View source for John Howe (RAF officer)

{{Short description|Senior Royal Air Force officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= John Frederick George Howe
|image=
|caption=
|nickname=
|birth_date= {{birth date|1930|03|26|df=yes}}
|birth_place= [[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]], South Africa
|death_date= {{death date and age|2016|01|27|1930|03|26|df=yes}}
|death_place=
|placeofburial=
|allegiance= South Africa<br/>United Kingdom
|branch= [[South African Air Force]] (1949–54)<br/>[[Royal Air Force]] (1954–85)
|serviceyears= 1949–85
|rank= [[Air Vice Marshal]]
|unit=
|commands= [[Commandant-General of the RAF Regiment|RAF Regiment]] (1983–85)<br/>Southern Maritime Air Region (1980–83)<br/>[[Royal Observer Corps]] (1977–80)<br/>[[RAF Gutersloh]] (1973–74)<br/>[[No. 228 Operational Conversion Unit RAF|No. 228 Operational Conversion Unit]] (1968–69)<br/>[[No. 229 Operational Conversion Unit RAF|No. 229 Operational Conversion Unit]] (1967–68)<br/>[[No. 74 Squadron RAF|No. 74 Squadron]] (1960–62)
|battles= [[Korean War]]<br/>[[Suez Crisis]]<br/>[[Cold War]]
|awards= [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]]<br/>[[Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air]] (2)<br/>[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] (United States)<br/>[[Air Medal]] (United States)
|relations=
|laterwork=
}}
[[Air Vice Marshal]] '''John Frederick George Howe''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|sep=,|CB|CBE|AFC}} (26 March 1930 – 27 January 2016) was a senior [[Royal Air Force]] officer in the 1970s and 1980s. He flew combat missions in the [[Korean War]] and [[North Sea]] interceptor air patrols during the [[Cold War]], finishing his career as the Commandant General [[RAF Regiment]] and [[Provost Marshal|RAF Provost Marshal and Director General Security]]. Howe also served as the sixteenth Commandant of the [[Royal Observer Corps]] between 1977 and 1980.
==Early life and education==
Howe was born in [[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]], South Africa,<ref name="TelegrahObit">{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/12173485/Air-Vice-Marshal-John-Howe-obituary.html | title=Air Vice-Marshal John Howe – obituary | work=The Telegraph| date=25 February 2016 | access-date=26 February 2016}}</ref> and educated at [[St. Andrew's College (Grahamstown, South Africa)|St Andrew's College, Grahamstown]]. He joined the [[South African Air Force]] immediately after leaving school.<ref>[http://samilitaryhistory.org/ross/redcoats.html South African military history]</ref>
==Flying history==
===South African Air Force===
Howe began his military flying career in the post-Second World War [[South African Air Force]], and learned to fly in [[De Havilland Tiger Moth|Tiger Moth]]s, [[T-6 Texan|Harvard]]s and [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]]s. In 1950 he was posted to [[2 Squadron SAAF|No 2 Squadron SAAF]] "The Flying Cheetahs" and deployed to Korea to fly combat missions as part of South Africa's contribution to the [[Korean War]] in support of the UN forces.
During his first tour of duty in Korea he flew the [[P-51 Mustang|Mustang F-51D]] fighter-bombers in front-line action. A later second tour saw him serving with [[US Army|US infantry]] units, as a ground-based [[Forward Air Control]]ler, operating in the thick of the fighting. He was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] and the [[Air Medal]] from the United States for his service during these actions.
===Royal Air Force===
When the political situation in South Africa became more difficult and extreme in 1954 he decided to resign from the SAAF and moved to England where he transferred to the [[Royal Air Force]] in the rank of [[flying officer]] (Service No. 503984) to fly early types of jet fighters. He became a [[Qualified Flying Instructor]] (QFI) on Vampires, later converting to the [[Hawker Hunter]], and serving the front line [[North Sea]] interceptors of [[No. 222 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Leuchars]] in October 1957 as a flight commander on promotion to [[flight lieutenant]].
During the [[Suez crisis]] in 1956 he had again operated as a Forward Air Controller and landed with the first invasion wave on the beaches with [[40 Commando]]. After Suez Howe returned to flying duties as a Flight Commander with [[No. 43 Squadron RAF]] during which time he was awarded with the [[Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=41727 |date=13 June 1959 |page=3733 |supp=y }}</ref> Four years after the Suez debacle Howe was promoted to [[squadron leader]] in July 1960 and appointed as Officer Commanding [[No. 74 Squadron RAF]] the 'Tiger' Squadron, to introduce the first of the supersonic [[English Electric Lightning]] interceptors into service with the RAF.<ref>[http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol011dt.html 74 Squadron history]</ref> Howe also formed and led [[Red Arrows#Predecessors|"The Tigers" RAF aerobatic display team]] during his time with No. 74 Squadron.
Howe was selected by the RAF to undertake several overseas demonstration tours where he showcased the remarkable capabilities of the new fighter in numerous air displays and demonstrations. He was awarded the [[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]] on 2 June 1962.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=42683 |date=2 June 1962 |page=4340 |supp=y }}</ref> Promoted to [[Wing commander (rank)|wing commander]] in January 1966 his developing career took him to a staff posting at Headquarters [[RAF Fighter Command]], a senior instructor posting at [[Royal Air Force College Cranwell]] and later as a senior staff officer at the Joint Warfare School.
