{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}} {{Infobox military person |name= Sir Laurence Sinclair |image= Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. CNA903.jpg |image_size= 300px |caption= Air Commondore Sinclair escorts King George VI while inspecting an RAF Regiment guard of honour, at Hammamet, Tunisia, 1943. |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth date|1908|06|13|df=yes}} |birth_place= [[Frinton-on-Sea]], Essex, England |death_date= {{death date and age|2002|05|14|1908|06|13|df=yes}} |death_place= Oxfordshire, England |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= [[Royal Air Force]] |service_years= 1926–1960 |rank= [[Air Vice Marshal]] |unit= |commands= [[Joint Service Defence College|Joint Services Staff College]] (1958–60)<br/>[[British Forces Aden]] (1955–57)<br/>[[School of Land/Air Warfare]] (1952–53)<br/>[[Royal Air Force College Cranwell]] (1950–52)<br/>[[No. 2 Group RAF|No. 2 Group]] (1948–49)<br/>[[RAF Gutersloh]] (1947–48)<br/>Tactical Bomber Force (1943)<br/>[[No. 323 Wing RAF|No. 323 Wing]] (1942–43)<br/>[[No. 110 Squadron RAF|No. 110 Squadron]] (1940–41) |battles= [[Second World War]] |awards= [[George Cross]]<br/>[[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Distinguished Service Order]] & [[Medal bar|Bar]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]] (2)<br/>[[Legion of Merit|Officer of the Legion of Merit]] (United States) |relations= |other_work= }} [[Air Vice Marshal]] '''Sir Laurence Frank Sinclair''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|GC|KCB|CBE|DSO1}} (13 June 1908 – 14 May 2002) was a [[Royal Air Force]] officer who was awarded the [[George Cross]] for rescuing a severely injured airman from a crashed and burning plane.
==RAF career== Sinclair joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet at the [[RAF College]] in 1926.<ref name=air>[https://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Sinclair.htm Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Vice Marshal Sir Laurence Sinclair]</ref> He served in the [[Second World War]] and was appointed officer commanding [[No. 110 Squadron RAF|No. 110 Squadron]] in 1940.<ref name=air/> The event that led to him being awarded the George Cross took place on 30 September 1941 at [[RAF Wattisham]] in [[Suffolk]].<ref>[http://www.rafweb.org/GC_holders.htm Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – GC Holders] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107113705/http://www.rafweb.org/GC_holders.htm |date= 7 January 2015 }}</ref> The co-pilot, Sergeant S. Walters, later died of his injuries.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35048|supp=y|page=403|date=21 January 1941}}</ref> The pilot, Sergeant John Edwin Merrett, died instantly upon impact. The only other crew member to survive was the navigator, Flight Sergeant Anthony George Byron. Sinclair continued his war service as senior air staff officer at [[No. 6 Group RAF|No. 6 Group]] and then at [[No. 91 Group RAF|No. 91 Group]].<ref name=air/> He became officer commanding No. 323 Wing in 1943 and then became air officer commanding the Tactical Bomber Force and then senior air staff officer for the [[Balkan Air Force]].<ref name=air/>
After the war he became director of postings (selection) at the [[Air Ministry]] and then attended the [[Imperial Defence College]] before being appointed senior air staff officer [[No. 84 Group RAF|No. 84 Group]] in 1947.<ref name=air/> He was made station commander at [[RAF Gutersloh]] later that year, air officer commanding [[No. 2 Group RAF|No. 2 Group]] in 1948 and assistant commandant at [[Royal Air Force College Cranwell|RAF Cranwell]] in 1949.<ref name=air/> He went on to be commandant of the School of Land / Air Warfare in 1952, assistant chief of the air staff (operations) in 1953 and air officer commanding [[British Forces Aden]] in 1955.<ref name=air/> His last appointment was as commandant of the [[Joint Service Defence College|Joint Services Staff College]] in 1958 before retiring in 1960.<ref name=air/>
In retirement he became the first ''controller'' (chief executive) of the UK's [[National Air Traffic Services|National Air Traffic Control Services]] (NATCS).<ref name=air/> His medal is on display at the Victoria & George Cross Gallery in [[London]]'s [[Imperial War Museum]].
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} |- {{s-vac|recreated|last=[[Anthony Paxton]] in 1947}} {{s-ttl|title=Air Officer Commanding [[No. 2 Group RAF|No. 2 Group]]|years=1948–1950}} {{s-aft|after=[[Percy Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon|The Earl of Bandon]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[George Beamish]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Commandant [[Royal Air Force College Cranwell]]|years=1950–1952}} {{s-aft|after=[[Henry Eeles]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Sidney Osborne Bufton|Sidney Bufton]]}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Air Officer Commanding [[British Forces Aden]]}} | years=1955–1957}} {{s-aft|after=[[Maurice Heath]]}} {{end}}
{{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, Laurence Frank}} [[Category:1908 births]] [[Category:2002 deaths]] [[Category:Royal Air Force air vice-marshals]] [[Category:Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell]] [[Category:Royal Air Force recipients of the George Cross]] [[Category:British recipients of the George Cross]] [[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]] [[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]] [[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]] [[Category:Commandants of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell]] [[Category:Military personnel from Essex]] [[Category:Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies]] [[Category:People from Frinton-on-Sea]] [[Category:People educated at Christ's Hospital]]