John Rowlands (RAF officer)

Air Marshal Sir John Rowlands GC, KBE
Born	23 September 1915 Hawarden, Flintshire
Died	4 June 2006 (aged 90) Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1939–1973
Rank	Air Marshal
Commands held	Maintenance Command
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	George Cross (GC) - 1943 Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE)- 1971 Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - 1954 Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) - 1942
Other work	Assistant Principal Sheffield Polytechnic Consultant Civil Aviation Administration Life Vice-President Air Crew Association

Air Marshal Sir John Rowlands, GC, KBE (23 September 1915 – 4 June 2006) was a Welsh Royal Air Force officer who was awarded the George Cross for his work in bomb disposal and later worked in the development of Britain's nuclear weapons programme.

RAF career

Rowlands was born in Hawarden, Flintshire and was educated at the local Hawarden Grammar School. He took a degree in Physics at the University of Wales, where he captained the university football side and was in the tennis team.^[1]

At the outbreak of World War II, Rowlands joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve.^[2] After undertaking pilot training at RAF Ternhill and gaining his pilots wings, he trained in armament engineering at RAF Manby in Lincolnshire. He was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer in the Technical Branch on 7 October 1940^[3] and to Temporary Flight Lieutenant on 1 December 1941.^[4] He was appointed a MBE in 1942.^[5]

He received further promotions to Acting Squadron Leader on 2 November 1942, to war-substantive Flight Lieutenant on 2 April 1943, to war-substantive Squadron Leader on 13 January 1944 and to Acting Wing Commander on 13 July of the same year.^[5]

The citation for his George Cross declared:

The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the GEORGE CROSS to: Acting Wing Commander John Samuel Rowlands, M.B.E. (73378), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. For over 2 years, Wing Commander Rowlands has been employed on bomb disposal duties and has repeatedly displayed the most conspicuous courage and unselfish devotion to duty in circumstances of great personal danger.^[6]

He was invested with the GC by King George VI at Buckingham Palace on 20 July 1945.^[7]

He was given a permanent commission in the Royal Air Force in September 1945 with the rank of Flight Lieutenant ^[8] and attended RAF Staff College in Haifa in 1946.^[9] He was subsequently promoted to Squadron Leader, dated 3 December 1946 but back-dated to January 1945.

Promoted to Wing Commander in January 1952,^[10] Rowlands was posted to head an RAF team at the Atomic Warfare Research Establishment to participate in the development of the British atomic bomb. In 1957 he was made senior RAF advisor for the development of the H-bomb,^[11] and was promoted to Group Captain in January 1958.^[12]

He became a Staff Officer on the British Defence Staff at Washington D. C. in 1961, and was promoted to Air Commodore on 1 July 1963.^[13] He became the Assistant Commandant (Technical) at the RAF College Cranwell in 1965. On 4 June 1968, he was appointed Director-General of Ground Training, with the acting rank of Air Vice-Marshal,^[14] made substantive on 1 July.^[15] He was promoted to Air Marshal and appointed Air Officer Commanding RAF Maintenance Command on 13 April 1970, where he remained until he retired in July 1973.^[9]

He was appointed OBE in 1954^[16] and knighted KBE in 1971.^[17]

He died a few weeks before he and others were honoured at a special service at Westminster Abbey for recipients of the Victoria Cross and George Cross.^[18]

References

1. Telegraph Obituary
2. The London Gazette: no. 34747. p. 8109. 5 December 1939. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
3. The London Gazette: no. 35097. p. 1378. 7 March 1941. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
4. The London Gazette: no. 35628. p. 3048. 10 July 1942. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
6. The London Gazette: no. 36127. p. 2589. 6 August 1943. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
7. RAF Bomb Disposal History
8. The London Gazette: no. 37511. p. 1533. 22 March 1946. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
9. Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Marshal Sir John Rowlands
11. British Military Aviation in 1952 RAF Museum
16. The London Gazette: no. 40053. p. 9. 29 December 1953. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
17. The London Gazette: no. 45384. p. 5962. 4 June 1971. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
18. A very British heroism Daily Mail, 4 June 2006

• Guardian Obituary
• Times Obituary
• Bangor University Obituary
• Philip May (ed. Cowley, Richard), Beyond the Five Points: Masonic Winners of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross, Twin Pillars Books, 2001, (ISBN 978-0954127107)