Commandant Royal Observer Corps

The Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps (CROC) was the Royal Air Force commander of the Royal Observer Corps. All the holders of the post were RAF officers in the rank of Air Commodore, initially retired reserve officers then Auxiliary officers and, since the end of World War II, serving officers. The ROC was a uniformed civilian branch initially under the control of the Air Defence of Great Britain organization, then Fighter Command and latterly Strike Command. The Royal Observer Corps existed from 1925 until it was stood down in 1995. Most of the commandants, with only three exceptions, were qualified RAF pilots, two being air navigators and the other a General Duties (Ground) Supply Branch officer. If a Royal Observer Corps officer had ever held the appointment, they would have held the rank of Observer Commodore.

ROC Crest

The origins of the ROC go back to Metropolitan Observation Service of World War I which was founded by Air Vice Marshal Edward Ashmore.[1] However, Ashmore never held the post of ROC Commandant. The first two commandants were recently retired RAF Air Commodores, the next two were Auxiliary Air Force officers and the remainder were serving RAF officers. The last three commandants held the appointment in addition to their primary appointment as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Headquarters No. 11/18 Group RAF, which was colocated with HQROC at RAF Bentley Priory.

The organisation had started as the volunteer civilian Observer Corps in 1925 and became the uniformed Royal Observer Corps in 1941 as part of the RAF in recognition of their invaluable services during the Battle of Britain. Despite several attempts by the Home Office in the 1950s, 1960s and the 1980s to take over the organisation and dispense with the RAF uniform the ROC remained part of RAF Fighter Command and later RAF Strike Command until they were stood down in 1995 as a result of the Communist Bloc breaking up and the Cold War nuclear threat on the UK being removed.

Commandants in chronological order
Edward Masterman, first Commandant ROC
Order Date of appointment Name of Commandant Final rank at RAF retirement
1st 1 March 1929 E A D Masterman[2] Air Commodore
2nd 1 March 1936 A D Warrington-Morris[3] Air Commodore
3rd 1 June 1942 G H Ambler[4] Air Vice-Marshal
4th 23 June 1943 F Crerar[5] Air Commodore
5th 7 October 1945 Percy Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon[6] Air Chief Marshal
6th 1 February 1949 R B Jordan[7] Air Marshal
7th 20 March 1951 G H Vasse[8] Air Commodore
8th 29 March 1954 J H T Simpson[9] Air Commodore
9th 29 June 1959 J M Warfield[10] Air Commodore
10th 29 May 1961 C M Wight-Boycott[11] Air Commodore
11th 3 June 1964 J H Greswell[12] Air Commodore
12th 28 June 1968 D F Rixson[13] Air Commodore
13th 4 January 1971 E B Sismore Air Commodore
14th 24 May 1973 R K Orrock[14] Air Commodore
15th 8 November 1975 M H Miller Air Commodore
16th 23 April 1977 J F G Howe Air Vice-Marshal
17th 12 April 1981 R J Offord Air Commodore
18th 19 February 1983 G P Black Air Vice-Marshal
19th 28 September 1984 J Broughton Air Commodore
20th 5 December 1986 I Horrocks Air Commodore
21st 22 December 1989 G M Boddy Air Commodore
22nd 1 Apr 1992 M P Donaldson Air Vice Marshal
23rd 1 Feb 1993 C R Spink Air Marshal
24th
and last		 16 June 1995 M K Widdowson Air Commodore
- 31 March 1996 ROC Stood Down -

Commandant's insignia
  • Air Commodore rank braid
  • Commandant's Pennant, flown on staff car's front wing when on RAF Stations and in ROC compounds
  • Commandant's star plate displayed on the staff car's front bumper

See also

References
  1. Barrass, M. B. "Maj Gen Ashmore". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  2. Barrass, M. B. "E A D Masterman". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  3. Barrass, M. B. "A Warrington-Morris". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  4. Barrass, M. B. "G A Ambler". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  5. Barrass, M. B. "F Crerar". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  6. Barrass, M. B. "5th Earl Bandon". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  7. Barrass, M. B. "R Jordan". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  8. Barrass, M. B. "G H Vasse". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  9. Barrass, M. B. "J H T Simpson". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  10. Barrass, M. B. "J M Warfield". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  11. Barrass, M. B. "C Wight-Boycott". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  12. Barrass, M. B. "J H Greswell". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  13. Barrass, M. B. "D F Rixson". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
  14. Barrass, M. B. "R K Orrock". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
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