{{Short description|Royal Air Force Air Marshal (born 1969)}} {{for|American ice hockey player|Gerald Mayhew}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}} {{Use British English|date=March 2017}} {{Infobox military person | name = Sir Gerry Mayhew | image = Air Marshal Gerry Mayhew (cropped).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Air Marshal Mayhew in 2019 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|2|15|df=y}} | birth_place = Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire | death_date = | death_place = | burial_place = | nickname = | allegiance = United Kingdom | branch = Royal Air Force | service_years = 1988–2022 | rank = Air Marshal | unit = | commands = No. 1 Group (2016–18)<br/>RAF Leuchars (2013–14)<br/>No. 13 Squadron RAF (2007–09) | battles = Iraq War | awards = Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath<br/>Commander of the Order of the British Empire | relations = | other_work = }} [[File:Order of the Bath - Breast Star.JPG|thumb|right|120px|KCB breast star]] Air Marshal '''Sir Gerard Michael David Mayhew''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|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.
==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.<ref name="WW 2017">'MAYHEW, Air Vice-Marshal Gerard Michael David', ''Who's Who 2017'', A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 2016 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U284563 accessed 7 Nov 2017]</ref>
==Military career== Mayhew was commissioned into the Royal Air Force on 28 July 1988 as an acting pilot officer.<ref name="LG 51524">{{London Gazette |issue= 51524 |date= 7 November 1988 |page= 12505 |supp= y }}</ref> He served as an air traffic control officer from 1988 to 1990.<ref name="WW 2017" /> In 1990, he trained as a pilot and became a Qualified Weapons Instructor (QWI).<ref name="WW 2017" /> His early career as a pilot was spent flying the Jaguar and Tornado, accumulating over 3000 flying hours.<ref name="Courier - Leuchars">{{cite news|title=RAF Leuchars commander to oversee handover to army|url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/fife/87939/raf-leuchars-commander-to-oversee-handover-to-army/|accessdate=29 April 2016|work=The Courier|date=12 February 2013}}</ref> From 2007 to 2009, he served as Officer Commanding No. 13 Squadron RAF.<ref name="WW 2017" />
In January 2013, Mayhew was appointed Air Officer Scotland and Officer Commanding RAF Leuchars.<ref name="Courier - Leuchars" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Senior Appointments|url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/senior-appointments.cfm|website=raf.mod.uk|publisher=Royal Air Force|accessdate=29 April 2016|date=4 November 2014}}</ref> From April 2015 to April 2016, he was a member of the Strategic Defence and Security Review Team in the Cabinet Office.<ref>{{cite web|title=Senior Appointments|url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/senior-appointments.cfm|website=raf.mod.uk|publisher=Royal Air Force|accessdate=29 April 2016|date=4 March 2015}}</ref> He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours,<ref name="LG 13 June 2015">{{London Gazette |issue=61256 |date=13 June 2015 |page=B7 |supp=y }}</ref> and then on 28 April 2016 promoted air vice marshal becoming Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group.<ref>{{cite web|title=Senior Appointments|url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/senior-appointments.cfm|website=raf.mod.uk|publisher=Royal Air Force|accessdate=29 April 2016|date=20 April 2016}}</ref>
In August 2018, Mayhew succeeded Air Vice Marshal Sir Michael Wigston as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff.<ref>{{cite web |title=Senior Appointments |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/senior-appointments/ |website=raf.mod.uk |publisher=Royal Air Force |accessdate=29 August 2018 |date=15 March 2018}}</ref> In May 2019, he became Deputy Commander Operations, Headquarters Air Command and was promoted Air Marshal.<ref>{{cite web |title=Senior Appointments |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/senior-appointments/ |website=raf.mod.uk |publisher=Royal Air Force |accessdate=3 May 2019 |date=20 February 2019}}</ref> Mayhew was advanced as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2022 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=63571|supp=y|page=N2|date=1 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-military-division-of-the-new-year-honours-2022 |publisher=GOV.UK|title=The Military Division of the New Year Honours 2022|access-date=31 December 2021}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-61037820|title=Royal Air Force given freedom of Causeway Coast and Glens|date=8 April 2022|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>
A Freeman of the City of London, Sir Gerry is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.haberdashers.co.uk/membership|title=Membership | The Haberdashers' Company|website=www.haberdashers.co.uk}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/652d225dd86b1b000d3a4fb4/Mr_A_Steele_v_The_Ministry_of_Defence_3322069.2019___other_FMH_amended_Judgment.pdf|page=12|title=Reserved Judgement: Allan Steele v. The Ministry of Defence|publisher=Employment Tribunals|date=28 April 2023|access-date=20 October 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{S-start}} {{S-mil}} {{s-bef|before=Gavin Parker|rows=2}} {{s-ttl|title=Station Commander RAF Leuchars|years=2013–2014}} {{s-non|reason=Post disbanded}} |- {{s-ttl|title=Air Officer Scotland|years=2013–2014}} {{s-aft|after=Ross Paterson}} |- {{S-bef|before=Gary Waterfall}} {{S-ttl|title=Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group|years=2016–2018}} {{s-aft|after=Harv Smyth}} |- {{S-bef|before=Michael Wigston}} {{S-ttl|title=Assistant Chief of the Air Staff|years=2018–2019}} {{s-aft|after=Ian Gale}} |- {{S-bef|before=Sir Stuart Atha}} {{S-ttl|title=Deputy Commander Operations|years=2019–2022}} {{s-aft|after=Harv Smyth}} {{S-end}}
{{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayhew, Gerry}} Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:People educated at Alcester Grammar School Category:Military personnel from Warwickshire Category:British aviators Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Royal Air Force air marshals Category:Royal Air Force personnel of the Iraq War Category:Air traffic controllers Category:20th-century Royal Air Force personnel Category:21st-century Royal Air Force personnel