George Chesworth

Air Vice Marshal George Arthur Chesworth CB, OBE, DFC, JP (4 June 1930 – 24 May 2017) was a senior Royal Air Force officer and Lord Lieutenant of Moray.[1]

George Arthur Chesworth
Born(1930-06-04)4 June 1930
Died24 May 2017(2017-05-24) (aged 86)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Air Force
Years of service1948–1984
RankAir Vice Marshal
Battles/warsKorean War
Falklands War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Flying Cross
Other workChief Executive
Lord Lieutenant

Early life

Chesworth was born on 4 June 1930 in Beckenham Kent.[2][3] He began his association with the Royal Air Force when he joined the Air Training Corps.[1]

Career

He began his military service on 28 July 1948,[4] when he went to the recruitment office to sign on for National Service. He was one of the few National Service pilots. He was commissioned into the RAF in May 1950.[4]

Once Chesworth had completed his flying training, and converted to Sunderland Flying Boats, he joined No. 205 Squadron in the Far East Air Force. He flew many operational sorties against the Chinese in the Korean War for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.[1]

After the Korean War ended, Chesworth became a Flying Instructor on Percival Provost at RAF Hullavington. This was followed by a ground tour. He then went to RAF Kinloss as a Shackleton Instructor and finally back to squadron life as a Flight Commander with No. 201 Squadron RAF.[1]

On 15 April 1980, Air Commodore Chesworth was appointed Chief of Staff (Air), Headquarters No. 18 Group RAF, with the acting rank of air vice marshal.[5]

Air Vice Marshal Chesworth retired from the RAF in 1984.[1]

Later life

In 1985, Chesworth became Chief Executive of the Glasgow Garden Festival.[1]

He was Lord Lieutenant of Moray, Scotland between 21 April 1994 and 20 August 2005, when he was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Grenville Johnston.

On 25 February 2009, Chesworth presented 80 personnel of his previous squadron, No. 201 Squadron RAF, with the Operational Service Medal Afghanistan and the Iraq Medal.[6]

He was the Vice President of Houses for Heroes.[7]

He died on 24 May 2017 at the age of 86.[8]

Awards and decorations

On 23 February 1954, the then Flight Lieutenant Chesworth was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross "in recognition of gallant and distinguished service in Korea".[9]

In the 1972 New Year Honours, the then Wing Commander Chesworth was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).[10] On 11 October 1982, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) "in recognition of service within the operations in the South Atlantic".[11]

He was appointed to the honorary role of Air Commodore of No. 2622 (Highland) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment based at RAF Lossiemouth in 2001. He held that position for eight years to 2009.[1]

On 3 August 1992, he was appointed as Honorary Colonel of the 76 Engineer Regiment (Volunteers).[12]

Promotions
Rank Date first held
Pilot Officer 25 May 1950 [13]
Flying Officer 25 May 1951 [14]
Flight Lieutenant 25 November 1953 [15]
Squadron Leader 1 July 1961 [16]
Wing Commander 1 January 1966 [17]
Group Captain 1 January 1972 [18]
Air Commodore 1 July 1976 [19]
Air Vice Marshal 1 January 1981 [20]

References
  1. "Honorary Air Commodore's farewell to 2622 (Highland) Squadron". raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  2. "Daily Universal Register – Happy Birthday". The Times. 4 June 2009. p. 33.
  3. "Birthdays". The Independent. 3 June 1995. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  4. George Chesworth (December 2006). "National Service". rafcaa.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  5. "No. 48163". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 April 1980. p. 5965.
  6. "Nimrod crews recognised for work in the Gulf". mod.uk. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 3 May 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  7. "Our People (Committee)". housesforheroes.org.uk. 2007. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  8. CHESWORTH
  9. "No. 40107". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 February 1954. p. 1153.
  10. "No. 45554". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1971. p. 7.
  11. "No. 49134". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 October 1982. p. 12856.
  12. "No. 53008". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 August 1992. p. 13140.
  13. "No. 38960". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 July 1950. p. 3453.
  14. "No. 39239". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 May 1951. p. 92.
  15. "No. 40037". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 December 1953. pp. 6655–6656.
  16. "No. 42403". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 June 1961. p. 4932.
  17. "No. 43863". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1965. pp. 77–78.
  18. "No. 45564". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 January 1972. p. 92.
  19. "No. 46953". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 July 1976. p. 9290.
  20. "No. 48498". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 January 1981. p. 821.
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