Robert Cecil Dawkins

Robert Cecil Dawkins was born on 6 March 1903 in Holloway, London.^[5] He was the son of Frederick Adolphus Dawkins and Adelaide (née Maude)^[5] and was educated at Bedford Modern School between 1912 and 1920.^[2]

Dawkins saw service with the Fleet Air Arm^[6] between 1932 and 1938, becoming squadron leader on 1 October 1938.^[7][8] Shortly after the outbreak of World War II he was promoted to wing commander.^[9] For much of the war, he served with Coastal Command and ‘commanded several important stations at home and abroad’.^[7] In 1944 he was promoted to temporary group captain.^[10]

In 1947, Dawkins was made substantive group captain,^[11] and became superintendent of flying at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down.^[7] In 1949 he was appointed deputy director of accident prevention at the Air Ministry.^[7]

In 1950, Group Captain Dawkins was put in command of the R.A.F. station at Tengah^[1][2][3] and in recognition of his operational achievements while holding that command he was made CBE.^[1][2][3] The citation for his CBE read that ‘by his sympathy, example and determination he had shown outstanding devotion to duty’.^[2]

In 1951 Dawkins returned to England and was made station commander at R.A.F. Hendon,^[2][4][12] a position he held until his retirement on 15 March 1955.^[13] Dawkins died in Newton Blossomville in 1985.^[5]