Peter Le Cheminant

Educated at Elizabeth College (Guernsey) and the Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Le Cheminant was commissioned into the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a pilot officer (on probation) on 23 December 1939, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War.{{London Gazette|issue=34776|supp=y|page=377|date=19 January 1940}} He was confirmed in his rank and promoted to flying officer (war-substantive) on 23 December 1940.{{London Gazette|issue=35065|page=692|date=4 February 1941}} He was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) on 23 December 1941 and to the substantive rank of flight lieutenant on 23 June 1943.{{London Gazette|issue=35467|page=908|date=24 February 1942}}{{London Gazette|issue=37571|supp=y|page=2396|date=21 May 1946}} An acting squadron leader by 1943, he was promoted to squadron leader (war-substantive) on 4 August 1943.{{London Gazette|issue=36330|supp=y|page=311|date=14 January 1944}}

Also in 1943, Le Cheminant was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).{{London Gazette|issue=36108|supp=y|page=3383|date=27 July 1943}} He was promoted to the permanent rank of squadron leader on 1 August 1947.{{London Gazette|issue=38035|supp=y|page=3663|date=5 August 1947}} He also served in the Korean War and was awarded a Bar to his DFC in 1951.Debretts People of Today 1994 He was promoted to wing commander on 1 July 1951 and to group captain on 1 July 1958.{{London Gazette|issue=39271|supp=y|page=3544|date=29 June 1951}}{{London Gazette|issue=41433|supp=y|page=4142|date=1 July 1958}}

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.{{London Gazette|issue=43210|supp=y|page=77|date=3 January 1964}}{{London Gazette|issue=43999|supp=y|page=6351|date=31 May 1966}} He was promoted to the permanent rank of air vice marshal on 1 January 1967,{{London Gazette|issue=44218|supp=y|page=79|date=3 January 1967}} 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.{{London Gazette|issue=44718|supp=y|page=12406|date=19 November 1968}}{{London Gazette|issue=45359|supp=y|page=4534|date=4 May 1971}} Promoted air marshal on 4 July 1972,{{London Gazette|issue=45718|supp=y|page=7981|date=4 July 1972}} he then became Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in 1974. 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.{{London Gazette|issue=46814|supp=y|page=1676|date=3 February 1976}}{{London Gazette|issue=46819|supp=y|page=2057|date=9 February 1976}} He relinquished the command on 1 June 1979 and retired from the RAF on 27 August.{{London Gazette|issue=47864|supp=y|page=7401|date=12 June 1979}}{{London Gazette|issue=47972|supp=y|page=12648|date=9 October 1979}}

Le Cheminant was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1968 Birthday Honours,{{London Gazette|issue=44600|supp=y|page=6301|date=8 June 1968}} and knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1972 Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=45678|supp=y|page=6257|date=3 June 1972}} He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in the 1978 Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=47549|supp=y|page=6235|date=3 June 1978}}

Le Cheminant served as Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey from 1980 to 1985. He was the only native Guernseyman to have held that post.{{cite web|author=Bailiwick Express |url=https://gsy.bailiwickexpress.com/gsy/news/air-chief-marshal-sir-peter-le-cheminant-has-died/#.WszQksgh1MD |title=Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Le Cheminant has died | Bailiwick Express |publisher=Gsy.bailiwickexpress.com |date=1943-08-04 |accessdate=2018-04-10}} After his retirement he remained a keen Bisley marksman.{{cite web |url=http://www.thisisguernsey.com/2005/07/19/top-marks/ |title=Top Marks |publisher=Thisisguernsey.com |date=2005-07-19 |accessdate=2018-04-10 |archive-date=9 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209141654/http://www.thisisguernsey.com/2005/07/19/top-marks/ |url-status=dead }} Le Cheminant died on 8 April 2018.

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Peter Le Cheminant}}

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

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{{succession box | before=Sir John Martin | title=Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey | years=1980–1985 | after=Sir Alexander Boswell}}

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Category:1920 births

Category:2018 deaths

Category:British military personnel of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation

Category:Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell

Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath

Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire

Category:People educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey

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

Category:Royal Air Force air marshals

Category:Royal Air Force personnel of the Korean War

Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II