and promoted to group captain on 1 July 1968. After attending the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1971, he became Director of Air Staff Plans at the Ministry of Defence in 1972 and was promoted to air commodore on 1 January 1973. Promoted to air vice marshal on 1 July 1975, he was appointed Commandant of the RAF Staff College, Bracknell, on 16 August 1975. Williamson went on to be Assistant Chief of Staff (Plans and Policy) at SHAPE on 10 March 1977 and then became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Support Command with the acting rank of air marshal on 30 August 1978. He was promoted to the substantive rank of air marshal on 1 January 1979. Williamson was made Commander-in-Chief Strike Command with the acting rank of air chief marshal on 15 September 1980. He was promoted to the substantive rank of air chief marshal on 1 March 1981 and advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1982 Birthday Honours. He became Chief of the Air Staff on 15 October 1982 and was appointed Air Aide-de-Camp to the Queen on the same day. As Chief of the Air Staff he persuaded the British Government to build a completely new airfield at Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands in the aftermath of the Falklands War. He also implemented the emergency airlift of food and supplies to Ethiopia in the wake of severe drought, famine and civil war there ("Operation Bushel") and advised on the international agreement to proceed with the European Fighter programme. He was promoted to Marshal of the Royal Air Force on 15 October 1985 and retired the same month. Later work In retirement Williamson devoted much of his time to the Presidency of the Royal Air Forces Association. He was also Vice-President of SSAFA. He died on 2 May 2018 at the age of 90. Personal life In 1953 he married Patricia Anne Watts; they had two sons and two daughters. His interests included golf. References Sources |- |- |- |- 1928 births 2018 deaths Marshals of the Royal Air Force Chiefs of the Air Staff (United Kingdom) Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Trenchard Brats Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Military personnel from London