Air Vice Marshal Deryck Cameron Stapleton, (15 January 1918 – 16 February 2018) was a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

officer who served as Commandant of the

RAF Staff College, Bracknell The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air Force staff college active for most of the second half of the 20th century. Its role was the training of staff officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of air force matters. ...

from 1966 to 1968.

RAF career

Educated at King Edward VI School in

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and abo ...

, Stapleton joined the

in 1936.'' Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010, He received a short-service commission as an

acting pilot officer Acting pilot officer (A/Plt Off) is the lowest commissioned grade in the Royal Air Force. Acting pilot officer is not an actual military rank, therefore acting pilot officers are regraded to pilot officer instead of receiving a promotion. Unl ...

on 13 July 1936, was regraded to pilot officer on 18 May 1937 and was promoted to flying officer on 18 November 1938. He was promoted to the acting rank of flight lieutenant on 2 March 1939, and was decorated with the Air Force Cross (AFC) in the

1939 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1939 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the o ...

list. Stapleton served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

in East Africa, the Middle East, North Africa and Italy. He was promoted to the substantive rank of flight lieutenant on 3 September 1940, by which time he was an acting

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

. As an acting squadron leader with No. 14 Squadron RAF, then stationed in Eritrea, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC): Stapleton was mentioned in despatches in 1943, and promoted to temporary

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

on 1 January 1944. He was promoted to wing commander (war substantive) on 26 March 1945. On 1 September 1945, he was granted a permanent commission in the RAF, with the substantive rank of squadron leader (seniority from 1 June 1944). After the war Stapleton became Assistant Secretary (Air) in 1945 and Secretary of the

Chiefs of Staff Committee The Chiefs of Staff Committee (CSC) is composed of the most senior military personnel in the British Armed Forces who advise on operational military matters and the preparation and conduct of military operations. The committee consists of the C ...

in 1947. With the post-war contraction of the armed forces, he relinquished his temporary rank of wing commander on 1 November 1947. As an acting group captain, Stapleton was 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 contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, Military Division (CBE) in the

1948 New Year Honours The 1948 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1948 for the Briti ...

list. He was appointed as the Station Commander at

RAF Odiham RAF Odiham is a Royal Air Force station situated a little to the south of the village of Odiham in Hampshire, England. It is the home of the Royal Air Force's heavy lift helicopter, the Chinook, and of the King’s Helicopter Flight (TKHF) . ...

in 1949. Stapleton was promoted to the substantive rank of wing commander on 1 July 1950 and to the substantive rank of group captain on 1 January 1957. He spent much of the 1950s in various military headquarters. He was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

, Military Division (CB) in the

1960 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1960 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to th ...

. He was promoted to air commodore on 1 January 1961, and became Director of Plans at 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, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

in March 1961. He was promoted to

air vice-marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by 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 1963, and was appointed Director of Defence Plans at the Ministry of Defence; in May 1964 he became Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group. After that he became Commandant of the

in June 1966 before retiring in April 1968.

Later life

Stapleton died on 16 February 2018 at the age of 100.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Stapleton, Deryck 1918 births 2018 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath English centenarians Men centenarians Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Air Force personnel of World War II