Air Marshal Sir Richard Bruce Bolt, (16 July 1923 – 27 July 2014) was a bomber pilot 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 ...

and a senior

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

officer in the post-war years. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1974 to 1976 and Chief of the Defence Staff from 1976 to 1980, when he retired from the military.

Early life and career

Born at the Kelvin maternity home in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

in 1923, Bolt was educated at

Nelson College Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand, a feat achieved in part thanks to its original inception as a private school. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it r ...

from 1936 to 1939. His father was the pioneering New Zealand aviator George Bolt. During the Second World War, Bolt served with the Pathfinder Force, flying the

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. He captained a Lancaster during Operation Manna, dropping food to the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

in 1945.Tim Donoghue, "Bomber pilot had illustrious career," A Life Story bituaries Saturday, 9 August 2014, ''The Dominion Post'', page C3. After the War, Bolt held two different squadron commands as the Commanding Officer of No. 40 Squadron RNZAF and No. 24 (Commonwealth) Squadron RAF. During the

ANZUS The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is a collective security agreement between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States that was signed in 1951, and from which New Zealand has been partially su ...

crisis of 1984–85, Bolt was one of 16 senior retired officers and civil servants who wrote protesting the Fourth Labour Government's anti-nuclear policy. They were later referred to by

David Lange David Russell Lange ( ; 4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 32nd prime minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. A member of the New Zealand Labour Party, Lange was also the Minister of Education ...

as the "geriatric generals". Bolt part-owned a racehorse, Kotare Chief, which won the 1987 Auckland Cup as a nine-year-old, at Ellerslie. David Lange was on hand to present the cup to Bolt who commented, "Not bad for a geriatric". Bolt died in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

on 27 July 2014 at the age of 91. He was regarded as the ''Father of the Air Force''.

Honours and awards

Bolt was award the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1945. In the 1959 Queen's Birthday Honours, the then Squadron Leader Bolt was awarded the Air Force Cross. In the 1977 New Year Honours, he 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 1973 Queen's Birthday Honours, Bolt 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 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 ...

, and he was elevated to

Knight 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 1979 Queen's Birthday Honours. In 1977, Bolt was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.

References

External links

Portrait on Moonlighting Art
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bolt, Richard 1923 births 2014 deaths People educated at Nelson College New Zealand World War II pilots New Zealand World War II bomber pilots New Zealand recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) New Zealand recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) New Zealand Companions of the Order of the Bath New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Royal New Zealand Air Force air marshals Chiefs of Defence Force (New Zealand) Military personnel from Auckland