{{Short description|Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal (1895-1977)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox military person |name = Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane |image = AVM Sir Ralph Cochrane.jpg |image_size = 250px |alt = |caption = Air Vice Marshal Cochrane in 1943 |nickname = |birth_date = {{birth date|1895|02|24|df=y}} |birth_place = [[Springfield, Fife]], Scotland |death_date = {{death date and age|1977|12|17|1895|02|24|df=y}} |death_place = |burial_place = |allegiance = United Kingdom |branch = [[Royal Navy]] (1908–20)<br/>[[Royal Air Force]] (1920–52) |service_years = 1912–1952 |rank = [[Air Chief Marshal]] |service_number = |unit = |commands = [[Vice Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Vice Chief of the Air Staff]] (1950–52)<br/>[[RAF Flying Training Command|Flying Training Command]] (1947–50)<br/>[[RAF Transport Command|Transport Command]] (1945–47)<br/>[[No. 5 Group RAF|No. 5 Group]] (1943–45)<br/>[[No. 3 Group RAF|No. 3 Group]] (1942–43)<br/>[[No. 7 Group RAF|No. 7 Group]] (1940)<br/>[[RAF Abingdon]] (1939–40)<br/>[[Chief of the Air Staff (New Zealand)|Chief of the New Zealand Air Staff]] (1937–39)<br/>[[No. 8 Squadron RAF|No. 8 Squadron]] (1929)<br/>[[No. 3 Squadron RAF|No. 3 Squadron]] (1924–25) |battles = [[First World War]]<br/>[[Second World War]] |awards = [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]] (4) |relations = |other_work = Director of [[Rolls-Royce Limited]] }} [[Air Chief Marshal]] '''Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|GBE|KCB|AFC}} (24 February 1895 – 17 December 1977) was a Scottish 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 [[Thomas Cochrane, 1st Baron Cochrane of Cults]], in the Scottish village of [[Springfield, Fife]]. To qualify as a naval officer, he joined the [[Royal Naval College, Osborne]] in 1908, and the [[Royal Naval College, Dartmouth]], two years later. On 15 September 1912, he was commissioned into the [[Royal Navy]] as a [[midshipman]].<ref name=air>[http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Cochrane.htm Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal The Hon Sir Ralph Cochrane]</ref>
==First World War== During the [[World War I|First World War]], Cochrane served in the [[Royal Naval Air Service]] piloting airships. He also completed a tour as a staff officer in the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]]'s Airship Department.<ref name=air/>
==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 RAF|No. 3 Squadron]] from 1924 before attending the RAF Staff College and commanding [[No. 8 Squadron RAF|No. 8 Squadron]] from 1929. He attended the [[Royal College of Defence Studies|Imperial Defence College]] in 1935.<ref name=air/> {{anchor|Cochrane Report}}
At the request of Group Captain [[T. M. Wilkes]], New Zealand Director of Air Services, the Air Ministry sent Cochrane to New Zealand in 1936 as an advisor for the establishment of a military aviation service that would be independent of the army. His report and recommendations was produced at the end of the year and this would lead to the creation of the [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]] (RNZAF).{{sfn|Ross|1955|pp=24–25}} He was subsequently invited to lead the raising of the RNZAF and on 1 April 1937, he was appointed [[Chief of the Air Staff (New Zealand)|Chief of the Air Staff]] (CAS), the rank of group captain.{{sfn|Ross|1955|p=27}} 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.{{sfn|Ross|1955|pp=28–29}} In March 1939, his term as CAS ended.{{sfn|Ross|1955|p=39}} [[Image:Cochrane, Gibson, King George VI and Whitworth discussing the Dambusters Raid.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Air Vice-Marshal Ralph Cochrane, Wing Commander [[Guy Gibson]], King [[George VI of the United Kingdom|George VI]] and Group Captain [[John Whitworth (RAF officer)|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 RAF|No. 7 Group]] from July 1940, [[No. 3 Group RAF|No. 3 Group]] from September 1942 and [[No. 5 Group RAF|No. 5 Group]] from February 1943; all these Groups were in [[RAF Bomber Command]].<ref name=air/> No. 5 Group became the most efficient and elite Main Force bomber group undertaking spectacular raids.<ref name=odnb>[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/30945 ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'']</ref> Cochrane commanded the Dam-Busters raid.<ref>[http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst117.html Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane] Gazetteer for Scotland</ref> 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.<ref name=odnb/> [[File:Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection CH12562.jpg|thumb|Cochrane, centre wearing cap, talks with aircrew returned from a bombing raid, 1944]] In February 1945, Cochrane became Air Officer Commanding at [[RAF Transport Command]], a position he held until 1947 when he became Air Officer Commanding at [[RAF Flying Training Command]].<ref name=air/> During this time he managed the [[Berlin Airlift]]. In 1950 Cochrane was appointed [[Vice-Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Vice-Chief of the Air Staff]].<ref name=air/> Ralph Cochrane retired from the service in 1952.<ref name=air/> Following his retirement, Cochrane entered the business world notably as director of [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]].<ref name=air/> He was also chairman of RJM exports which manufactured scientific models and is now known as [http://www.cochranes.co.uk/ Cochranes of Oxford].<ref name=air/>
