Christopher Airy
| Sir Christopher Airy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 March 1934 |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| Years of service | 1954 - 1989 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Commands held |
1st Bn Scots Guards 5th Field Force London District |
| Battles/wars | Operation Banner |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Major-General Sir Christopher John Airy, KCVO CBE (born 8 March 1934) was General Officer Commanding the Household Division and Major-General Commanding London District.
Military career
Educated at Marlborough College and the Sandhurst,[1] Airy was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1954.[2]
Airy became Personal Military Assistant to the Secretary of State for War in 1960, Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General and Regimental Adjutant in 1967 and Brigade Major of 4th Guards Brigade in 1971. In 1974 he transferred to the Scots Guards in 1974 on appointment as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion of the Scots Guards.[3] Two years later he became Military Assistant to the Master-General of the Ordnance.
In 1979 he became Commanding Officer of the 5th Field Force, and in 1982 Assistant Chief of Staff at United Kingdom Land Forces.
Promoted to major-general in 1983, he served at the Royal College of Defence Studies,[4] before becoming Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District in 1986.[5] He retired in 1989.[6]
He was appointed Private Secretary and Treasurer to the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1990.[7] He remained in office for slightly under a year,[8] and was made an Extra Equerry to the Prince of Wales in 1991.[9] He was appointed KCVO in 1989[10] and CBE in 1984.[11]
Family
Airy married Judith Stephenson in 1959 and has one son and two daughters. His daughter-in-law Lucinda is a granddaughter of Edward Clive Bigham, 3rd Viscount Mersey and Katherine Petty-FitzMaurice, Lady Nairne, eldest daughter of the 6th Marquess of Lansdowne.[12]
References
- ↑ Burke's Peerage
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40133. p. 1875. 26 March 1954. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46403. p. 11380. 18 November 1974. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49619. p. 685. 16 January 1984. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 50446. p. 3086. 3 March 1986. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51853. p. 9950. 28 August 1989. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 52142. p. 9351. 18 May 1990. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ↑ Where Has the Love Gone? People Magazine, 22 July 1991
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 52755. p. 19774. 24 December 1991. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 51797. p. 7679. 30 June 1989. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49583. p. 5. 30 December 1983. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ↑ Burke's Peerage, Volume 2, page 2669
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir James Eyre |
GOC London District 1986–1989 |
Succeeded by Sir Simon Cooper |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir John Riddell |
Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales 1990–1991 |
Succeeded by Richard Aylard |