Marshal of the Royal Air Force Marshal of the Royal Air Force (MRAF) is the highest rank in the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF). In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), and to ...

Sir Thomas Geoffrey Pike, (29 June 1906 – 1 June 1983) was a senior officer in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. He served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a night fighter squadron commander and then as a station commander. He was Chief of the Air Staff in the early 1960s and, in that role, deployed British air power as part of the British response to the

Brunei Revolt The Brunei revolt () or the Brunei rebellion of 1962 was a December 1962 insurrection in the British protectorate of Brunei by opponents of its monarchy's proposed inclusion in the Federation of Malaysia. The insurgents were members of the ...

. Also, in the face of escalating costs, he implemented the cancellation of the British Blue Streak

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...

system but then found the RAF was without any such capability when the Americans cancelled their own Skybolt ballistic missile system. He went on to be Deputy Supreme Commander

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. SHAPE is situated in the villag ...

in the mid-1960s.

RAF career

Born the son of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Sydney Royston Pike and Sarah Elizabeth Pike (née Huddleston), Pike was educated at

Bedford School Bedford School is a 7–18 Single-sex education, boys Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the county town of Bedford in England. Founded in 1552, it is the oldest of four independent schools in Bedford run by the Harpur Trust. Bed ...

between 1915 and 1923Probert, p. 56 before joining the

as a flight cadet on 17 January 1924. On successfully passing through the

Royal Air Force College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is resp ...

, he was commissioned as a

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off or P/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Pilot officer is the lowest ran ...

on 16 December 1925 and immediately posted to No. 56 Squadron at RAF Biggin Hill where he flew Gloster Grebes and then Armstrong Whitworth Siskins. Promoted to

flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

on 16 June 1927, he attended the instructors' course at the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school in the world. The sch ...

in Autumn 1928 and then became an instructor first with No. 5 Flying Training School at RAF Sealand and then, from May 1929, at the Central Flying School, where he was a member of the aerobatic team. Promoted to flight lieutenant on 9 July 1930, Pike attended the Long Aircraft Engineering Course at the Home Aircraft Depot at RAF Henlow from August 1930 and then joined the engineering staff at the RAF Depot in the Middle East in October 1932. He became an instructor at No. 4 Flying Training School at RAF Abu Suwayr in November 1934 and, after attending the RAF Staff College from January 1937, he was promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

on 1 February 1937. He was posted to No. 10 Flying Training School at RAF Ternhill as Chief Flying Instructor in January 1938 and then became a staff officer in the Deputy Directorate of Peace Organisation within the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...

in February 1939. Pike served in the

, initially on the air staff within the Directorate of Organisation at the Air Ministry, and was promoted to the temporary rank of

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

on 1 March 1940 (made permanent in April 1942). He was appointed Officer Commanding No. 219 Squadron flying Bristol Beaufighters from

RAF Tangmere Royal Air Force Tangmere or more simply RAF Tangmere is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain. It was one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The Seco ...

in February 1941 and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 13 May 1941 for showing great skill in intercepting enemy aircraft at night, destroying a raiding aircraft on his first night patrol. He was awarded a bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross on 30 May 1941 for engaging attackers at night when the aerodrome was illuminated by the glare from a large number of incendiary bombs. Pike was given command of the Night Fighters of No. 11 Group in September 1941 and then went on to be Station Commander at

RAF North Weald North Weald Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome, in the civil parish of North Weald Bassett in Epping Forest (district), Epping Forest, Essex, England. It was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain, when it ...

in February 1942. Promoted to the temporary rank of

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

on 27 March 1942, he became Officer Commanding No. 1 Mobile Operations Room Unit during the Allied Landings in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Probert, p. 57 in May 1943 for which role he was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

in June 1943. He went on to be Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ Desert Air Force in February 1944. Appointed a

Commander 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 ...

in the 1944

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are ...

, he became Commandant of the Officers' Advanced Training School in June 1945. He was also awarded the American Officer of the Legion of Merit on 16 October 1945. Pike was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

in the 1946 New Year Honours. After the war he stayed in the RAF and became Director of Operational Requirements at the Air Ministry in October 1946 being promoted to

air commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

on 1 July 1947. Then, after attending the Imperial Defence College in 1949, he was made Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group in January 1950. He was given the acting rank of

air vice-marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometime ...

on 9 January 1950. He became Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) at HQ Allied Air Forces Central Europe in July 1951, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Policy) in June 1953 and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff with the acting rank of air marshal on 9 November 1953. He was confirmed in the rank of air marshal on 1 January 1955. Advanced to

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

in the 1955

, he went on to be Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It operated throughout the Second World War, winning fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The ...

in August 1956. He was promoted to

air chief marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

on 1 November 1957. Pike became Chief of the Air Staff on 1 January 1960. In that role he deployed British air power as part of the British response to the

.Probert, p. 58 Also, in the face of escalating costs, he implemented the cancellation of the British Blue Streak

system but then found the RAF was without any such capability when the Americans cancelled their own Skybolt ballistic missile system. He was advanced to

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...

in the 1961

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

and promoted to

on 6 April 1962. Pike was then Deputy Supreme Commander

from January 1964 until his retirement in March 1967.

Later life

Following his retirement, Pike lived in Hastingwood in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

and was made a deputy lieutenant of Essex in February 1973: he continued in the post until December 1981. He was president of the Royal Air Forces Association from 1969 to 1979 and his interests included local history and arranging engineering

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulat ...

s for local teenagers in Essex.Probert, p. 59 He died at RAF Halton on 1 June 1983 and, due to his time spent at North Weald, he was buried in the military section of St. Andrew's churchyard,

North Weald Bassett North Weald Bassett, or simply North Weald ( ), is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest (district), Epping Forest district of Essex, England. The village is within the North Weald Ridges and Valleys landscape area. A market is held ...

Family

In 1930 Pike married Kathleen Althea Elwell; they had a son and two daughters. Sir Thomas's brother was Lieutenant General Sir William Pike and his nephew (Sir William's son) is Lieutenant General Sir Hew Pike, who commanded the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment in the

Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

References

Sources

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pike, Thomas 1906 births 1983 deaths Burials in Essex Chiefs of the Air Staff (United Kingdom) Marshals of the Royal Air Force People educated at Bedford School Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Deputy lieutenants of Essex Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Legion of Merit NATO military personnel Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Military personnel from the London Borough of Lewisham People from Lewisham