William Coles (RAF officer)

Air Marshal Sir William Edward Coles KBE, CB, DSO, DFC & Bar, AFC (26 July 1913 – 7 June 1979) was a Royal Air Force officer who served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Technical Training Command from 1966 to 1968. Coles was also a British bobsledder who competed in the late 1940s as part of an RAF team.

Sir William Coles
Born	26 July 1913
Died	7 June 1979 (aged 65)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1938–1968
Rank	Air Marshal
Commands held	Technical Training Command (1966–68) No. 23 (Training) Group (1960–63) RAF Middleton St. George (1950–51) No. 233 Squadron (1944–45) No. 117 Squadron (1943–44)
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Air Force Cross Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)

RAF career

Coles joined the Royal Air Force in 1938.[1] He served in the Second World War as Officer Commanding No. 117 Squadron and as Officer Commanding No. 233 Squadron.[1] After the war he became a Staff Officer at the Air Ministry before joining the Central Flying School.[1] He was appointed Station Commander at RAF Middleton St. George in 1950, Chief Flying Instructor at the Central Flying School in 1951 and Air Adviser to the High Commissioner to Australia in 1953.[1] He went on to be Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters No. 3 (Bomber) Group in 1957, Air Officer Commanding No. 23 (Training) Group in 1960 and Director-General of RAF Personal Services in 1963.[1] His last appointment was as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Technical Training Command in 1966 before retiring in 1968.[1]

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1974 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.[2]

In retirement he became President of the Not Forgotten Association[3] and Controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund.[4]

Sport

At the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, he finished fifth in the two-man and seventh in the four-man events.[5]

References

1. Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir William Coles
2. "William Coles". Bigredbook.info. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
3. Not Forgotten Association Annual Review 2010
4. World News Flight International, 30 October 1969
5. 1948 bobsleigh two-man results; 1948 bobsleigh four-man results; British Olympic Association profile