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Neil Wheeler
Air Chief Marshal Sir Henry Neil George Wheeler, GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC & Bar, AFC (8 July 1917 – 9 January 2009) was a senior Royal Air Force (RAF) officer. Military careerEducated St Helen's College in Southsea and the Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Wheeler was commissioned into the RAF in 1935.[1] He served with Bomber Command from 1937 and then spent part of the Second World War as Officer Commanding No. 236 Squadron[2] in Fighter Command before going to the RAF Staff College and US Army Staff College in 1943.[1] After the war he joined the Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College and then transferred to the Far East Air Force in 1947.[1] He was posted to the Directing Staff at the Joint Services Staff College in 1949 and to Bomber Command in 1951 before going to the Air Ministry in 1953.[1] He was appointed Assistant Commandant at the RAF College in 1957 and Officer Commanding RAF Laarbruch in 1959.[1] He attended the Imperial Defence College in 1961 and then served in the Ministry of Defence from 1961.[1] He became Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Germany (2 Tactical Air Force) in 1963 and Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operational Requirements) in 1966.[1] He was made Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operational Requirements) in 1967 and Commander of the Far East Air Force in 1969.[1] He was Air Member for Supply and Organisation at the Ministry of Defence from 1970 and then Controller of Aircraft at the Procurement Executive from 1973.[1] In retirement he became a Director of Rolls-Royce Limited.[1] FamilyIn 1942 he married Elizabeth Weightman and then went on to have two sons and a daughter. He was the younger brother of Major General Norman Wheeler, and uncle of General Sir Roger Wheeler.[3] References
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