After a 1965 exchange tour posting to the United States where he flew most of the [[Century Series]] Fighters and the [[F-4 Phantom II|Phantom]] he returned to the UK as Officer Commanding [[No. 229 Operational Conversion Unit RAF]] at [[RAF Chivenor]] and later [[No. 228 Operational Conversion Unit RAF]] at [[RAF Coningsby]] where he oversaw the introduction of the Phantom FGR2 into operational service with the RAF. In 1969 on promotion to acting [[group captain]] he moved to two staff postings, firstly as 'Staff Officer Central Tactics and Trials' and later as 'Deputy Director Operational Research 1'. After his rank as a group captain was made substantive, in 1973 he was appointed Officer Commanding [[RAF Gutersloh]] on the front line of the [[Cold War]] [[Iron Curtain]] operations.
On his return from Germany in 1975 he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies for ten months and was posted to [[RAF Bentley Priory]] as 'Operations Staff Officer (Training)' at [[No. 11 Group RAF|Headquarters 11 Group, Strike Command]].
===Royal Observer Corps===
Following a tour of duty as an Operations Staff Officer, in 1977 Howe moved across the road on promotion to [[air commodore]] and took up the appointment as Commandant of the [[Royal Observer Corps]] who were also located at Bentley Priory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rafweb.org/Organsation/Grp09.htm|title=Units directly responsible to Ministry level|work=rafweb.org|access-date=7 June 2015}}</ref>
Howe applied the same exacting standards and tight discipline to the ROC as he did to his flying. He found an organisation that was superficially sound but with an underlying air of relaxed complacency. His first action was to insist that all wholetime ROC officers, both newly appointed and those already in service, must qualify through the [[RAF College Cranwell#Current training and organisation|Specialist Entrant and Re-entrant (SERE) Officers Course]] at [[RAF College Cranwell]]. The first intake of five officers to do so attended '157 SERE' in October to November 1979 and Air Commodore Howe was guest of honour at the formal end of course dinner. Also, for the first time in the Corps' history, Howe initiated a two pronged regime of both a ''Commandant's Command Inspection'' and ''Operational Evaluations'' that would continue until the Corps was stood down. The Command Inspections took place in every group headquarters once every three years, with three months prior notice. Howe himself led a two-man team of HQROC staff officers in a two-day detailed review of administration and organisation by the wholetime and spare time staff.
The operation evaluations were a two-day "No Notice" assessment of the group's operational performance similar to RAF station TACEVALs, from [[Transition To War]] right through to prolonged operations under nuclear attack. The OPEVAL evaluation assessors consisted of a joint six-man team from HQROC and the [[United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation]] who would arrive on an irregular basis and place the whole group on a realistic but simulated war footing. By the time Howe's tenure ended in 1980 the dual regime of inspections left the ROC up to date, more efficient and comparable to any unit in [[RAF Strike Command]] and he was subsequently considered to have had a greater impact on the operational efficiency of the ROC than any other post-war Commandant ROC.
Howe also spearheaded the rapid improvement of inter-group communications over the coming years with the introduction of computerised message switching and modern integrated, [[Electro-magnetic pulse|EMP]] hardened telephone systems.
During his time with the ROC Howe additionally oversaw the Corps' contributions to the [[Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II]] celebrations and events and ensured that every advantage was taken to publicise the unsung work of the Corps. On 30 June 1977 Howe led an ROC contingent that took part in the Royal Review of Reserve and Cadet Forces at Wembley Stadium. On 29 July 1977 he attended when the ROC was represented in the indoor exhibition at the Royal Review of the Royal Air Force at [[RAF Finningley]].
Appointed a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] in the [[1979 New Year Honours]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=47723 |date=30 December 1978 |page=7 |supp=y }}</ref> Howe handed over command of the ROC to Air Commodore R J Offord on 12 April 1981.
===Later RAF service===
Following his time in charge of the ROC he was promoted to [[air vice marshal]] as AOC Southern Maritime Air Region and his final tour of duty was in the dual roles as [[Provost Marshal]] Director General of Security and [[Commandant-General of the RAF Regiment]].
==Retirement==
In retirement, Howe remained an active member of the [[No. 74 Squadron RAF]]'s Association.
==Family life ==
Howe had married and had three daughters, he died on 27 January 2016.<ref name="TelegrahObit"/>
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==Further reading ==
*{{Cite book|last=Cossey|first=Bob
|title=Upward & Onward: Life of Air Vice Marshal John Howe |publisher = Pen & Sword Aviation|date=2008|isbn = 9781844158201|oclc= 463630861}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Michael Horace Miller]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Station Commander [[RAF Gutersloh]]|years=1973–1974}}
{{s-aft|after=P S Collins}}
{{s-bef|before=Michael Horace Miller}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Commandant Royal Observer Corps]]|years=1977–1980}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Raymond Offord]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Henry Reed-Purvis]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Commandant-General of the RAF Regiment]] |years=1983–1985}}
{{s-aft|after=[[David Leech]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howe, John Frederick George}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Suez Crisis]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell]]
[[Category:People from East London, South Africa]]
[[Category:Military personnel from the Eastern Cape]]
[[Category:People of the Royal Observer Corps]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force air marshals]]
[[Category:South African aviators]]
[[Category:South African military personnel of the Korean War]]