Tony Mason (RAF officer)

Tony Mason
Born (1932-10-22) 22 October 1932
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Air Force
Years of service 1956–1989
Rank Air Vice-Marshal
Awards Companion of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Air Vice-Marshal Richard Anthony 'Tony' Mason, CB, CBE, DL (born 22 October 1932) is a former senior commander in the Royal Air Force who became Air Secretary.

Early life

Mason was born on 22 October 1932,[1] the son of William and Maud Mason.[2] He was educated at the then all-boys independent Bradford Grammar School and at the University of St Andrews, from where he graduated with a Master of Arts (MA).[2]

Military career

Mason was commissioned into the Education Branch of the Royal Air Force as a flying officer on 29 June 1956 with the service number 504826.[3] Promoted to flight lieutenant on 29 December 1958,[4] he was appointed to a permanent commission on 1 July 1959.[5] He was promoted to squadron leader on 17 February 1963[6] and to wing commander on 1 July 1970.[7] He attended the United States Air Forces's Air War College located in Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama in 1971 and the RAF's Staff College in Bracknell, Berkshire in 1972.[1]

He became Director of Defence Studies in 1976.[2] He was promoted to group captain on 1 January 1977.[8] In the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).[9] He was appointed Director of Personnel (Ground) in 1982,[2] and promoted to air commodore on 1 January 1983 as part of the half-yearly promotions.[10] He became Air Secretary in 1985, having been Deputy Air Secretary in 1984.[2] He was promoted to air vice-marshal on 1 January 1986, once again as part of the half-yearly promotions.[11] He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1988 Queen's Birthday Honours.[12] He was succeeded as Air Secretary by Air Vice Marshal Robert Honey on 10 February 1989.[13]

He retired from the Royal Air Force on 22 April 1989.[14]

Later life

Following his retirement from the RAF, Mason became an academic. In 1996, he was made an honorary professor of the University of Birmingham.[2] He had been Director of its Centre for Studies in Security and Diplomacy[15] from 1988 to 2001.[2] He was a specialist air adviser to the House of Commons Defence Committee between 2001 and 2006.[2][16]

He was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (Hon FRAeS) in 2006.[2] In March 2002, he was commissioned a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) to the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire.[17]

Family

In 1956 he married Margaret Sneddon Stewart; they had two daughters Lindsay and Pamela (died 1985).[18]

References

  1. 1 2 "Air Vice Marshal Tony Mason, CB, CBE, DL". People of Today. Debrett's. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "MASON, Air Vice-Marshal Richard Anthony, (Tony)". Who's Who 2012. A & C Black. November 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40875. p. 5162. 7 September 1956. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41598. p. 159. 2 January 1959. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41859. p. 6937. 30 October 1959. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 42924. p. 1616. 15 February 1963. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45138. p. 7195. 26 June 1970. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47117. pp. 371–373. 10 January 1977. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 48639. p. 1. 12 June 1981. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49237. p. 759. 17 January 1983. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 50398. p. 562. 13 January 1986. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51365. p. 3. 10 June 1988. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51650. p. 2179. 20 February 1989. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51754. p. 6664. 5 June 1989. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  15. ↑ "About". Speakeasier Charity. 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  16. ↑ "R. A. "Tony" Mason" (PDF). Global Air Power Contributor Bios. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 56516. p. 3601. 22 March 2002. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  18. ↑ Debrett's People of Today 1994

Published works

Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Barry Duxbury		 Air Secretary
1985–1989 		Succeeded by
R J Honey
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