Sir Robert Richard Taylor, KCVO,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1932–2008) was a British public administrator, airport manager and Royal Air Force officer. Taylor was born on 14 June 1932 in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. After attending Yardley Grammar School, he joined the RAF in 1952 as a pilot, specialising in

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

. He served in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

that year, and then in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

two years later (during the

Mau Mau Uprising The Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt, or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the Mau Mau, and the ...

). In 1955, he became an instructor. And then spent spells in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

and Laarbruch until 1964, when he was posted in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and promoted to Flight Lieutenant. After two years gathering intelligence in

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

, he returned to Britain and then, in 1969, took command of No 231 Operational Conversion Unit in Canberra. He served there until 1972 and retired the following year, having been appointed a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

."Sir Robert Taylor", ''The Daily Telegraph'', 1 August 2008, p. 25. In 1974, Taylor became Assistant Director of

Birmingham Airport Birmingham Airport , formerly ''Birmingham International Airport'', is an international airport located east-southeast of Birmingham city centre, west-northwest of Coventry slightly north of Bickenhill village, in the Metropolitan Bor ...

, and was then its Director from 1974 to 1986 and its Managing Director from 1986 to 1994. During this period, he oversaw the airport's expansion, its transfer from direct municipal ownership, and the opening of its Eurohub terminal in 1991. He was promoted to Officer of the

in 1989. Taylor was appointed

Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising ...

in 1993;
The London Gazette
', 22 December 1993 (issue 53520), p. 20244. and when he retired in 2006, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

. He died on 7 June 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Robert 1932 births 2008 deaths Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Royal Air Force officers British government officials Lord-lieutenants of the West Midlands