Obituary: Marshal of the RAF Lord Elworthy - People - News - The Independent
This chap was due a fair go as far as due deference was concerned, and I had personal experience of meeting him post his return to New Zealand.
I had just completed an OO Duty [Flt Lt at the time!] and was having breakfast when the Boss arrives and sits down with a coffee. "What have you got planned for the day?" he asks, and I get the immediate impression that whatever was planned was about to be undone. So, making myself available[sic] he asks if I could do a meet and greet at the airport for him: "an ex-RAF VIP" was all I got. So I go to the airport and join the crew of the RNZAF aircraft which had been laid on, and waited for my VIP.
It was raining heavily, so I'm standing under the wing, when a car arrives and out gets a Marshal of The RAF, a rank I had never seen and which of course doesn't exist in NZ. He moved to the boot, and I immediately suggested he board the the aircraft and I would get his brief-case."Son" he says, "if you're getting wet, then we'll both get wet". I was hugely impressed, Not overawed you understand, we generally don't go overboard on deference down here, but very impressed at his consideration.
He was a Kiwi , of course!
