Glenn Torpy

Sir Glenn Torpy
Sir Glenn Torpy
Born	27 July 1953 (1953-07-27) (age 58) Ely, Cambridgeshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1974–2009
Rank	Air Chief Marshal
Battles/wars	Gulf War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer) (US)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Lester Torpy, GCB, CBE, DSO, ADC (born 27 July 1953, Ely) is a retired senior Royal Air Force commander. He was a fast jet pilot in the late 1970s and 1980s, a senior officer in the early 1990s and a senior commander in the late 1990s and the 2000s (decade). He served as Chief of the Air Staff, the professional head of the RAF, from 2006 to 2009.

1 Military career
2 Honours
3 Ranks and Promotions
4 Personal life
5 References
6 External links

Military career

Glenn Torpy joined the Royal Air Force as a Pilot Officer on 8 September 1974 after obtaining a BSc degree^[1] in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London.

His early career, after he left the RAF College Cranwell, involved flying duties on Jaguar aircraft before qualifying as a weapons instructor on Hawk aircraft.

His early commands included a tour as a Squadron Leader on Tornado aircraft before being appointed Officer Commanding No. 13 Squadron. During the Gulf War, Torpy saw active service with No. 13 Squadron and was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).^[2]

In 1995, following several staff office appointments, Torpy was appointed Station Commander at RAF Bruggen in Germany.^[3] He was then appointed Assistant Chief of Staff (Operations) at Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood.

From 2001 to 2003 he was Air Officer Commanding Number One Group^[4] and he also served as the Air Component Commander on Operation Telic (British operations in Iraq).^[5] From 2003 to 2004 he was Deputy Commander-in-chief at RAF Strike Command. On 26 July 2004 he was appointed Chief of Joint Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood.^[6]

Honours

Torpy was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1999 New Year Honours,^[7] and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2005 New Year Honours.^[8] He was appointed as Chief of the Air Staff and an Air Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty the Queen on 13 April 2006^[9] in succession to Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.^[10] In addition to his British honours, Torpy was awarded the Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer) from the United States in 'recognition of gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Iraq'.^[11]

Ranks and Promotions

Rank	Date of promotion	Notes
Pilot Officer	8 December 1974	On taking a BSc degree; seniority backdated to 8 December 1972^[12]
Flying Officer	8 March 1975	Seniority backdated to 8 June 1973.^[13]
Flight Lieutenant	8 December 1975	^[14]
Squadron Leader	1 July 1983	^[15]
Wing Commander	1 July 1989	^[16]
Group Captain	1 July 1993	^[17]
Air Commodore	1 January 1997	^[18]
Air Vice-Marshal	1 January 2001	^[19]
Air Marshal	1 January 2004	^[20]
Air Chief Marshal	13 April 2006	^[21]

Personal life

He married Christine Jackson in 1977 in Witney.

References

^ The London Gazette, 24 December 1974. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
^ The London Gazette, 29 June 1991. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
^ RAF Station Commanders - 2 TAF, BAFO & RAF Germany
^ Group No's 1 - 9
^ Brief biographical details of the senior UK commanders involved in Operation Telic
^ Joint Defence Commands
^ The London Gazette, 31 December 1999. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
^ The London Gazette, 31 December 2004. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
^ The London Gazette, 25 April 2006. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
^ The London Gazette, 14 June 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
^ The London Gazette, 31 October 2003. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
^ [1]
^ [2]
^ [3]
^ [4]
^ [5]
^ [6]
^ [7]
^ [8]
^ [9]
^ [10]

External links

Military offices
Preceded by R A Wright	Station Commander RAF Bruggen 1995 – 1996	Succeeded by N D A Maddox
Preceded by P V Harris	Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group 2001 – 2003	Succeeded by C H Moran
Preceded by Sir Brian Burridge	Deputy Commander-in-Chief Strike Command 2003 – 2004	Succeeded by Sir Clive Loader
Preceded by Sir John Reith	Chief of Joint Operations 2004 – 2006	Succeeded by J N R Houghton
Preceded by Sir Jock Stirrup	Chief of the Air Staff 2006 – 2009	Succeeded by Sir Stephen Dalton

Chiefs of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force

Sir Hugh Trenchard • Sir Frederick Sykes • Sir Hugh Trenchard • Sir John Salmond • Sir Geoffrey Salmond • Sir John Salmond • Sir Edward Ellington • Sir Cyril Newall • Lord Portal • Lord Tedder • Sir John Slessor • Sir William Dickson • Sir Dermot Boyle • Sir Thomas Pike • Sir Charles Elworthy • Sir John Grandy • Sir Denis Spotswood • Sir Andrew Humphrey • Sir Neil Cameron • Sir Michael Beetham • Sir Keith Williamson • Sir David Craig • Sir Peter Harding • Sir Michael Graydon • Sir Richard Johns • Sir Peter Squire • Sir Jock Stirrup • Sir Glenn Torpy • Sir Stephen Dalton

Persondata
Name	Torpy, Glenn
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	27 July 1953
Place of birth	Ely, Cambridgeshire
Date of death
Place of death