MRAF Sir Michael Beetham
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MRAF Sir Michael Beetham
BEETHAM - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements
The family of MRAF Sir Michael Beetham, (CAS 1977-1982) have placed the above in the Telegraph today; one expects that obituaries will appear shortly for full details.
(Posted on the basis that I believe that a few Ppruners served with Sir Michael at varying points in his and their respective careers and might wish to know of this)
The family of MRAF Sir Michael Beetham, (CAS 1977-1982) have placed the above in the Telegraph today; one expects that obituaries will appear shortly for full details.
(Posted on the basis that I believe that a few Ppruners served with Sir Michael at varying points in his and their respective careers and might wish to know of this)
Thank you for posting this sad news. Somewhat randomly, less than an hour ago I was jogging past the Bomber Command memorial and saw his name, and happened to idly wonder how the good MRAF was these days, noting it was over 30 years since the Falklands. Not nice to discover your posting.
RIP Sir.
RIP Sir.
Gentleman Aviator
A good innings Sir!
17th May 1923 to 24th October 2015 - 92 years plus.
Amongst other Senior Officer "bling", there was a DFC and an AFC.
DFC flying Lancasters in WW2, AFC for flying the first aircraft ever non-stop from UK to Cape Town. A Valiant from 214 Sqn, which he commanded at the time.
CAS during the Falklands, it is said in some quarters that Black Buck was his idea.........
........ hope he saw 558 this year........
RIP
17th May 1923 to 24th October 2015 - 92 years plus.
Amongst other Senior Officer "bling", there was a DFC and an AFC.
DFC flying Lancasters in WW2, AFC for flying the first aircraft ever non-stop from UK to Cape Town. A Valiant from 214 Sqn, which he commanded at the time.
CAS during the Falklands, it is said in some quarters that Black Buck was his idea.........
........ hope he saw 558 this year........
RIP
Thread Starter
A good innings Sir!
17th May 1923 to 24th October 2015 - 92 years plus.
Amongst other Senior Officer "bling", there was a DFC and an AFC.
DFC flying Lancasters in WW2, AFC for flying the first aircraft ever non-stop from UK to Cape Town. A Valiant from 214 Sqn, which he commanded at the time.
CAS during the Falklands, it is said in some quarters that Black Buck was his idea.........
........ hope he saw 558 this year........
RIP
17th May 1923 to 24th October 2015 - 92 years plus.
Amongst other Senior Officer "bling", there was a DFC and an AFC.
DFC flying Lancasters in WW2, AFC for flying the first aircraft ever non-stop from UK to Cape Town. A Valiant from 214 Sqn, which he commanded at the time.
CAS during the Falklands, it is said in some quarters that Black Buck was his idea.........
........ hope he saw 558 this year........
RIP
An obit has appeared: Marshal of the RAF Sir Michael Beetham - obituary - Telegraph
(Although, if I might be forgiven for saying it, the bit about 'He realised that such an attack was an especially demanding undertaking for his Vulcan bomber and Victor tanker crews but he pushed for it in the face of some scepticism in Whitehall' is not quite borne out by the contemporaneous files now found at Kew - I say this not to be picky,but because I would contend that what Sir Michael actually did and argued for was to his great credit and did not in any way smack of service parochialism. Had the Chiefs accepted Sir Michael's initial views, Blackbuck 1 would've been flown by a certain Commander ND Ward and his team...)
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DFC flying Lancasters in WW2, AFC for flying the first aircraft ever non-stop from UK to Cape Town. A Valiant from 214 Sqn, which he commanded at the time.
The flights to Salisbury, Johannesburg and Cape Town were part of this.
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MRAF Sir Michael Beetham.
He was the highest ranking RAF Officer among the 4493 RAF candidates who graduated from the Arnold Scheme in the US in WWII.
He was (I think) in the first Class (42A) together with Captain Reg Levy DFC of SABENA, whom we all know as "regle" on these pages.
RIP both.
Danny42C
He was (I think) in the first Class (42A) together with Captain Reg Levy DFC of SABENA, whom we all know as "regle" on these pages.
RIP both.
Danny42C
I only met Sir Michael once, at Ascension in June 1982 on Op Corporate. I had a very pleasant conversation with him and the Fg Off Supplier at Ascension. The Fg Off expressed his concern about accounting for all the kit that was passing through Ascension at the time. He did not know what was arriving or leaving to go North or South. Sir Michael told him not to worry, as when it was all over they would work out what had left UK and what got back and " all the rest is on the Atlantic Conveyor ".
RIP Sir.
RIP Sir.
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My Station Commander in Aden. I was carpeted by him after I was instrumental in a 3-inch RP being launched from a Hunter parked on the Strike Wing apron; part of his punishment was for me to pay the armourer's fine! Thereafter, over many intervening years, on the few occasions when we met, he always knew my surname. A gentleman and iconic officer. RIP.
I was also at Khormaksar when Sir Michael was station commander, and like Jindabyne I too received a monumental, well deserved bollocking from him on one occasion for some infraction. He was a stern disciplinarian, but running a large operational station which was always under threat by insurgents was no job for a softy, and he was respected by all.
RIP
RIP
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I also happened to be at Khormaksar when he was Station Commander and in RAFG when he was there as CinC. In the meantime I had struggled through the ranks from Fg Off to Flt Lt. A top Boss. RIP Sir
The obituary of MRAF Sir Michael Beetham GCB CBE DFC AFC is truly astounding. After an RAF career that began in the dangerous skies of the Third Reich and culminated in being Chief of the Air Staff, one would reasonably expect that to be that. On the contrary, he then went on to saving the RAF Museum from sinking into a financial black hole, backed the erection of the Bomber Command Memorial in London, and presided over the setting up of the RAF Historical Society which has now lost its President.
A lifetime of Duty and Service, a remarkable man from a remarkable generation. His Country, his Service, and we all are the poorer for his passing.
RIP, Sir, duty done.
A lifetime of Duty and Service, a remarkable man from a remarkable generation. His Country, his Service, and we all are the poorer for his passing.
RIP, Sir, duty done.
I regret that I never met the MRAF, but I had lunch yesterday with someone who was one of his Met men in the Valiant days.
He had nothing but praise.
RIP
He had nothing but praise.
RIP
