Peter Le Cheminant

Sir Peter Le Cheminant
Wing Commander Le Cheminant briefs aircrews for a bombing raid on La Fauconnerie South, Tunisia (scene reconstructed after the event).
Born	17 June 1920
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1939–1979
Rank	Air Chief Marshal
Commands held	Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff Joint Warfare Establishment No. 223 Squadron
Battles/wars	Second World War Korean War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar

Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter de Lacy Le Cheminant GBE, KCB, DFC & Bar (born 17 June 1920) is a retired senior commander of the Royal Air Force (RAF), who served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from 1974 to 1976 and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Central Europe from 1976 to until his retirement in 1979.

Military career

Educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey and the RAF College, Cranwell, Le Cheminant was commissioned into the Royal Air Force as a pilot officer (on probation) on 23 December 1939, shortly after the outbreak of war.^[1] He was confirmed in his rank and promoted to flying officer (war-substantive) on 23 December 1940.^[2] He was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) on 23 December 1941 and to the substantive rank of flight lieutenant on 23 June 1943.^[3][4] An acting squadron leader by 1943, he was promoted to squadron leader (war-substantive) on 4 August 1943.^[5]

Also in 1943, Le Cheminant was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).^[6] He was promoted to the permanent rank of squadron leader on 1 August 1947.^[7] He also served in the Korean War and was awarded a Bar to his DFC in 1951.^[8] He was promoted to wing commander on 1 July 1951 and to group captain on 1 July 1958.^[9][10]

Promoted to air commodore on 1 January 1964, Le Cheminant was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer, Far East Air Force on 16 May 1966 with the acting rank of air vice marshal.^[11][12] He was promoted to the permanent rank of air vice marshal on 1 January 1967,^[13] and became Commandant of the Joint Warfare Establishment at Old Sarum on 20 November and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Policy) on 1 May 1971.^[14][15] Promoted air marshal on 4 July 1972,^[16] he then became Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in 1974^[8] He was promoted to air chief marshal on 2 February 1976 and appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Central Europe on 5 February.^[17][18] He relinquished the command on 1 June 1979 and retired from the RAF on 27 August.^[19][20]

He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1968 Birthday Honours list,^[21] and knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1972 Birthday Honours list.^[22] He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in the 1978 Birthday Honours list.^[23]

Later career

He served as Lieutenant-Governor of Guernsey from 1980 to 1985.^[8] He remains a keen Bisley marksman.^[24]

Further reading

• The Royal Air Force: A Personal Experience by Peter Le Cheminant, Ian Allan Publishing, 2001, ISBN 978-0-7110-2786-2

References

1. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34776. p. 377. 19 January 1940. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
2. The London Gazette: no. 35065. p. 692. 4 February 1941. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
3. The London Gazette: no. 35467. p. 908. 24 February 1942. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
4. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37571. p. 2396. 21 May 1946. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
5. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36330. p. 311. 14 January 1944. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
6. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36108. p. 3383. 27 July 1943. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
7. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38035. p. 3663. 5 August 1947. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
8. Debretts People of Today 1994
9. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39271. p. 3544. 29 June 1951. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
10. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41433. p. 4142. 1 July 1958. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
11. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43210. p. 77. 3 January 1964. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
12. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43999. p. 6351. 31 May 1966. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
13. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44218. p. 79. 3 January 1967. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
14. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44718. p. 12406. 19 November 1968. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
15. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45359. p. 4534. 4 May 1971. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
16. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45718. p. 7981. 4 July 1972. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
17. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46814. p. 1676. 3 February 1976. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
18. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46819. p. 2057. 9 February 1976. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
19. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47864. p. 7401. 12 June 1979. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
20. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47972. p. 12648. 9 October 1979. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
21. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44600. p. 6301. 8 June 1968. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
22. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45678. p. 6257. 3 June 1972. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
23. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47549. p. 6235. 3 June 1978. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
24. Top Marks This is Guernsey

External links