John Dowling (RAF officer)
Wing Commander John Reginald Dowling, MBE, DFC & Bar, AFC[2] (5 July 1923 – July 2000) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer and helicopter pilot famous for placing the spire of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral on 22 April 1962.[1] He was a Lancaster bomber pilot during the Second World War, and the author of RAF Helicopters: The First Twenty Years, a comprehensive overview of the RAF's early helicopters and their uses.[1]
John Dowling | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Mr Helicopter"[1] |
| Born | 5 July 1923 Manchester, England |
| Died | July 2000 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1941–1978 |
| Rank | Wing Commander |
| Commands held | No. 72 Squadron (1961–62) |
| Battles/wars | Second World War Berlin Airlift Malayan Emergency Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation |
| Awards | Member of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Air Force Cross Mentioned in Despatches |
Dowling used a Bristol Belvedere helicopter to place the spire at Coventry Cathedral
Dowling was born in Withington Manchester, the son of Dr Stephen Dowling and Mrs Kathleen Dowling (née Gilmore). One of four children, he was educated at Ampleforth College and practised Catholicism all of his life.
References
- "Wing Commander John Dowling". The Telegraph. London. 28 July 2000. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- "No. 41589". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1958. p. 9.
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