PERSONALITY OF THE MONTH
A Very Nice Fellow
AIR VICE MARSHAL D. J. P. LEE
C.B., C.B.E.
Several hundred airmen and their officers stand at attention, the band
plays and the Air Officer Commanding starts his slow and careful survey of
the parade. How many of those standing there know very much about the
inspecting officer? To many he is just a high ranking Air Force Officer but most
people would like to know more about him. Here is a brief resume of the main
events in a very eventful career.
Our personality this month is one of the "Old Uns” who came up in
the Service the "Hard Way”.
You must have met him or his counterpart in many trades, at various
times : rough, tough, tenacious on the job. You know the type — "Get the job
done and be ! ! ! to all else” (possible originator of the adage: "If it takes
a miracle to do this job, get one or make one!”
Yet through this tough exterior one can discern another character, one
that endears our personality to his colleagues and workmates from all ranks
and trades. He is the dependable, relaxed, no panic, giver of confidence type enough to make his section think him the “Cats Knuckles” or to graduate from
the square or peasant vocabulary "He's cool man, cool”.
CHARMER
Although living-in he finds plenty of opportunities to meet Service wives
and then watch him switch on the charm! After a chat or a few drinks the old
ones wiggle away with the undulating gait of a Monroe or a Bardot (no, not a
Bar Fly). Oh well! some have it and some just haven't. He has — the old Rep.
Our personality is not a Saint by any means (who could be on this
blessed island) but he is, and I'm sure he always will be, a very likeable com panion and comrade.
A few clues to the old ....
Despite what certain members of the Sergeants' Mess say, he is not
very old. After all life expectation in this half of the twentieth century is
believed to be 98 years so he still has five or six to go. A certain W/O in Pay
Accounts is wrong when he states that our personality is a relic of the 'Dead
Wood Stage'. Neither is it true to say that he gets his pipe filling from Sgt.
Ingham's discarded "Socks Pile". His hair has a centre parting, four inches in
length and the three hairs on the left are trained to do a reverse left hand turn.
It is not true that our personality and A/C 2 Boom Trenchard (R.I.P.)
made up the only flight on his first day in the Air Force - that happened on
his second day as Boom hadn't got a uniform the first day.
Finally it must be said that our personality is a nice fellow as I'm sure
most people would agree. His time on the Station is just about up and he hasn't
got a very long time to do in the Service.
1930–1932 Started his career at R.A.F. College, Cranwell.
1933-1936 Served on the North West Frontier of India with No. 60 Squadron
- Harts; No. 39 Squadron — Wapities.
1939–1941 Went to Bomber Command and served with No. 61 Squadron at
Hemswell – Hampdens; No. 106 Squadron at Finningley -
Hampdens.
1943-1944 After going to Staff College was appointed Deputy Director of
Plans Air Ministry..
1945–1947 Commanded No. 904 Wing, Batavia, Java, Thunderbolt Aircraft.
1951-1953 Deputy Director of Policy Air Ministry.
1953—1955 Officer Commanding R.A.F. Scampton.
1956—1959 Secretary Chief of Staff Committee, Ministry of Defence.
Appointed Air Officer Commanding, Air Forces Arabian
Peninsula. Commander of Special Canberra Squadron.
1959
THE R.A.F. WILL MISS HIM AND SO WILL WE - HIS FRIENDS
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