John Rawlins (Royal Navy officer)
{{short description|Royal Navy officer and pioneer in the field of diving medicine}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Sir John Rawlins
|image=
|image_size=
|alt=
|caption=
|nickname=
|birth_date= {{birth date|1922|05|12|df=yes}}
|birth_place= Wiltshire, England
|death_date= {{death date and age|2011|07|27|1922|05|12|df=yes}}
|death_place=
|placeofburial=
|allegiance= United Kingdom
|branch= Royal Navy
|serviceyears= 1946–1980
|rank= Surgeon Vice Admiral
|unit=
|commands= RN Medical Director General (1977–80)
Institute of Naval Medicine (1975–77)
Director of Health and Research (Naval) (1973–75)
|battles=
|awards= Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
|relations= Colonel Stuart Rawlins (father)
|laterwork=
}}
Sir John Stuart Pepys Rawlins (12 May 1922 – 27 July 2011) was a Royal Navy officer and pioneer in the field of diving medicine.
Royal Navy
Rawlins was the son of Colonel Stuart Rawlins. He was educated at Wellington College, read medicine at University College, Oxford and trained at Barts, graduating in 1945.{{cite web |title=Survey of the Papers of Senior UK Defence Personnel, 1900–1975 |publisher=King's College London, Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives |url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/RAWLINS.shtml |access-date=2011-07-29}} Soon after, Rawlins began his career as a surgeon lieutenant Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve officer and was assigned to the Colossus class aircraft carrier {{HMS|Triumph|R16|6}} in 1947. After transitioning from the reserves to active duty in 1951, Rawlins was assigned to the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine (IAM).{{cite web |title=The Explorers Club Honors Clive Cussler and 12 Other Deep Sea Explorers |publisher=National Underwater and Marine Agency |url=http://www.numa.net/press/112800.html |access-date=2011-07-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040106093933/http://www.numa.net/press/112800.html |archive-date=6 January 2004 }} He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1955 for his work with protective helmets,{{cite journal |author=Rawlins, John |title=Man in the deep |journal=South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society Journal |volume=6 |issue=1 |year=1976 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6100 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415234055/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6100 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=15 April 2013 |access-date=2013-03-27}} and was promoted to the rank of surgeon commander while he continued his research at the IAM until 1961. That year he was advanced to Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his work on the automatic underwater escape system. Rawlins was also a member of the US Navy SEALAB project.{{cite journal |author=Davis, Michael |title=Immersion hypothermia in scuba diving. |journal=South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society Journal (Reprint from New Zealand Journal of Sports Medicine) |volume=9 |issue=2 |year=1979 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6248 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130113112650/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6248 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=13 January 2013 |access-date=2011-07-29}}
Rawlins served as the RN Director of Health and Research from 1975 to 1977 and later as the RN Medical Director General from 1977 to 1980 when he retired as surgeon vice admiral.{{cite web |title=Death of Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir John Rawlins, KBE, MA (Oxf), BB, BCh, FRCP, FFCM, FRAES |publisher=Minewarfare & Clearance Diving Officers' Association |url=http://www.mcdoa.org.uk/News.htm |access-date=2011-07-29}}
Other honours
In 1971, Rawlins also served as the first "past president" on the founding executive committee for the European Underwater and Baromedical Society.{{cite journal |author=Bornmann, Robert C |title=Foundation for tenth years of accomplishment. |journal=Proceedings of the XVIIth Meeting of the European Underwater and Baromedical Society. |location=Heraklion, Kriti, Greece |publisher=European Underwater and Baromedical Society |year=1991 }}
The Gilbert Blane Medal of the Royal College of Surgeons was awarded in 1974 for his work on cold in diving. Rawlins was a British Sub-Aqua Club Honorary Life Member as well as President of the Historical Diving Society and the Association of RN First Class Divers. He received the Lowell Thomas Award from The Explorers Club in 2000.{{cite web |title=The Lowell Thomas Award |publisher=The Explorers Club |url=http://www.explorers.org/index.php/about/history/the_lowell_thomas_award |access-date=2011-07-29 |archive-date=13 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113040505/http://www.explorers.org/index.php/about/history/the_lowell_thomas_award |url-status=dead }}
References
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External links
{{portal|Biography|Underwater diving}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20111201180631/http://announcements.thetimes.co.uk/obituaries/timesonline-uk/obituary.aspx?n=john-rawlins&pid=152835426 Obituary in The Times]
- [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/8709908/Sir-John-Rawlins.html Obituary in The Telegraph]
{{Underwater diving|divmed}}
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Category:Military personnel from Wiltshire
Category:British medical researchers
Category:British underwater divers
Category:Royal Navy vice admirals
Category:Royal Navy Medical Service officers
Category:Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Category:Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians
Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Category:People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire