| Sir John Willis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 October 1937 London, England |
| Died | 9 January 2008 (aged 70) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | c. 1958–1997 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands held | Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff Support Command |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
Air Chief Marshal Sir John Frederick Willis GBE, KCB, FRAeS (27 October 1937 – 9 January 2008), was a senior Royal Air Force officer.
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John Frederick Willis was born in London and educated at Dulwich College and the RAF College Cranwell.[1] Willis gained his RAF commission in 1958 and went on to fly Vulcan bombers.[1] He went on to be Commanding Officer of No 27 Squadron at RAF Scampton.[1] He was appointed Deputy Director of Air Staff Plans at the Ministry of Defence in 1979, Station Commander at RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus in 1982 and Director of Air Staff Briefing & Co-ordination at the Ministry of Defence in 1985.[2] Later that year he was made Chief of the Special Weapons Branch at Headquarters SHAPE.[2]
In 1989 he was appointed Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy & Nuclear).[1] He went on to be one of the RAF's most senior commanders, becoming Director-General of Training in 1991, Air Officer Commanding-in Chief of Support Command in 1992 and the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff at the Ministry of Defence in 1995.[1] He retired from the Royal Air Force in 1997.[1]
In retirement he was a member of the Council of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and a patron of the Second World War Experience Centre. He was also actively involved in his local Royal Air Forces Association.[3]
In 1959, while living in London, Sir John met his wife Merrill, who was a nurse. They had been married since 1960. They had five children together, Johnathon, David, Kate, Rachel, and Rob. Sir John had ten grandchildren; Rebecca, Micheal, Gregory, William, Joe, Ben, Finn, Ella, Millie and Sarah.[3]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir John Thomson |
Commander-in-Chief, Support Command 1992–1994 |
Command split up into Logistics Command under Sir Michael Alcock Personnel and Training Command under Sir Andrew Wilson |
| Preceded by Sir Jock Slater |
Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff 1995–1997 |
Succeeded by Sir Peter Abbott |