John Cheshire

For the rugby league footballer of the 1950s for Wales, and Salford, see John Cheshire (rugby league).
Sir John Cheshire

Sir John Cheshire as Lieutenant-Governor addresses the public at Government House, Jersey, at the traditional reception to mark the Queen's Birthday, 2005
Born 4 September 1942
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Air Force
Years of service 1961 - 2000
Rank Air Chief Marshal
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath

Air Chief Marshal Sir John Anthony Cheshire KBE CB KStJ (born 4 September 1942) is a retired senior Royal Air Force commander.

RAF career

Born the son of Air Chief Marshal Sir Walter Cheshire and educated at Ipswich School and Worksop College, Cheshire joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet at the RAF College Cranwell in 1961.[1] He was commissioned as a pilot officer on 17 December 1963,[2] and was successively promoted to flying officer (17 December 1964)[3] and to flight lieutenant (17 June 1966).[4] He was promoted to squadron leader on 1 July 1971[5] and to wing commander on 1 July 1977.[6]

In the late 1970s he served as Commander of the Special Forces Flight and then joined the Air Plans Directorate of the Ministry of Defence.[1] He was appointed Commander of the Air Wing in Brunei in 1980, for which he was appointed an OBE in the 1982 Birthday Honours list.[7] He became the Station Commander at RAF Lyneham in 1982, and after his promotion to group captain on 1 July,[8] Group Captain Contingency Plans at Headquarters United Kingdom Air Forces.[1] He went on to be air attache in Moscow in 1987, and was promoted to air commodore on 1 January 1988.[9] He became Deputy Commandant of the RAF Staff College, Bracknell in 1990, and was appointed a CBE in the 1991 New Year Honours list.[10] He was promoted to air vice-marshal on 1 January 1992,[11] and appointed Assistant Chief of Staff Policy and Requirements at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.[1] As an acting air marshal, he was appointed a CB in the 1994 New Year Honours list.[12] He was knighted a KBE in the 1995 New Year Honours list,[13] and promoted to air marshal on 23 January 1995.[14] Appointed UK Military Representative to NATO in 1995, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Northwestern Europe on 11 March 1997, with a promotion to air chief marshal.[1][15][16] He retired in 2000.

In retirement Cheshire was the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey from 24 January 2001 to 7 April 2006 when his term of office ended. He was appointed chairman of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust in July 2008.[17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 NATO Biography
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43224. p. 567. 17 January 1964. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43521. p. 10929. 22 December 1964. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44026. p. 7091. 21 June 1966. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45417. p. 7209. 6 July 1971. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47264. p. 8753. 5 July 1977. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49008. p. 8. 11 June 1982. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49055. p. 9466. 20 July 1982. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51188. p. 38. 5 January 1988. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 52382. p. 6. 31 December 1990. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 52786. p. 183. 7 January 1992. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53527. p. 2. 31 December 1993. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53893. p. 7. 31 December 1994. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53933. p. 966. 24 February 1995. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  15. ↑ "CHESHIRE, Air Chief Marshal Sir John (Anthony)". Who's Who 2013. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  16. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 54707. p. 3298. 18 March 1997. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  17. ↑ "Who's Who". Royal Air Force Charitable Trust website. The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises. Retrieved 4 March 2013.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Edward Jones		 UK Military Representative to NATO
1995–1997 		Succeeded by
Sir Paul Haddacks
Preceded by
Sir Richard Johns		 Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces North West Europe
1997 – 2000 		Command disbanded
Responsibilities transferred to Regional HQ AFNORTH
Government offices
Preceded by
Sir Michael Wilkes		 Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
2001 – 2006 		Succeeded by
Sir Andrew Ridgway