Michael Beetham

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham
Beetham as a flight lieutenant in May 1944
Born	(1923-05-17)17 May 1923 London, England
Died	24 October 2015(2015-10-24) (aged 92)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1941–1982
Rank	Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Commands held	Chief of the Air Staff (1977–82) RAF Germany (1976–77) RAF Staff College (1970–72) RAF Khormaksar (1963–65) No. 214 Squadron (1958–59)
Battles/wars	Second World War Battle of Berlin Aden Emergency Falklands War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross Air Force Cross King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael James Beetham, GCB, CBE, DFC, AFC, DL (17 May 1923 – 24 October 2015) was a Second World War bomber pilot and a high-ranking commander in the Royal Air Force from the 1960s to the 1980s.^[1] As Chief of the Air Staff during the Falklands War, he was involved in the decision to send the Task Force to the South Atlantic. At the time of his death, Beetham was one of only six people holding his service's most senior rank and, excluding Prince Philip's honorary rank, he had the longest time in that rank, making him the senior Marshal of the Royal Air Force.^[2]