Air Marshal Sir Walter Philip George Pretty, (2 May 1909 – 17 January 1975) 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 Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Signals Command from 1961 until 1964.

RAF career

Educated at

Alleyn's School Alleyn's School is a 4–18 co-educational, independent, Church of England, day school and sixth form in Dulwich, London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation, ...

, Pretty joined the

as a cadet in 1929.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir Walter Pretty
/ref> He 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

as Station Commander at the Chain Home Low early warning radar base near Clacton, as Officer Commanding No. 1 Radio Operator's School at

RAF Cranwell Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which trains ...

and on the signals staff at Fighter Command. After the war he became Director-General of Navigational Services at the Ministry of Civil Aviation and then Director of Electronics Research and Development at the Ministry of Supply before being appointed Air Officer Administration at Headquarters Second Tactical Air Force in 1955. He went on to be Director-General of Organisation 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 1958, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Signals Command in 1961 and Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel & Logistics) in 1964 before retiring in 1966. He lived near

Cobham Cobham may refer to: Geography Towns or districts * Cobham, Kent, England * Cobham, Surrey, England * Cobham, South Australia, a former town in Australia * Cobham, Albemarle County, Virginia, United States * Cobham, Surry County, Virginia, U ...

in Surrey and became President of the Edward Alleyn Club. He married Betty Methven in 1940 and they had four children: Audrey, Beryl, Carol (mother of comedian Marcus Brigstocke), and Derek.Family history
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pretty, Walter 1909 births 1975 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Alleyn's School Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Air Force personnel of World War II