From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article lists those members of the
Royal Air Force of the
United Kingdom who have become either nationally or internationally famous. This could either be due to commanding squadrons or higher formations in memorable operations, by being awarded high honours or by gaining fame subsequent to their RAF service.
Notable Royal Air Force personnel
Notable people who previously served in the RAF
Richard Attenborough – Actor and director
Pam Ayres – Poet, TV & Radio presenter
David Bailey (photographer)
Ralph Barker – Writer
Errol Walton Barrow – First Prime Minister of
Barbados
Alan Bates – Actor
Raymond Baxter – Television presenter and commentator
Tony Benn – British politician
Frank Bossard – MI6 personnel who spied for the USSR
Richard Burton – Actor, served as a navigator
Brian Blessed – Actor
Arthur C. Clarke – Science fiction author
Alex Coomber – Bronze medalist in the
2002 Winter Olympics .
Roald Dahl – Author. A
flying ace who rose to the rank of
Wing Commander
Hilary Devey – Dragons Den – WRAF Air Traffic Control Assistant
Denholm Elliott – Actor
Fred Feast – Actor (
Coronation Street ), served as a Physical Training Instructor (PTI)
[2]
Bruce Forsyth – Entertainer and show host; served between 1947 and 1949 under
National Service
[3]
Bruce Barrymore Halpenny -British military historian and
Author , served
Royal Air Force Police
Tony Hancock – Comic actor (
RAF Regiment )
Rex Harrison – Actor, reached the rank of
Flight Lieutenant
Rollo Hayman –
Rhodesian farmer and politician
Godfrey Hounsfield – Nobel laureate and co-inventor of
Computed tomography .
George Hutchinson – Professional footballer
Peter Imbert – Police Officer, served
Royal Air Force Police
T. E. Lawrence – 'Lawrence of Arabia'. Enlisted first as
Aircraftman J.H Ross, and later as Aircraftman T.E Shaw
Peter Larter – England rugby player
Christopher Lee – Actor, reached the rank of
Flight Lieutenant
Laurence Meredith – Survived 1000 foot parachute-less fall in 1942,
Louis Mountbatten staff officer,
RAF India historian.
United Press International reporter.
Warren Mitchell – Actor
Bob Monkhouse – Entertainer, comedian, game show host
Patrick Moore – Astronomer, broadcaster and author
Frank Muir – Comic writer
Alex Murphy (rugby league) Great Britain rugby league player
Peter Sellers – Comedian and actor, gained the NCO rank of
Corporal
Josef Singer (1923–2009) – Israeli President of
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Ian Smith – Rhodesian Prime Minister; reached the rank of
Flight Lieutenant during Second World War
service
Billy Strachan , pioneer of black civil rights in Britain, anti-colonial activist, leading British communist
Norman Tebbit – Lord Tebbit, Politician. A member of the
Conservative Party
Gordon Turnbull – psychiatrist
Rory Underwood – England rugby player
Michael Ventris
[4] – deciphered Linear B script
Tony Walton – set/costume designer, director
Martin Whitcombe – England 'B' rugby player
Bill Wyman - Bass player, Rolling Stones
Jeff Young (rugby player) – Welsh rugby player
References
formations and units
branches and components reserve forces equipment personnel appointments symbols and uniform associated civil organisations