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Percy Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon — news, coverage & facts — IJR

Second World War

On 1 January 1940 he received a promotion to temporary wing commander and a short term posting to Senior Staff Officer, No. 2 Group RAF. Later that year he received his first proper command when appointed Officer Commanding No. 82 Squadron RAF. A month later he was additionally designated Station Commander of RAF Watton. On 17 May 1940, his squadron was detailed to carry out a raid against German columns around Gembloux. When the expected fighter escort did not arrive, having already been intercepted by Bf 109's, the twelve Blenheims pressed on to the target and were themselves attacked by Bf 109's. All but one of the aircraft were shot down and that one collapsed when it landed back at base.

Faced with a squadron consisting of himself, one flight commander, two sergeant pilots and the ground crews, it was planned to disband the squadron but Bernard put forward a case on behalf of his ground crews that the squadron should be re-equipped. That evening twelve new Blenheims were delivered together with their crews. The following day they carried out a practice flight and that night he led six of them on a raid into Germany. This quality of leadership earned him the Distinguished Service Order.

Promoted to temporary group captain he became Station Commander of two other RAF stations during the same year, spending only a few months at each. Firstly he commanded RAF West Raynham (also in Norfolk) before moving to nearby RAF Horsham St Faith.

On 29 December 1942 he was posted overseas as the Air Staff Officer, HQ Air Forces in India. The following year he moved to Air Staff Officer HQ South East Asia Command (SEAC). Bandon returned to operational command in July 1944 when he was promoted to acting air commodore and appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 224 Group RAF. During his time in command, 224 Group saw action in Burma, including fighting against the Japanese in the Arakan sector. As AOC he very unofficially continued to fly on operational sorties, removing his air commodore rank badges and flying instead in a flying officer's uniform.

Royal Observer Corps

In December 1945 the Earl became the fifth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps, taking over from the retiring Air Commodore Finlay Crerar. The Earl assumed command of the Corps at a time when it had been officially stood down from duty and placed on a care and maintenance basis. Although a period of stand-down had been ordered the Corps was not completely disbanded, as it was anticipated that the ROC must continue as an essential component of the UK’s future post-war air defence system.

The wholetime cadre of ROC officers remained in post and the ROC centres across the UK were maintained and kept in good condition. Humorous cartoons of the era depicted the wholetime officers tending flower beds in front of the ROC centres with uniform sleeves rolled up, sunning themselves in deck-chairs or sleepily answering the front door in nightgown and nightcap with a candle in their hand. Although no longer being paid, many observers continued to meet and train weekly in private and membership of the unofficial Royal Observer Corps Club expanded.

Cabinet approval was finally given for the Corps to be re-formed in January 1947 and Air Commodore the Earl of Bandon enthusiastically drew upon a considerable number of wartime experienced observers to form the nucleus around which the Corps was rebuilt, together with a massive influx of new and younger recruits. During the next two years the ROC was reorganised and vigorously retrained, but on geographical lines similar to those that existed at the end of the war. The speed of the newly introduced jet aircraft exercised the minds of the ROC senior officers as they strived to adapt to a modern environment.

With the ROC rebuilt and back to full readiness, on 1 February 1949 Lord Bandon handed over his once more fully operational command to his successor Air Commodore Richard Jordan. Having introduced the concept of annual ROC summer training camps in 1948 the Earl had formally opened the first two camps at RAF Thorney Island. In 1953 he returned as Air Vice-Marshal The Earl of Bandon to inspect the sixth annual camp at RAF Waterbeach and address the observers as a visiting VIP guest of honour.

Later RAF career

After a period of sabbatical private study at the Imperial Defence College, the Earl became Air Officer Commanding No. 2 Group, Germany on 16 January 1950. Seven months later he returned to the UK as AOC No. 11 Group RAF on promotion to acting air vice marshal, a rank that was made permanent on 1 Jan 1952. In 1953 he was tasked with the formidable duty of planning the flypast for the Coronation Review of the RAF at RAF Odiham which took place on 15 July. This involved scheduling 640 aircraft to pass the reviewing point in 27 minutes. On completion of the flypast he marched to the saluting dais to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth, who bestowed him on the spot as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

On 1 October 1953, he was appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff with responsibility for RAF training. On 22 January 1956 he was promoted to acting air marshal and appointed as Commander in Chief of the 2nd Tactical Air Forces. In July 1957 his promotion to air marshal was made permanent and he was appointed Commander in Chief, Far East Air Force. During this period, his portrait was painted by Elva Blacker; it is now in the RAF Museum.

On 1 July 1959, Lord Bandon was promoted to air chief marshal and his final RAF appointment came on 1 March 1961 when he became Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe.

The Earl's disregard for any regulations or items of protocol which he considered unimportant landed him in trouble on a number of occasions throughout his career, one such being in 1957 when he received a reprimand from George Ward, Secretary of State for Air, for stating to the British press that tactical nuclear weapons would soon be issued to air forces in Europe. Another reprimand arrived from Lord Mountbatten of Burma after his de facto hijacking of the Indian Ocean island of Gan as a RAF staging post. During his tenure as C in C, FEAF he took the opportunity of flying aboard Sunderland 'P-Peter' of 205/209 Sqn when it made the last ever flight by a RAF flying boat on 15 May 1959. He then took the salute at the disbandment of the Squadron at Changi on the 31st of the month.

He retired from the RAF on 6 February 1964 and took up residence at the family estate in Cork.