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 u ...

Sir Brian Gerald Tivy Stanbridge, (6 July 1924 – 12 February 2003) was a senior

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.

RAF career

Stanbridge joined the Royal Air Force in 1942 and saw action 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

as a pilot with No. 31 Squadron flying

Dakotas The Dakotas is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geography, fauna, sociology, econom ...

on supply-dropping missions over

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Vice-Marshal Sir Brian Stanbridge
/ref> Stanbridge became a pilot in

the Queen's Flight Air transport of the British royal family and government is provided, depending on the circumstances and availability, by a variety of military and civilian operators. This includes an Airbus Voyager of the Royal Air Force, No. 10 Squadron an ...

in 1954, serving as flying instructor to the Duke of Edinburgh. After attending the

Royal Naval Staff College The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equiv ...

in 1958, he became Personal Staff Officer to the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Coastal Command. He went on to be Wing Commander responsible for Flying at

RAF St Mawgan Royal Air Force St Mawgan or more simply RAF St Mawgan is a Royal Air Force station near St Mawgan and Newquay in Cornwall, England. In 2008 the runway part of the site was handed over to Newquay Airport. The remainder of the station continues to ...

in 1960 and, after attending the Joint Services Staff College in 1962, he joined the Directing Staff at the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which ...

at the end of the year. He transferred to the staff of the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Standing Group in

Washington D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

in 1966, became RAF Director at the Joint Anti-Submarine School at

RAF Aldergrove Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove or more simply JHC FS Aldergrove is located south of Antrim, Northern Ireland and northwest of Belfast and adjoins Belfast International Airport. It is sometimes referred to simply as Alder ...

later that year and was appointed Group Captain responsible for Operations at Headquarters RAF Coastal Command in 1968. He went on to be Air Commodore responsible for Operations and Training at Headquarters No. 18 Group in 1969, 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 Ch ...

in 1971 and Assistant Commandant of the

RAF Staff College The RAF Staff College may refer to: *RAF Staff College, Andover (active: 1922 to 1940 and 1948 to 1970) *RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park (active: 1941 to 1948) *RAF Staff College, Bracknell The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air ...

in 1973. His last appointment was as

Defence Services Secretary The Defence Services Secretary is a senior member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Responsibilities The Defence Services Secretary is the senior member of the Royal Household responsible for liaison between the Sove ...

from 1975 until he retired in 1979.

Later life

In retirement Stanbridge was Director-General of the Air Transport User's Committee. He was also President of the

Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association The Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association is a British organisation which provides recreational flying in gliders to RAF personnel. Purpose The Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association (RAFGSA) is a voluntary organisation which ex ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanbridge, Brian Gerald Tivy 1924 births 2003 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II