Douglas Lowe (RAF officer)

Douglas Charles Lowe was born on 14 March 1922.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/birthdays-1150162.html Birthdays] The Independent, 14 March 1998 He married Doreen Elizabeth Nichols the daughter of Ralph Henry Nichols. Their only daughter, Frances Elizabeth Lowe, married Christopher Russell Bailey, the 5th Baron Glanusk.{{cite web |url=http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/index965.htm |title=Glanusk, Baron (UK, 1899) |accessdate=17 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110509042551/http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/index965.htm |archivedate=9 May 2011 }}

Lowe enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) in 1940,and trained under the Arnold Scheme at Americus Georgia. He returned to England and flew as a pilot during the Second World War. As a sergeant, he was granted an emergency commission in the RAFVR as a probationary pilot officer on 4 January 1943.{{London Gazette|issue=35914|supp=y|page=932|date=15 February 1943}} He was promoted to probationary flying officer on 1 July 1943.{{London Gazette|issue=36175|supp=y|page=4138|date=14 September 1943}}

As an acting flight lieutenant with No.75 (N.Z.) Squadron, Lowe was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 9 July 1943.{{London Gazette|issue=36084|supp=y|page=3095|date=6 July 1943}} He was confirmed in his rank of flying officer on 23 December 1943,{{London Gazette|issue=36488|supp=y|page=1943|date=25 April 1944}} and received a mention in despatches in January 1945.{{London Gazette|issue=36866|supp=y|page=73|date=29 December 1944}} Lowe was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) on 1 January 1945.{{London Gazette|issue=36909|supp=y|page=574|date=23 January 1945}} In the 1946 Birthday Honours, Lowe was decorated with the Air Force Cross.{{London Gazette|issue=37598|supp=y|page=2816|date=4 June 1946}} He remained in the RAF post-war, being awarded a permanent commission in the rank of flying officer on 1 July 1946, with a subsequent promotion to flight lieutenant on 4 July.{{London Gazette|issue=37870|supp=y|page=600|date=31 January 1947}}{{London Gazette|issue=37895|supp=y|page=1038|date=28 February 1947}}

Lowe was promoted to squadron leader on 1 July 1952. File:Vickers Valian B.1 WZ393 90 Sqn SGT 10.06.57.jpg On 1 January 1958 he was promoted to wing commander on 1 January 1958{{London Gazette|issue=39586|supp=y|page=3582|date=27 June 1952}}{{London Gazette|issue=41266|supp=y|page=7594|date=27 December 1957}} to command the Vickers Valiants of 148 Squadron at RAF Marham in Norfolk, part of the UK "V" force which was NATO's deterrent to the build-up of the Warsaw Pact nations led by the Soviet Union.

Promoted to group captain on 1 July 1962, he served as Station Commander at RAF Cranwell from November 1963 to 1965.{{London Gazette|issue=42721|supp=y|page=5302|date=29 June 1962}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Station%20OCs-Lincs.htm|title=Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – RAF Station Commanders – Lincolnshire and East Midlands|website=rafweb.org|accessdate=10 April 2018}} With his promotion to air commodore on 1 July 1966, he attained air officer rank.{{London Gazette|issue=44039|supp=y|page=7468|date=30 June 1966}} He was promoted to air vice marshal on 1 January 1970 and appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1971 Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=45013|supp=y|page=221|date=5 January 1970}}{{London Gazette|issue=45384|supp=y|page=5959|date=4 June 1971}}

In 1973 Lowe was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group and he continued in this post until 1975.[http://www.rafweb.org/Grp02.htm Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Group No's 10 – 19] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005054658/http://www.rafweb.org/Grp02.htm |date=5 October 2013 }} Thereafter, he was promoted to air chief marshal and was appointed the Controller of Aircraft:[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%201888.html Defence] Flight International, 18 September 1975 he remained in that post until late 1982.Whitaker's Almanack 1983 Lowe was the Chief of Defence Procurement at the Ministry of Defence from 1982 to 1983.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110605012043/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/court_and_social/article1511602.ece?print=yes&randnum=1151003209000 Birthdays] The Times, 14 March 2007 He retired on 22 August 1983.{{London Gazette|issue=49503 |date=10 October 1983 |page=13293 |supp=y}}

Lowe died on 24 January 2018 at the age of 95.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2018/01/30/air-chief-marshal-sir-douglas-lowe-obituary/|title=Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Lowe – obituary|newspaper=The Telegraph |date=10 April 2018|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}

{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-mil}}

{{s-bef|before=R G Knott}}

{{s-ttl|title=Senior Air Staff Officer Near East Air Force|years=1969–1971}}

{{s-aft|after=Robert Freer}}

|-

{{s-bef|before=Michael Giddings}}

{{s-ttl|title=Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operational Requirements)|years=1971–1973}}

{{s-aft|after=D Bower}}

|-

{{s-bef|before=Sir Anthony Heward}}

{{s-ttl|title=Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group|years=1973–1975}}

{{s-aft|after=Sir Robert Freer}}

|-

{{s-bef|before=Sir Neil Wheeler}}

{{s-ttl|title=Controller Aircraft|years=1975–1982}}

{{s-aft|after=Sir John Rogers}}

|-

{{s-bef|before=Sir David Cardwell}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chief of Defence Procurement|years=1982–1983}}

{{s-aft|after=Sir David Perry}}

{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Douglas Charles}}

Category:1922 births

Category:2018 deaths

Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)

Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)

Category:Royal Air Force air marshals

Category:Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II

Category:People educated at Reading School

Category:Royal Air Force pilots of World War II