| John Frederick Andrews Higgins | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 September 1875 |
| Died | 1 June 1948 (aged 72) Leamington[1] |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | c. 1895–1930 1939–1940 |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Commands held | No. 5 Squadron RFC RFC Training Wing II Brigade RFC VI Brigade RFC III Brigade RFC No. 3 Area Midland Area RAF forces of the Rhine Northern Area Inland Area Iraq Command Indian Air Force |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Air Force Cross Mentioned in Despatches (6) |
| Other work | Director of Air Service Training Ltd (1931?), Hamble, England, with J D Siddeley, F P Scott and S W Hiscocks. |
Air Marshal Sir John Frederick Andrews Higgins KCB, KBE, DSO, AFC, RAF (1 September 1875 – 1 June 1948) was a senior officer in the Royal Flying Corps and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the first half of the 20th century.
Higgins became a cadet at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery in 1895 before serving in the Second Boer War.[2] He served as Officer Commanding No. 5 Squadron from July 1913 and then at the start of November 1914, Higgins was selected to head up the RFC's training wing which was based at Netheravon.[3] He went on to command II Brigade RFC, VI Brigade RFC and then III Brigade RFC during the course of World War I.[2] In the closing stages of the War he was General Officer Commanding No. 3 Area and then General Officer Commanding Midland Area.[2]
After the War he was appointed General Officer Commanding RAF forces of the Rhine and then Air Officer Commanding Northern Area before becoming Director of Personnel at the Air Ministry in 1920.[2] He went on to be Air Officer Commanding Inland Area in 1922, Air Officer Commanding Iraq Command in 1924 and Air Member for Supply and Research in 1926.[2] He retired to India in 1930 but was recalled as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Air Forces in India in October 1939 at the start of World War II before retiring again in August 1940.[2]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title Squadron formed
|
Officer Commanding No. 5 Squadron 1913–1914 |
Succeeded by A C H MacLean |
| New title Wing formed from elements of the Military Wing
|
Officer Commanding No. 4 (Training) Wing 9 November 1914–1915 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by T I Webb-Bowen |
Officer Commanding No. 3 Wing 2 June – 25 August 1915 |
Succeeded by W S Brancker |
| Preceded by C F Lambert |
RAF Director of Personnel 1920 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by J M Salmond |
Air Officer Commanding Iraq Command 1924–1926 |
Succeeded by E L Ellington |
| Preceded by Sir Geoffrey Salmond |
Air Member for Supply and Research 27 December 1926 – 1 September 1930 |
Succeeded by H C T Dowding |
| Preceded by Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferté |
Commander-in-Chief, Air Forces in India 1939–1940 |
Succeeded by Sir Patrick Playfair |