Thomas Kennedy (RAF officer)

Sir

Thomas Lawrie Kennedy

GCB, AFC & Bar, DL
NicknameJock
Born(1928-05-19)19 May 1928
Hawick, Scotland
Died18 November 2013(2013-11-18) (aged 85)
AllegianceMonarch of the United Kingdom
Service branch
Royal Air Force
Service years
1946–1986
RAF rank
Air Chief Marshal
CommandsAir Member for Personnel (1983–1986)
Royal Air Force Germany (1981–83)
RAF Brize Norton (1970–1971)
No. 99 Squadron (1965–1967)[1]
Conflicts
Berlin Airlift
Korean War
Suez Crisis
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath[2]
Air Force Cross & Bar[2]
Spouse
Margaret Ann Parker
​
​
(m. 1959⁠–⁠2013)​
Childrenthree
Other workController RAF Benevolent Fund (1988–1993)
Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire
Lord Lieutenant of Rutland

Air Chief Marshal Sir Thomas Lawrie 'Jock' Kennedy,[1] GCB, AFC & Bar, DL[2] (19 May 1928 – 18 November 2013(2013-11-18) (aged 85)) was a senior Royal Air Force (RAF) officer. He served as Deputy Commander of RAF Strike Command from 1979 to 1981, and Air Member for Personnel from 1983 to 1986.[1] Following his retirement from the military, he served as Lord Lieutenant of Rutland.

Early life

Kennedy was born on 19 May 1928 in Hawick, Roxburghshire, Scotland.[3] He was educated at Hawick High School.[4] He was a member of the Boy Scouts.[5]

Military career

In April 1946, Kennedy enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an airman as part of his National Service. He served for six months before being selected for officer training.[3] Having attended Royal Air Force College Cranwell, he was commissioned on 8 April 1949 as a pilot officer.[6] He was awarded the Philip Sassoon Memorial Trophy for best all-round cadet at Cranwell.[3] He was promoted to flying officer on 9 April 1950 with seniority from 8 April 1949,[7] and to flight lieutenant on 8 October 1951.[8] In the 1953 Coronation Honours, Kennedy was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC).[9]

Kennedy was appointed Deputy Commandant of the RAF Staff College, Bracknell in 1971,[1] Director of Air Support Operations in 1973,[1] and Air Officer Commanding Northern Maritime Air Region at RAF Pitreavie Castle in 1977.[5] He went on to be Deputy Commander-in-Chief, RAF Strike Command in 1979,[1] and was appointed to the combined posts of Commander-in-Chief Royal Air Force Germany and Commander Second Tactical Air Force in 1981.[1] His last appointment was as Air Member for Personnel in 1983, before retiring in 1986.[1]

Later life

In retirement from the military, Kennedy became a Director of Dowty Group.[10] He served as controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund from 1988 to 1993, during which time more than £20 million was raised.[5]

He served as Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire,[2] and later became Lord Lieutenant of Rutland.[11]

He died on 18 November 2013.[3]

Personal life

In 1959, Kennedy married Margaret Ann Parker. Together they had three children: one son and two daughters.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Senior Royal Air Force appointments" (PDF). Gulabin.com. December 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Kennedy - Preview Family Record". BurkesPeerage.com. Burke's Peerage & Gentry and Origins.net. n.d. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Kennedy – obituary". The Telegraph. London. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  4. ↑ Steven, Alasdair (23 November 2013). "Obituary: Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Kennedy, AFC (and bar), pilot". The Scotsman. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Keleny, Anne (25 February 2014). "Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Kennedy: RAF airman who evacuated POWs in the Korean War, took part in the Berlin Airlift and flew over Suez and Rhodesia". The Independent. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  6. ↑ "No. 38605". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 May 1949. p. 2285.
  7. ↑ "No. 38912". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 May 1950. p. 2423.
  8. ↑ "No. 39381". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 November 1951. p. 5914.
  9. ↑ "No. 39863". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 May 1953. p. 2989.
  10. ↑ "UK: Filling in the foxholes – Ex-military men in the arms trade". ManagementToday.co.uk. Haymarket Media Group Ltd. 31 August 2010 [1 May 1992]. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "No. 54728". The London Gazette. 8 April 1997. p. 4181.
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