Air Marshal Sir Richard Wakeford (Telegraph, of course)
Hyfler/Rosner
February 20, 2007 Tuesday
Obituary of Air Marshal Sir Richard Wakeford Wartime pilot
who later became Commander of the Queen's Flight and
monitored the movements of the Soviet Northern Fleet
AIR MARSHAL SIR RICHARD WAKEFORD, who has died aged 84, flew
anti-submarine operations in the Indian Ocean and the North
Atlantic during the Second World War; he was involved in the
last sinking of a German U-boat and went on to a
distinguished career in the RAF, culminating in his
appointment as Deputy Chief of Defence (Intelligence).
Wakeford was piloting a Catalina on patrol over the North
Atlantic on May 6 1945 when he detected a submerged
submarine. With the cessation of hostilities on the previous
day, all German U-boats had been ordered to travel on the
surface and to surrender. Those that remained submerged were
to be attacked.
Wakeford, who had already expended his depth charges,
dropped a series of sonobuoys and tracked the U-boat for a
number of hours until shortage of fuel forced him to return
to the Shetland Islands. A second Catalina had arrived to
relieve him, and it was able to carry out a successful
attack. The engagement ended with the U-320 being scuttled
off the Norwegian coast.
Richard Gordon Wakeford was born on April 20 1922 at Torquay
and educated at Kelly College, Tavistock. He joined the RAF
in 1941 and was trained as a pilot by the US Navy in
Florida. He was commissioned and returned to Britain to fly
with Coastal Command.
In November 1942 Wakeford joined No 212 Squadron flying
Catalinas over the Indian Ocean in search of German and
Japanese submarines and supply ships. After 18 months he
returned to instruct flying-boat pilots before joining No
210 Squadron, based at Sullom Voe in the Shetlands, in
October 1944. With the loss of the Bay of Biscay ports, the
German Navy had transferred most of its submarines to
Norwegian ports, and Wakeford flew many patrols over the
North Atlantic and in support of the Russian convoys.
At the end of the war he flew Liberator and York transport
aircraft on the Far East routes before qualifying as a
flying instructor. After two years instructing trainee
pilots at the RAF College Cranwell, he was head-hunted by
the commandant of the Central Flying School to become a
member of the school's examining wing. He travelled widely,
visiting foreign air forces as well as testing and
evaluating flying instructors, ensuring that they were using
the standard procedures. Wakeford was regarded as an
outstanding and meticulous pilot, and was assessed as an A1
instructor, the highest category possible. He was awarded
the AFC.
In 1955 he was appointed to the air headquarters in Malaya
at the time of the emergency and two years later was
seconded to the Malayan government as Director of
Operations. In July 1959 he was appointed to command the
Queen's Flight at a time when the helicopter was being used
increasingly for transporting the Royal Family. Initially,
the helicopters were on loan from the Central Flying School,
but in late 1959 Wakeford accepted the first VVIP version of
the Westland Whirlwind, which became an integral part of the
Flight. On completion of his tour of duty, Wakeford was
appointed MVO (4th Class).
After a two-year period on the directing staff of the RAF
Staff College, he was promoted to group captain and returned
to operational flying, taking command, in June 1964, of the
V-bomber base at Scampton, near Lincoln. Equipped with the
Vulcan bomber, the three squadrons provided a crucial
element of Britain's nuclear deterrent force.
Wakeford was the Assistant Commandant at the RAF College
Cranwell from 1966 to 1969, which coincided with a series of
radical changes to training policy and to the syllabus for
both flying and academic training. The RAF Technical College
at Henlow was transferred to Cranwell to merge into a
combined College, and this created a series of major reviews
on engineering training, accreditations and the need for
more facilities.
In February 1969 Wakeford was promoted to air vice-marshal
and took up the appointment of Commander Northern Maritime
Air Region and Air Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland at
Pitreavie Castle, Fife.
There he had responsibility for flying operations from the
major airfields in Scotland, including the highly capable
maritime reconnaissance force operating from Kinloss. His
squadrons spent hours tracking elements of the powerful
Soviet Navy's Northern Fleet and submarine activities in the
Atlantic. Wakeford's squadrons were also involved in the
Icelandic cod wars. After two years as the Director of
Service Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence, Wakeford
was appointed as the last commander of the Australia, New
Zealand, United Kingdom (ANZUK) Force based in Singapore (it
was disbanded in January 1975). For his last appointment in
the RAF, he became Deputy Chief of Defence (Intelligence) at
the MoD.
The "special relationship'' between Britain and the United
States was particularly strong in the intelligence field,
but on a number of occasions Wakeford had to exercise his
considerable charm and tact when dealing with one or two
particularly intransigent and strong-minded American
intelligence chiefs. One colleague described him as "a
perfect gentleman and ambassador'' who "regularly smoothed
troubled waters with his calm but authoritative manner''.
During his period at Pitreavie Castle Wakeford and his wife
had developed a strong affection for Scotland and in 1977
they retired to Perthshire. He spent several years as the
RAF Benevolent Fund's officer in Edinburgh, served as the
vice-chairman (Air) on the Lowland Territorial & Army
Volunteer Reserve and was a commissioner of Queen Victoria
School, Dunblane.
In 1980 he became a trustee of the MacRobert Trusts, set up
by the late Lady (Rachel) MacRobert in memory of her three
sons, all of whom had been killed serving with the RAF. In
1982 he began a 12-year period as chairman of the trustees.
Under his outstanding leadership, the trusts provided
support for ex-servicemen's hospitals and homes and welfare
organisations. They also supported youth activities,
education, Scottish universities, agriculture and the arts
and music.
The Fellowship of Engineering awarded the first President's
Medal to Wakeford in 1987 in recognition of the MacRobert
Trusts' longstanding encouragement of excellence in British
engineering.
Whilst fishing for trout on the River Dee in 1970 Wakeford
had caught a salmon, and fly-fishing developed into a great
passion; he soon owned the fishing rights on a stretch of
the Spey. In 1987 he moved to Fochabers, in Morayshire,
becoming a keen golfer at the Spey Bay Golf Club.
Wakeford was appointed OBE in 1958 and KCB in 1976. In 1986
he was appointed Commander of the Order of St John.
Dickie Wakeford died on February 13. He married, in 1948,
Anne Butler. She died in 2002, and he is survived by two
sons and a daughter; another daughter predeceased him.