John Herbert Thomas Simpson

John Herbert Thomas Simpson
Born	(1907-03-26)26 March 1907 Brentford, Essex
Died	26 August 1967(1967-08-26) (aged 60) Chippenham, Wiltshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1927–1959
Rank	Air Commodore
Commands held	Commandant Royal Observer Corps (1954–59) RAF Cottesmore (1945–46) No. 205 Group (1943–45) No. 60 Squadron (1937–38)
Battles/wars	North West Frontier Second World War North African Campaign
Awards	Distinguished Service Order Air Force Cross Mentioned in Despatches (2) Legion of Merit (United States)

Air Commodore John Herbert Thomas Simpson DSO, AFC, RAF (rtd.) (26 March 1907 – 26 August 1967) was a bomber pilot during the Second World War and a senior Royal Air Force (RAF) staff officer during the 1950s. In his final appointment before retirement in 1959, Simpson was the eighth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps.

Service history

Royal Air Force

Simpson joined the RAF on 30 December 1927 and completed his basic induction training at the RAF Central Depot, RAF Uxbridge and two months later transferred to the No. 2 Flying Training School as a pilot under instruction. In December 1928 he qualified as a pilot in the rank of pilot officer on a short service commission and was posted to the newly reformed No. 101 Squadron RAF at RAF Bircham Newton flying Boulton Paul Sidestrand bombers in a day-bombing role. In June 1929 he was promoted to the rank of flying officer.

In April 1930 he was posted to a directing staff appointment at the RAF training base at RAF Leuchars. In December 1931, he had sat the first exam taken by Short Service Commission holders to undertake specialisation training, successful completion of which would lead to the award of a Permanent Commission. He attended the extended Officer's Engineering Course at the RAF’s Home Aircraft Depot RAF Henlow at the same time as Flight Lieutenant Frank Whittle, passing out as a qualified engineer and granted a permanent commission in the rank of flight lieutenant in September 1933. He was posted to the Royal Air Force College Cranwell on the college's engineering staff.

In 1935 he was posted overseas for three years as the Engineering Officer at the RAF Depot, India. On 1 August 1937 he returned to flying duties and was promoted to squadron leader, receiving his first command as Officer Commanding No. 60 Squadron RAF operating in the North West Frontier conflicts with Afghan tribesmen and flying Airco DH.9A and Westland Wapiti aircraft. Only nine months later he was posted as Engineering Officer at No. 3 Flying Training School at RAF Ternhill. In June 1940 he was promoted to temporary wing commander and in November 1941 he was posted as a Staff Officer at HQ No. 205 (Bomber) Group in the North African Campaign. Further promotion came in June 1942 when he became an acting group captain. On 26 April 1942, he was piloting a Vickers Wellington IC (Z1045) of No 70 Squadron, which was shot down as a result of enemy action. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

In July 1943 he was promoted to acting air commodore and appointed as Air Officer Commanding No. 205 (Bomber) Group, a position he retained until the end of the Second World War. With the cessation of hostilities Simpson returned to the United Kingdom, reverting to the rank of group captain, where he took up the position of Station Commander at RAF Cottesmore. Between late 1945 and 1951 Simpson served in HQ Staff appointments at Bomber Command and latterly as Deputy Director of RAF Operations. On 18 Jun 1947, he was flying Spitfire No. SL563 of the Central Bomber Establishment on a practice flight when, on approaching to land, he discovered he could not select the undercarriage down and was forced to carry out an emergency wheels up belly skid landing at RAF Marham, which he managed successfully. For his actions he received the Air Force Cross.

In 1951 he returned to the rank of air commodore and after a brief spell as Senior Officer (Administration) at Headquarters No. 61 Group RAF he became Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Headquarters No. 22 (Training) Group.

Royal Observer Corps

Approaching his retirement from the RAF, on 29 March 1954 Simpson was appointed Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps, taking over from the retiring Air Commodore Gordon Herbert Vasse. By the mid-1950s the greater speed of the newly introduced jet aircraft and the improved performance of radar was increasingly leading to a reduced need by the RAF for the ROC's traditional services in tracking aircraft. Air Commodore Simpson was immediately involved in a desperate race to save the ROC from imminent disbandment.

The Cold War was in full swing and the growing fear was over a potential nuclear attack on the UK. Simpson became embroiled in lengthy negotiations with the Home Office, the department responsible for civil defence in the United Kingdom. Simpson was convinced that the ROC, with its already established posts all over the UK was ideally placed to take on a new and additional responsibility in a modern warning role against nuclear weapons. The new role was publicly announced in June 1955 much to the relief of the observers.

The first significant exercise involving the ROC in handling nuclear data took place the following year in 1956. In 1957 the British government's policy became clear and reliance would be placed on the nuclear weapons and improved radar, within a few years any pretence that there was a continuing aircraft recognition and reporting role for the ROC had evaporated. In 1957 the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (UKWMO), a new Home Office department was set up. It was intended that UKWMO, using the manpower of the ROC, would provide civil and military authorities in Britain with information during a nuclear attack. The ROC would provide the initial data on the positions and extent of the attack. This data would be used by UKWMO, in conjunction with weather information from the Meteorological Office, to produce a forecast of radioactive  fallout. As this fallout occurred its strength and position would be mapped using data from posts, enabling further fallout forecasts to be given.

The UKWMO immediately proposed taking full control of the ROC, severing its RAF links and making the observers non-uniformed Home Office volunteers. Air Commodore Simpson fought to prevent this move in the strongest possible terms and at the highest levels of government. After a two-year battle he won his case and the ROC would remain administratively part of RAF Fighter Command and still in uniform, although now operationally under the control of the UKWMO.

Air Commodore Simpson retired on 1 June 1959 and took with him the grateful thanks of the Royal Observer Corps for ensuring their continued existence for many years to come.

Main reference

• RAFWeb J H T Simpson