George Pirie (RAF officer)
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Sir George Pirie
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|---|---|
| Born | 28 July 1896 |
| Died | 21 January 1980 |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1914 - 1951 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands held | No. 6 Squadron No. 29 Squadron RAF Tangmere RAF in Northern Ireland Air Command South East Asia Air Command Far East |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross Distinguished Flying Cross |
Air Chief Marshal Sir George Clark Pirie KCB KBE MC DFC LLD RAF (28 July 1896 – 21 January 1980) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II and the immediate post-War years. During World War I Pirie initially served as an infantry officer before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps where he took up duties as an observer officer. He also served in World War II.
RAF career
Educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews, Pirie volunteered for service with the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) just after the outbreak of World War I.[1] He was gazzetted as a second lieutenant on 19 September 1914.[2] In March 1916 Pirie began training to be an observer with No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps.[1] He became Officer Commanding No. 6 Squadron on the Western Front in 1918.[1] Pirie was still serving with 6 Squadron when it moved to the Middle East and served with the Squadron when he was awarded the DFC for services in Mesopotamia. The citation for his DFC, which was listed in the London Gazette dated 28 October 1921, stated the award was for "For great gallantry and good work, especially during operations in the relief of Diwaniyah and during our retirement to Hillah. This officer showed remarkable ability in quick initiative when leading his flight during 'operations".[3]
After the War he served as Officer Commanding No. 29 Squadron before becoming Station Commander at RAF Tangmere in 1933.[1] He was made Deputy Director of Operations at the Air Ministry in 1936 and Air Attaché in Washington D. C. in 1937.[1] He served in World War II as Air Officer Commanding the RAF in Northern Ireland and as Air Officer Administration at Headquarters Middle East Command before becoming Director of War Organisation and then Director-General of Organisation at the Air Ministry.[1] He completed his war service as Deputy Air Commander in Chief at Air Command South East Asia in 1945.[1]
After the War he was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Air Command South East Asia and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Air Command Far East before becoming Inspector-General of the RAF in 1948.[1] He was made Air Member for Supply and Organisation in September 1948 and Head of the RAF Staff in Washington D. C. in 1950 before retiring in 1951.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Chief Marshal Sir George Pirie
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28910. pp. 7483–7484. 22 September 1914. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
- ↑ London Gazette
External links
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief Air Command South-East Asia 30 April 1946 – 18 November 1947 |
Succeeded by Sir Hugh Lloyd |
| Preceded by | Inspector-General of the RAF January 1948 – September 1948 |
Succeeded by Sir Leslie Hollinghurst |
| Preceded by | Air Member for Supply and Organisation 1948 – 1950 |
Succeeded by Sir William Dickson |
- Use dmy dates from April 2012
- 1896 births
- 1980 deaths
- Royal Air Force air marshals
- Alumni of the University of St Andrews
- Cameronians officers
- People educated at Fettes College
- Royal Flying Corps officers
- Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
- Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
- Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
