. 70 (Army Co-operation Training) Group.
In November 1941 Cole-Hamilton was appointed AOC of the RAF in Northern Ireland. October 1942 saw Cole-Hamilton appointed AOC of the Air Headquarters in West Africa. Returning to Great Britain in February 1944, he was appointed AOC of No. 85 (Base) Group. In July he became AOC of No. 10 (Fighter) Group and in November he was appointed AOC of No. 11 (Fighter) Group. Cole-Hamilton died on 22 August 1945, less than four months after the end of the War in Europe.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by H W L Saunders |
Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group 1944 – 1945 |
Succeeded by D A Boyle |