==Honours and awards== In the [[1939 New Year Honours (New Zealand)|1939 New Year Honours]], Cochrane was appointed a Commander of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (Military Division).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34585 |date=2 January 1939 |page=10 |supp=y}}</ref> In the [[1943 New Year Honours|New Year Honours 1943]] Cochrane was invested as a Companion of the [[Order of the Bath]] (Military Division).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=35841 |date=29 December 1942 |page=4}}</ref> In the [[1945 New Year Honours]] list he was invested as a [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]. In the [[1948 Birthday Honours|1948 King's Birthday Honours]] he was invested as a Knight Commander of the [[Order of the Bath]]. In the [[1950 Birthday Honours|1950 King's Birthday Honours]], he was invested as a [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Cochrane.htm|title = R a Cochrane_P}}</ref>
== Dates of rank == {| class="wikitable" ! Rank !! Date !! Role |- | Wing commander || 1933<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33955 |date=30 June 1933 |page=4386 }}</ref> || |- | Acting group captain || 1937<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34419 |date=20 July 1937 |page=4670 }}</ref> || On secondment to RNZAF |- | Group captain || 1938<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34527 |date=1 July 1938 |page=4248 }}</ref> || |- | Air commodore (temporary) || 1940<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34949 |date=20 September 1940 |page=5580}}</ref> || |- | Air marshal (acting) || 1945<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=36945 |date=16 February 1945 |page=983 }}</ref> || |- | Air marshal || 1946<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37423 |date=4 January 1946 |page=347 }}</ref> || |- | Air chief marshal || 1949<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=38583 |date=12 April 1949 |page=1821 }}</ref> || |- |}
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==References== {{commons|Ralph A. Cochrane}} *{{cite book|last=Ross|first=J. M. S.|year=1955|title=Royal New Zealand Air Force|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2AirF.html|series=[[Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45]]|publisher=Historical Publications Branch|location=Wellington, New Zealand|oclc=912824475}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-new|reason=Service became independent}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of the Air Staff (New Zealand)|Chief of the Air Staff]] ([[Royal New Zealand Air Force|RNZAF]])|years=1937–1939}} {{s-aft|after=[[Hugh Saunders (RAF officer)|Hugh Saunders]]}} |- {{s-vac|last=[[Duncan Pitcher]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Air Officer Commanding]] [[No. 7 Group RAF|No. 7 Group]]|years=1940}} {{s-aft|after=[[Leonard Cockey]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Alec Coryton]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Air Officer Commanding [[No. 5 Group RAF|No. 5 Group]]|years=1943–1945}} {{s-aft|after=[[Hugh Constantine]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Frederick Bowhill|Sir Frederick Bowhill]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief [[RAF Transport Command|Transport Command]]|years=1945–1947}} {{s-aft|after=[[Brian Edmund Baker|Sir Brian Baker]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Arthur Coningham (RAF officer)|Sir Arthur Coningham]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief [[RAF Flying Training Command|Flying Training Command]]|years=1947–1950}} {{s-aft|after=[[Hugh Walmsley|Sir Hugh Walmsley]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Arthur Sanders (RAF officer)|Sir Arthur Sanders]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Vice Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Vice Chief of the Air Staff]]|years=1950–1952}} {{s-aft|after=[[John Baker (RAF officer)|Sir John Baker]]}} |- {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cochrane, Ralph Alexander}} [[Category:1895 births]] [[Category:1977 deaths]] [[Category:Military personnel from Fife]] [[Category:Scottish airmen]] [[Category:Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies]] [[Category:Royal Navy officers]] [[Category:Royal Naval Air Service aviators]] [[Category:Royal Air Force air marshals of World War II]] [[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]] [[Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)]] [[Category:Younger sons of barons]] [[Category:Royal Navy officers of World War I]] [[Category:Cochrane family|Ralph]] [[Category:Royal Air Force air chief marshals]]