Ralph Cochrane

Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane
Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane
	Mentioned in Despatches (4)
Other work	Director of Rolls-Royce Limited

KCB, AFC (24 February 1895 – 17 December 1977) was a British aviator and Royal Air Force officer, perhaps best known for his role in Operation Chastise

, the famous "Dambusters" raid.

Early life

Ralph Cochrane was born on 24 February 1895, the youngest son of

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, two years later. On 15 September 1912, he was commissioned into the Royal Navy as a midshipman.^[1]

First World War

During the

Admiralty's Airship Department.^[1]

Interwar period

In January 1920, Cochrane was removed from the Navy List and granted a commission in the Royal Air Force. He served in various staff positions and commanded No. 3 Squadron from 1924 before attending the RAF Staff College and commanding No. 8 Squadron from 1929. He attended the Imperial Defence College in 1935.^[1]

At the request of Group Captain

Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), the rank of group captain.^[3] For the next two years, he worked on the expansion of the RNZAF in line with his recommendations, including the establishment of a flying training school at Wigram Air Base.^[4] In March 1939, his term as CAS ended.^[5]

George VI and Group Captain John Whitworth

discussing the Dambusters Raid in May 1943

Second World War and the post-war years

During the Second World War, Cochrane commanded No. 7 Group from July 1940, No. 3 Group from September 1942 and No. 5 Group from February 1943; all these Groups were in RAF Bomber Command.^[1] No. 5 Group became the most efficient and elite Main Force bomber group undertaking spectacular raids.^[6] Cochrane commanded the Dam-Busters raid.^[7] There was intense, sometimes openly hostile, rivalry between Cochrane and Air Vice Marshal Don Bennett, who saw Cochrane's experimentation with low-level target marking through 617 Squadron in 1944 as a direct threat to his own specialist squadrons' reputation.^[6]

In February 1945, Cochrane became Air Officer Commanding at

Berlin Airlift. In 1950 Cochrane was appointed Vice-Chief of the Air Staff.^[1] Ralph Cochrane retired from the service in 1952.^[1] Following his retirement, Cochrane entered the business world notably as director of Rolls-Royce.^[1] He was also chairman of RJM exports which manufactured scientific models and is now known as Cochranes of Oxford.^[1]

Honours and awards

In the

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire.^[10]

Dates of rank

Rank	Date	Role
Wing commander	1933^[11]
Acting group captain	1937^[12]	On secondment to RNZAF
Group captain	1938^[13]
Air commodore (temporary)	1940^[14]
Air marshal (acting)	1945^[15]
Air marshal	1946^[16]
Air chief marshal	1949^[17]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal The Hon Sir Ralph Cochrane
^ Ross 1955, pp. 24–25.
^ Ross 1955, p. 27.
^ Ross 1955, pp. 28–29.
^ Ross 1955, p. 39.
^ ^a ^b Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
^ Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane Gazetteer for Scotland
^ "No. 34585". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 January 1939. p. 10.
^ "No. 35841". The London Gazette. 29 December 1942. p. 4.
^ "R a Cochrane_P".
^ "No. 33955". The London Gazette. 30 June 1933. p. 4386.
^ "No. 34419". The London Gazette. 20 July 1937. p. 4670.
^ "No. 34527". The London Gazette. 1 July 1938. p. 4248.
^ "No. 34949". The London Gazette. 20 September 1940. p. 5580.
^ "No. 36945". The London Gazette. 16 February 1945. p. 983.
^ "No. 37423". The London Gazette. 4 January 1946. p. 347.
^ "No. 38583". The London Gazette. 12 April 1949. p. 1821.

References

Ross, J. M. S. (1955). Royal New Zealand Air Force.
OCLC 912824475
.

Military offices
New title Service became independent	Chief of the Air Staff (RNZAF ) 1937–1939	Succeeded by Hugh Saunders
Vacant Title last held by Duncan Pitcher	Air Officer Commanding No. 7 Group 1940	Succeeded by Leonard Cockey
Preceded by Alec Coryton	Air Officer Commanding No. 5 Group 1943–1945	Succeeded by Hugh Constantine
Preceded by Sir Frederick Bowhill	Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Transport Command 1945–1947	Succeeded by Sir Brian Baker
Preceded by Sir Arthur Coningham	Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Flying Training Command 1947–1950	Succeeded by Sir Hugh Walmsley
Preceded by Sir Arthur Sanders	Vice Chief of the Air Staff 1950–1952	Succeeded by Sir John Baker

[air-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal The Hon Sir Ralph Cochrane

[FOOTNOTERoss195524–25-2] Ross 1955, pp. 24–25.

[FOOTNOTERoss195527-3] Ross 1955, p. 27.

[FOOTNOTERoss195528–29-4] Ross 1955, pp. 28–29.

[FOOTNOTERoss195539-5] Ross 1955, p. 39.

[odnb-6] Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

[7] Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane Gazetteer for Scotland

[8] "No. 34585". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 January 1939. p. 10.

[9] "No. 35841". The London Gazette. 29 December 1942. p. 4.

[10] "R a Cochrane_P".

[11] "No. 33955". The London Gazette. 30 June 1933. p. 4386.

[12] "No. 34419". The London Gazette. 20 July 1937. p. 4670.

[13] "No. 34527". The London Gazette. 1 July 1938. p. 4248.

[14] "No. 34949". The London Gazette. 20 September 1940. p. 5580.

[15] "No. 36945". The London Gazette. 16 February 1945. p. 983.

[16] "No. 37423". The London Gazette. 4 January 1946. p. 347.

[17] "No. 38583". The London Gazette. 12 April 1949. p. 1821.

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