# Neil Wheeler

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{{Short description|British RAF Air Chief Marshal (1917–2009)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Sir Neil Wheeler
|image= 
|image_size= 
|alt= 
|caption= 
|nickname= 
|birth_date= {{birth date|1917|07|08|df=yes}}
|death_date= {{Death date and age|2009|01|09|1917|07|08|df=yes}}
|birth_place= [Pretoria](/source/Pretoria), South Africa
|death_place= 
|burial_place= 
|allegiance= United Kingdom
|branch= [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force)
|service_years= 1935–1976
|rank= [Air Chief Marshal](/source/Air_Chief_Marshal)
|service_number= 
|unit= 
|commands= [Air Member for Supply and Organisation](/source/Air_Member_for_Supply_and_Organisation) (1970–73)<br/>[Far East Air Force](/source/Far_East_Air_Force_(Royal_Air_Force)) (1969–70)<br/>[RAF Laarbruch](/source/RAF_Laarbruch) (1959–61)<br/>[RAF Kuala Lumpur](/source/RAF_Kuala_Lumpur) (1948–49)<br/>[No.&nbsp;236 Squadron](/source/No._236_Squadron_RAF) (1942–43)
|battles= [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War)<br/>[Malayan Emergency](/source/Malayan_Emergency)
|awards= [Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath](/source/Knight_Grand_Cross_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath)<br/>[Commander of the Order of the British Empire](/source/Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire)<br/>[Distinguished Service Order](/source/Distinguished_Service_Order)<br/>[Distinguished Flying Cross](/source/Distinguished_Flying_Cross_(United_Kingdom)) & [Bar](/source/Medal_bar)<br/>[Air Force Cross](/source/Air_Force_Cross_(United_Kingdom))
|relations= Major General [Norman Wheeler](/source/Norman_Wheeler) (brother)<br/>General [Sir Roger Wheeler](/source/Roger_Wheeler_(British_Army_officer)) (nephew)
|other_work= Director of [Rolls-Royce](/source/Rolls-Royce_plc) (1977–82)<br/>Director of Flight Refuelling (Holdings)
}}
[Air Chief Marshal](/source/Air_Chief_Marshal) '''Sir Henry Neil George Wheeler''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|GCB|CBE|DSO|DFC1|AFC}} (8 July 1917 – 9 January 2009) was a senior [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) (RAF) officer.

==Military career==
Educated St Helen's College in [Southsea](/source/Southsea) and the [Royal Air Force College Cranwell](/source/Royal_Air_Force_College_Cranwell), Wheeler was [commissioned](/source/Officer_(armed_forces)) into the RAF in 1935.<ref name=lh>[http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/WHEELER1.shtml Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives]</ref> He served with [Bomber Command](/source/RAF_Bomber_Command) from 1937 and then spent part of the Second World War as Officer Commanding [No. 236 Squadron](/source/No._236_Squadron_RAF)<ref name=air>[http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Wheeler_HNG.htm Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler]</ref> in [Fighter Command](/source/RAF_Fighter_Command) before going to the RAF Staff College and [US Army Staff College](/source/United_States_Army_Command_and_General_Staff_College) in 1943.<ref name=lh/>

After the war he joined the Directing Staff at the [RAF Staff College](/source/RAF_Staff_College%2C_Bracknell) and then transferred to the [Far East Air Force](/source/Far_East_Air_Force_(Royal_Air_Force)) in 1947.<ref name=lh/> He was posted to the Directing Staff at the [Joint Services Staff College](/source/Joint_Services_Staff_College_(UK)) in 1949 and to Bomber Command in 1951 before going to the [Air Ministry](/source/Air_Ministry) in 1953.<ref name=lh/> He was appointed Assistant Commandant at the RAF College in 1957 and [Officer Commanding](/source/Officer_Commanding) [RAF Laarbruch](/source/RAF_Laarbruch) in 1959.<ref name=lh/> He attended the [Imperial Defence College](/source/Imperial_Defence_College) in 1961 and then served in the [Ministry of Defence](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)) from 1961.<ref name=lh/> He became Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters [RAF Germany](/source/RAF_Germany) (2 Tactical Air Force) in 1963 and Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operational Requirements) in 1966.<ref name=lh/> He was made [Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operational Requirements)](/source/Deputy_Chief_of_the_Defence_Staff) in 1967 and Commander of the [Far East Air Force](/source/Far_East_Air_Force_(Royal_Air_Force)) in 1969.<ref name=lh/> He was Air Member for Supply and Organisation at the Ministry of Defence from 1970 and then [Controller of Aircraft](/source/Controller_Aircraft) at the [Procurement Executive](/source/MoD_Procurement_Executive) from 1973.<ref name=lh/>

In retirement he became a Director of [Rolls-Royce Limited](/source/Rolls-Royce_plc).<ref name=lh/>

==Family==
In 1942 he married Elizabeth Weightman and then went on to have two sons and a daughter. He was the younger brother of Major General [Norman Wheeler](/source/Norman_Wheeler), and uncle of General [Sir Roger Wheeler](/source/Roger_Wheeler_(British_Army_officer)).<ref name=tele>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4229953/Air-Chief-Marshal-Sir-Neil-Wheeler.html Obituary: Sir Neil Wheeler] Daily Telegraph, 13 January 2009</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4229953/Air-Chief-Marshal-Sir-Neil-Wheeler.html Obituary in ''The Daily Telegraph'']
*[http://disc.yourwebapps.com/discussion.cgi?disc=105008;article=17087;title=The%20Battle%20of%20Britain%20Historical%20Society%20Discussion%20Forum The Battle of Britain Historical Society Discussion Forum: Obituary]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-new|post}}
{{s-ttl|title=[Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operational Requirements)](/source/Deputy_Chief_of_the_Defence_Staff)|years=1967–1968}}
{{s-aft|after=[Sir Noel Thomas](/source/Noel_Thomas_(British_Army_officer))}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[Sir Rochford Hughes](/source/Rochford_Hughes)}}
{{s-ttl|title=Commander-in-Chief [Far East Air Force](/source/Far_East_Air_Force_(Royal_Air_Force))|years=1969–1970}}
{{s-aft|after=[Nigel Maynard](/source/Nigel_Maynard)}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[Sir Thomas Prickett](/source/Thomas_Prickett)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[Air Member for Supply and Organisation](/source/Air_Member_for_Supply_and_Organisation)|years=1970–1973}}
{{s-aft|after=[Sir Anthony Heward](/source/Anthony_Heward)}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[Sir Peter Fletcher](/source/Peter_Fletcher_(RAF_officer))}}
{{s-ttl|title=[Controller Aircraft](/source/Controller_Aircraft)|years=1973–1975}}
{{s-aft|after=[Sir Douglas Lowe](/source/Douglas_Lowe_(RAF_officer))}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Neil}}
Category:1917 births
Category:2009 deaths
Category:People from Pretoria
Category:Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College
Category:Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies
Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
Category:Royal Air Force air chief marshals
Category:Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell
Category:British World War II pilots
Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Neil Wheeler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Wheeler) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Wheeler?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.