Michael Beavis
Sir Michael Beavis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 August 1929 |
| Died | 7 June 2020(aged 90) Pissouri,Cyprus |
| Buried | Pissouri, Cyprus |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1947–87 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands held | Support Command(1981–84) RAF Staff College, Bracknell(1980–81) No. 10 Squadron(1966–68) |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Air Force Cross |
Air Chief MarshalSir Michael Gordon Beavis,KCB,CBE,AFC(13 August 1929 – 7 June 2020) was aRoyal Air Forceofficer who served as Air Officer Commanding-in-ChiefSupport Commandfrom 1981 to 1984.
RAF career
[edit]Educated atKilburn Grammar School,Beavis joined the Royal Air Force in 1947 and wascommissionedtwo years later.[1]In June 1961 Beavis set the record for the fastest non-stop flight from the UK toAustraliawhich he established by flying aVulcanfromRAF ScamptontoRAAF Richmondin just over 20 hours.[2][3][4][5]
He becameOfficer CommandingNo. 10 SquadronflyingVC10sin 1966 and Group Captain Flying atRAF Akrotiriin 1968.[6][1]He was appointed Assistant Director of Defence Policy at theMinistry of Defencein 1971, Senior Air Staff Officer at HeadquartersRAF Germanyin 1976 and Director General of RAF Training in 1977.[1]He went on to be Commandant of theRAF Staff College, Bracknellin 1980, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief atSupport Commandin 1981 and Deputy Commander-in-ChiefAllied Forces Central Europein 1984 before retiring in 1987.[1]
Family
[edit]In 1949 he married Joy Marion Jones; they had one son and one daughter.[1]He died in Cyprus on 7 June 2020.[7][8]
References
[edit]- ^abcdeParker, Jonathan (1994).People of Today.London: Debrett's Peerage.ISBN978-1-870520-19-5.OCLC1064338279.
- ^"Qantas flies London-Sydney non-stop".Flight International.26 August 1989. p. 8. Archived fromthe originalon 6 March 2016.
The Qantas flight challenges the non-stop UK-Sydney record set byAir Chief Marshall Sir Michael Beavis, RAF,who flew an Avro Vulcan from RAF Scampton to RAAF Richmond (40 miles west of Sydney). The Vulcan flew further, was mid-air-refuelled four times, but was 6min quicker. Beavis tells Flight: "I am delighted that Qantas made it, but pleased that we keep the time record".
- ^Pathé, British (1961)."Vulcan's Wonder Record".Pathé News.Sydney.Retrieved18 November2021.
- ^Weightman, Flt/Lt Gary (February 2000)."No. 214 (Federated Malay States) Squadron Royal Air Force; First Contacts!; Part: 9; Valiant Efforts".Archivedfrom the original on 25 November 2020.Retrieved18 November2021.
On the 20th June 1961 nine Valiant tankers of 214 Sqn deployed to Cyprus, Pakistan and Singapore to support the record flight from Scampton to Sydney by a 617 Sqn Vulcan flown bySqn Ldr Michael Beavis.
- ^Booth, Lawrence (15 April 2021).The Shorter Wisden 2021: The Best Writing from Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2021.Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN978-1-4729-8815-7.
- ^Force V: The history of Britain's airborne deterrent, by Andrew Brookes. Jane's Publishing Co Ltd; First Edition 1 Jan. 1982,ISBN0710602383,p.142.
- ^"BEAVIS - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements".The Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 24 February 2021.Retrieved18 November2021.
- ^"Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Beavis obituary".The Times.27 July 2020.Retrieved18 November2021.
Michael Gordon Beavis was born in Kilburn, north London, in 1929, the only child of Walter Beavis, who worked in the post room of a nearby factory, and his wife, Mary (née Sarjantson), who was of Dutch origin and was housekeeper for a local family before working in a munitions factory during the war. He recalled at the age of seven being taken for a picnic near an aerodrome. When a biplane flew low overhead he declared: "That's what I want to do."