Ralph Cochrane
 Ralph Cochrane    (pilot) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1895-02-24 Springfield, Fife, Scotland |
| Died | 1977-12-17 (Age 82) |
| Nationality | UK |
| Alma mater | Royal Naval College Osborne, Royal Naval College Dartmouth, Imperial Defence College |
RAF Air Chief Marshal, Bilderberg | |
Air Chief Marshal Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane, GBE, KCB, AFC was a British bomber commander. As RAF Air Officer, he commanded the Dambusters Raid, and after the war managed the Berlin Airlift.
Career
Cochrane was born the son of Thomas Cochrane, 1st Baron Cochrane of Cults and educated at the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth for a career in the Royal Navy. He was an airship pilot in World War I and was given the permanent rank of flight lieutenant in the RAF in 1919.[1]
In the interwar period, he held a number of staff positions and served as the commander of several squadrons. He attended the RAF Staff College in 1925, the School of Army Co-operation in 1934 and the Imperial Defence College in 1935. In 1937, with the rank of group captain, he became the first chief of staff of the newly formed Royal New Zealand Air Force.[2]
During the Second World War, Cochrane initially worked as an aide-de-camp to King George VI. In July 1940, as a temporary Air Commodore, he received command of the No. 7 Group of Bomber Command, consisting of training units, and in October of the same year he became the head of flight training. In September 1942, he was given command of the No. 3 (bomber) Group, and in February of the following year of the No. 5 (bomber) Group, which, under his leadership, carried out important operations like the 1943 "Dambusters" raid (Operation Chastise) plus the bombing of area bombing of cities[3] In February 1945 he took over the Transport Command of the RAF as acting Air Marshal.
In 1947 he became Commander-in-chief of the Flying Training Command and from 1949 until his retirement he again held the post of aide-de-camp to George VI and his successor Elizabeth II. His last position was that of Deputy Chief of the Air Staff under John Slessor from 1950.
After his retirement in November 1952[4], Cochrane worked in the private sector as Managing Director of the Atlantic Shipbuilding Co. (1953-1956), of Rolls-Royce Ltd. (1956-1961) and as chairman of the Board of RJM Exports and, until his death, of Cochranes of Oxford.
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1958 | 13 September 1958 | 15 September 1958 | Buxton UK United Kingdom | The 7th Bilderberg and the first one in the UK. 72 guests |
