Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter de Lacy Le Cheminant, (17 June 1920 – 8 April 2018) was a senior commander of the

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 ...

(RAF), who served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from 1974 to 1976 and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of

Allied Forces Central Europe Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) is a NATO command with its headquarters at Brunssum, the Netherlands. It was established in 2004 from previous commands as part of NATO's continuing command structure reductions in the face of a then-dim ...

from 1976 until his retirement in 1979.

Military career

Educated at

Elizabeth College (Guernsey) The Royal College of Elizabeth, better known as Elizabeth College, is a co-educational independent school in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey. One of the earliest members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), it is a public school ...

and the

Royal Air Force College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military 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 ...

, Le Cheminant was commissioned into the

(RAF) as a pilot officer (on probation) on 23 December 1939, shortly after the outbreak of 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 ...

. He was confirmed in his rank and promoted to flying officer (war-substantive) on 23 December 1940. He was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) on 23 December 1941 and to the substantive rank of flight lieutenant on 23 June 1943. 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 ...

by 1943, he was promoted to squadron leader (war-substantive) on 4 August 1943. Also in 1943, Le Cheminant was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). He was promoted to the permanent rank of squadron leader on 1 August 1947. He also served in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and was awarded a Bar to his DFC in 1951.Debretts People of Today 1994 He was promoted to

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 July 1951 and to group captain on 1 July 1958. Promoted to air commodore on 1 January 1964, Le Cheminant was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer, Far East Air Force on 16 May 1966 with the acting rank of air vice marshal. He was promoted to the permanent rank of air vice marshal on 1 January 1967, and became

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the

Joint Warfare Establishment The Joint Warfare Establishment was a British military training establishment based at Old Sarum in Wiltshire. History The Joint Warfare Establishment was formed at Old Sarum in Wiltshire on 31 March 1963 when the School of Land/Air Warfare (for ...

Old Sarum Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the now ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest r ...

on 20 November and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Policy) on 1 May 1971. Promoted air marshal on 4 July 1972, he then became Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in 1974. He was promoted to air chief marshal on 2 February 1976 and appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief of

on 5 February. He relinquished the command on 1 June 1979 and retired from the RAF on 27 August. Le Cheminant was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the

1968 Birthday Honours The 1968 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments to orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms to reward and highlight citizens' good works, on the occasion of the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. They were announced in supplemen ...

, and knighted as a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

in the 1972 Birthday Honours. He was appointed a

Knight Grand Cross 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 ...

in the

1978 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1978 were appointments by 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. The appointments were made to celebrate t ...

Later career

Le Cheminant served as

Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the ''de facto'' head of state in Guernsey ...

from 1980 to 1985. He was the only native Guernseyman to have held that post. After his retirement he remained a keen Bisley marksman. Le Cheminant died on 8 April 2018.

Military career

Later career

References

Further reading