{{Short description|Royal Air Force Air Marshal (1909-1975)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}} {{Infobox military person |name= Sir Walter Pretty |image= |caption= |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth date|1909|05|02|df=yes}} |birth_place= |death_date= {{death date and age|1975|01|17|1909|05|02|df=yes}} |death_place= |burial_place= |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= [[Royal Air Force]] |service_years= 1929–66 |rank= [[Air marshal]] |unit= |commands= [[RAF Signals Command|Signals Command]] (1961–64)<br/>No. 1 Radio Operator's School (1941) |battles= [[Second World War]] |awards= [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Mentioned in dispatches]] (2) |relations= |other_work= }} [[Air Marshal]] '''Sir Walter Philip George Pretty''',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U158634 |title=Pretty, Air Marshal Sir Walter (Philip George): Who Was Who|publisher=Oxfordindex.oup.com |date=1909-05-02 |accessdate=2019-02-10}}</ref> {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KBE|CB}} (2 May 1909 – 17 January 1975) was a [[Royal Air Force]] officer who served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief [[RAF Signals Command|Signals Command]] from 1961 until 1964.
==RAF career== Educated at [[Alleyn's School]], Pretty joined the [[Royal Air Force]] as a cadet in 1929.<ref name=air>[http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Pretty.htm Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir Walter Pretty]</ref> He served in the [[Second World War]] as Station Commander at the [[Chain Home Low]] [[early warning radar]] base near [[Clacton]], as [[Officer Commanding]] No. 1 Radio Operator's School at [[Royal Air Force College Cranwell|RAF Cranwell]] and on the signals staff at [[RAF Fighter Command|Fighter Command]].<ref name=air/>
After the war he became Director-General of Navigational Services at the [[Ministry of Civil Aviation (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Civil Aviation]] and then Director of Electronics Research and Development at the [[Ministry of Supply]] before being appointed Air Officer Administration at Headquarters [[Second Tactical Air Force]] in 1955.<ref name=air/> He went on to be Director-General of Organisation at the [[Air Ministry]] in 1958, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at [[RAF Signals Command|Signals Command]] in 1961 and Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel & Logistics) in 1964 before retiring in 1966.<ref name=air/>
He lived near [[Cobham, Surrey|Cobham]] in [[Surrey]]<ref>[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=008-d199&cid=8-7#8-7 National Archives]</ref> and became President of the Edward Alleyn Club.<ref>[http://www.edwardalleynclub.com/page/about_past_presidents Edward Alleyn Club]</ref> He married Betty Methven in 1940 and they had four children: Audrey, Beryl, Carol (mother of comedian [[Marcus Brigstocke]]), and Derek.<ref>[https://s3.amazonaws.com/audreywatters/Mum%27s+life+page+2.pdf Family history]</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=[[Alick Foord-Kelcey]]}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief [[RAF Signals Command|Signals Command]]}}|years=1961–1964}} {{s-aft|after=[[Thomas Shirley (RAF officer)|Sir Thomas Shirley]]}} {{end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pretty, Walter}} [[Category:1909 births]] [[Category:1975 deaths]] [[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]] [[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:People educated at Alleyn's School]] [[Category:Royal Air Force air marshals]] [[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]