{{Short description|Royal Air Force officer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox military person |name= Martin Keith Widdowson |image= |caption= |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth date and age|1946|5|10|df=y}} |birth_place= |death_date= |death_place= |burial_place= |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= Royal Air Force |service_years= 1964–96<ref name="LG1May1964">{{London Gazette |issue=43314 |date=1 May 1964 |page=3889 |supp=y }}</ref><ref name="LG14October1996">{{London Gazette |issue=54551 |date=14 October 1996 |page=13685 }}</ref> |rank= Air Commodore |service_number= 4232200 |unit= |commands= Royal Observer Corps<br/>RAF Coningsby<br/>No. 23 Squadron |battles= |awards= |relations= |other_work= }} Air Commodore '''Martin Keith Widdowson''' (born 10 May 1946) was a senior Royal Air Force officer in the 1980s and 1990s and the 24th and last Commandant Royal Observer Corps.

==Military career== Widdowson was commissioned into the Royal Air Force on 25 March 1964, as an acting pilot officer.<ref name="LG1May1964"/> A year later, on 25 March 1965, he was regraded as a pilot officer.<ref name="LG 26 March 1965">{{London Gazette |issue=43612 |date=26 March 1965 |page=3191 |supp=y }}</ref> A year after that, on 25 March 1966, he was promoted to flying officer,<ref name="LG 25 March 1966">{{London Gazette |issue=43936 |date=25 March 1966 |pages=3519–3520 |supp=y }}</ref> and he was appointed to a permanent commission on 1 October 1968.<ref name="LG 16 May 1969">{{London Gazette |issue=44850 |date=16 May 1969 |page=5261 |supp=y }}</ref> He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 25 September 1969.<ref name="LG 26 September 1969">{{London Gazette |issue=44945 |date=26 September 1969 |page=9959 |supp=y }}</ref> On 1 January 1974, he was promoted to squadron leader.<ref name="LG 7 January 1974">{{London Gazette |issue=46174 |date= 7 January 1974 |pages=283–284 |supp=y }}</ref> He was promoted to wing commander on 1 July 1981.<ref name="LG 13 July 1981">{{London Gazette |issue=48677 |date=13 July 1981 |page=9312 |supp=y }}</ref>

His final operational flying appointment was as the Officer Commanding No. 23 Squadron in 1982 and by the late 1980s, he was Station Commander of RAF Coningsby.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Station%20OCs-Lincs.htm|title=Station OCs|work=rafweb.org|accessdate=7 June 2015}}</ref> He was promoted from wing commander to group captain on 1 January 1988.<ref name="LG 4 January 1988">{{London Gazette |issue=51188 |date=4 January 1988 |page=38 |supp=y }}</ref> On 1 July 1992,<ref name="LG 6 July 1992">{{London Gazette |issue=52983 |date=6 July 1992 |page=11415 |supp=y }}</ref> he was promoted to air commodore<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/halfyearly-service-promotions-1542610.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616003626/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/halfyearly-service-promotions-1542610.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 June 2010|title=Half-yearly Service Promotions|work=The Independent|location=London|accessdate=7 June 2015}}</ref> and in 1995 he was appointed as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of No. 11/18 Group RAF, simultaneously holding the appointment of 24th and last Commandant Royal Observer Corps until the ROC was Stood Down.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rafweb.org/Organsation/Grp09.htm|title=Units directly responsible to Ministry level|work=rafweb.org|accessdate=7 June 2015}}</ref> He retired from the RAF<ref name="LG14October1996"/> on 14 September 1996.<ref name="LG 14 October 1996">{{London Gazette |issue=54551 |date=14 October 1996 |page=13685 |supp=y }}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=Christopher Coville}} {{s-ttl|title=Station Commander RAF Coningsby|years=c. 1988–1990}} {{s-aft|after=Cliff Spink}} |- {{s-bef|before=Cliff Spink}} {{s-ttl|title=Commandant Royal Observer Corps|years=1993–1996}} {{s-non|reason=Corps stood down}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Widdowson, Martin Keith}} Category:Royal Air Force air commodores Category:People of the Royal Observer Corps Category:1946 births Category:Living people

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