# Ronald Lees

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[Air Marshal](/source/Air_Marshal) **Sir Ronald Beresford Lees**, (27 April 1910 – 18 May 1991) was a senior [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) commander.

## Early life

Lees was born in [Broken Hill, New South Wales](/source/Broken_Hill,_New_South_Wales), the son of John Thomas Lees and Eliza Jane Moyle.[1] He was educated at Prince Alfred's College and St Peter's College, [Adelaide](/source/Adelaide), and later read mathematics at the [University of Adelaide](/source/University_of_Adelaide).[2]

## RAF career

In January 1930, Lees joined the [Royal Australian Air Force](/source/Royal_Australian_Air_Force) (RAAF) as a cadet at Point Cook, Victoria, and in January 1931 took up a short-service commission in the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) (RAF).[2][3] He was made Officer Commanding [No. 72 Squadron](/source/No._72_Squadron_RAF) in 1938 and served in the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War), taking part in the [Battle of Britain](/source/Battle_of_Britain) in 1940.[4] During the war he served as Station Commander at [RAF Coltishall](/source/RAF_Coltishall), as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters [No. 242 Group](/source/No._242_Group_RAF) and then on the Sicily Invasion Force.[3]

After the war, Lees became Station Commander at [RAF Bassingbourn](/source/RAF_Bassingbourn).[3] He was appointed Air Officer Commanding [No. 83 Group](/source/No._83_Expeditionary_Air_Group_(United_Kingdom)) in 1952, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) in 1955 and Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters [RAF Fighter Command](/source/RAF_Fighter_Command) in 1958.[3] He went on to be [Deputy Chief of the Air Staff](/source/Deputy_Chief_of_the_Air_Staff_(United_Kingdom)) in 1960 and Commander-in-Chief of [RAF Germany](/source/RAF_Germany) and [Second Tactical Air Force](/source/Second_Tactical_Air_Force) in 1963 before retiring in 1966.[3]

## References

1. New South Wales Certificate of Entry in Register of Births, 281913 (1910 / 549)

1. A Few of "The Few", Dennis Newton, Australian War Memorial, 1990, ISBN 0 642 14991 7

1. [Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir Ronald Lees](http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/LeesRB.htm)

1. [Our Few of the Few](http://www.icebox.com.au/icebox-articles/1990/6/15/our-few-of-the-few/)

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