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 ...

Cecil Thomas (Ginger) Weir, (2 April 1913 – 5 August 1965) was an 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 ...

. During 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 ...

he served in

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...

. He was taken prisoner after his aircraft was hit by a bomb from another aircraft during a raid on the Osnabruck Canal in November 1944 and was imprisoned in

Stalag Luft I Stalag Luft I was a German World War II prisoner-of-war (POW) camp near Barth, Western Pomerania, Germany, for captured Allied airmen. The presence of the prison camp is said to have shielded the town of Barth from Allied bombing. About 9,000 ...

. He was in charge of the Operation Buffalo

British nuclear tests at Maralinga British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

in Australia in 1956, and air task group commander for the

Operation Grapple Operation Grapple was a set of four series of British nuclear weapons tests of early atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs carried out in 1957 and 1958 at Malden Island and Kiritimati (Christmas Island) in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in the Pa ...

nuclear tests at

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an States and territories of Australia#External territories, Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about south o ...

in 1957. In 1963 he became the first commandant 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 ...

Early life

Cecil Thomas (Ginger) Weir was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 2 April 1913. He was educated at

Brentwood College School Brentwood College School is a Mixed-sex education, co-educational boarding school.Thomson, Ashley and Sylvie Lafortune.'' Handbook of Canadian Boarding Schools''. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1999. Brentwood is located on Vancouver Island in Mill Bay, ...

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. He entered 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 ...

in 1931, and graduated and 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 15 July 1933. Weir was initially posted to

No. 25 Squadron RAF Number 25 (Fighter) Squadron (alternatively Number XXV (F) Squadron) is a squadron of the Royal Air Force having reformed on 8 September 2018. During the First World War, No. 25 Squadron operated as a fighter-reconnaissance unit and later as a ...

. On 8 October 1934, he joined No. 824 Squadron,

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

, then serving with the

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China, was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 1 ...

. He returned to the UK in 1937, and attended the Armament Officers Course at the Air Armament School. He was 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 15 January 1935, and flight lieutenant on 15 January 1937, and

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 June 1939.

Second World War

During early part of the

, he served as an instructor at No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF at

RAF West Freugh MOD West Freugh is located in Wigtownshire, south east of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, and is operated by defence contractor QinetiQ, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. It has always been an armaments training school, either ...

and No. 2 Air Armament School RAF. He 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 June 1941. He commanded

No. 61 Squadron RAF No. 61 Squadron was a squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was first formed as a fighter squadron of the British Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. It was reformed in 1937 as a bomber squadron of the Royal Air F ...

from September 1941 to June 1942, and was

mentioned in despatches 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 ...

on 24 September 1941, and 11 June 1942. He then became an instructor again, serving in the UK. Canada and the United States. Weir assumed command of

RAF Fiskerton Royal Air Force Fiskerton or more simply RAF Fiskerton was a Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, substation located north of the Lincolnshire village of Fiskerton, Lincolnshire, Fiskerton, east of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, E ...

on 7 July 1944, and then

RAF Fulbeck Royal Air Force Fulbeck or more simply RAF Fulbeck is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located east of Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire and west of Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England. The airfield is l ...

on 10 October 1944. During a raid on the Osnabruck Canal in November 1944, his

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster, commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to ...

bomber was hit by a bomb from another aircraft. The sole survivor of the crew, he became a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

, in

. Released when the war ended, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 3 April 1945, with the award backdated to 20 November 1944. He was promoted to the wartime substantive rank of wing commander on 7 January 1945, and substantive rank on 1 October 1946.

Post-war

After receiving a

King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air The Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, formerly the King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, was a merit award for flying service awarded by the United Kingdom between 1942 and 1994. It was replaced by the Queen’ ...

on 9 June 1949, Weir served as Senior Officer-in-Charge Administration (SOA) at

AHQ Malta Air Headquarters Malta (AHQ Malta or Air H.Q. Malta) was an overseas command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was established on 28 December 1941 by renaming RAF Mediterranean under Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd. RAF W ...

from 3 Dec 1949, with promotion to

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 1 January 1951. He worked in 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 ...

from 1952 to 1955, when he became commander of the Central Gunnery School at

RAF Leconfield Royal Air Force Leconfield or more simply RAF Leconfield is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located in Leconfield (near Beverley), East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The site is now used by the Ministry ...

. He was task force commander for the Operation Buffalo

in Australia in 1956, which saw the first air drop of a live British nuclear weapon. After promotion 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 January 1957, he was air task group commander for the

nuclear tests at

in 1957, the first test of a British

thermonuclear weapon A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H-bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lowe ...

, for which he was made 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

1958 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1958 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 the ''Lon ...

, Afterwards, Weir attended the Joint Services Staff College. He became the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at HQ Middle East Air Force on 12 May 1958, and became Deputy Commander in Chief of the Middle East Air Force on 23 April 1959. He was promoted to

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 1 July 1959. and was made 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 ...

on 9 February 1960. On 15 May 1961, he became commandant of the

School of Land/Air Warfare The School of Land/Air Warfare was a Royal Air Force school based at Old Sarum in Wiltshire. Its purpose was to encourage greater co-operation between officers in the air and those on the ground. History The School was originally established at ...

; on 31 March 1963 the school was absorbed into the

, of which he then became commandant. Weir's final posting, on 30 October 1964, was to Washington, D.C., as deputy to the British representative on the

NATO Military Committee The NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s Military Committee (MC) is the body that is composed of Member states of NATO, member states' Chief of Defence, Chiefs of Defence (CHOD). These national CHODs are regularly represented in the M ...

and deputy head of the British Defence Staff (Washington). He died suddenly there of a heart attack on 5 August 1965.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weir, Cecil Thomas 1913 births 1965 deaths Military personnel from Glasgow Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air Royal Air Force air marshals Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Shot-down aviators British World War II prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Germany