Gerry Mayhew
Royal Air Force Air Marshal (born 1969)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air Marshal Sir Gerard Michael David Mayhew KCB, CBE (born 15 February 1969), is a former senior Royal Air Force officer, who served as Deputy Commander Operations, Headquarters Air Command from May 2019 until August 2022.
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Sir Gerry Mayhew | |
|---|---|
Air Marshal Mayhew in 2019 | |
| Born | 15 February 1969 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Service years | 1988–2022 |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Commands | No. 1 Group (2016–18) RAF Leuchars (2013–14) No. 13 Squadron RAF (2007–09) |
| Conflicts | Iraq War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Early life and education
Born in 1969 at Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire (now in the West Midlands), Mayhew was educated at St Benedict's Catholic High School, a voluntary-aided Catholic school in Alcester, Warwickshire and then Alcester Grammar School.[1]
Military career
Mayhew was commissioned into the Royal Air Force on 28 July 1988 as an acting pilot officer.[2] He served as an air traffic control officer from 1988 to 1990.[1] In 1990, he trained as a pilot and became a Qualified Weapons Instructor (QWI).[1] His early career as a pilot was spent flying the Jaguar and Tornado, accumulating over 3000 flying hours.[3] From 2007 to 2009, he served as Officer Commanding No. 13 Squadron RAF.[1]
In January 2013, Mayhew was appointed Air Officer Scotland and Officer Commanding RAF Leuchars.[3] One of his main duties was to oversee the transfer of Leuchars, then an RAF station, to the British Army as a barracks; this was finalised in March 2015. He stepped down as Air Officer Scotland on 17 November 2014.[4] From April 2015 to April 2016, he was a member of the Strategic Defence and Security Review Team in the Cabinet Office.[5] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours,[6] and then on 28 April 2016 promoted air vice marshal becoming Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group.[7]
In August 2018, Mayhew succeeded Air Vice Marshal Sir Michael Wigston as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff.[8] In May 2019, he became Deputy Commander Operations, Headquarters Air Command and was promoted Air Marshal.[9] Mayhew was advanced as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2022 New Year Honours.[10][11]
In April 2022 Mayhew accepted the Freedom of Causeway Coasts and Glens Borough on behalf of the RAF at a ceremony in Limavady, County Londonderry. The town held a parade and saw a fly past of a Boeing P-8 Poseidon. The RAF was based at Limavady and the nearby village of Ballykelly during World War Two.[12]
A Freeman of the City of London, Sir Gerry is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.[13]
Mayhew was criticised following an employment tribunal case in October 2023 when he was deemed to have offered "hollow and unconvincing evidence" for a claim by a serving military officer.[14]