Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Keith Alec Williamson, (25 February 1928 – 2 May 2018) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force. He served with the Royal Australian Air Force flying Meteors in a ground attack role during the Korean War. He was a squadron commander and then a station commander during the 1960s and a senior air commander in the 1980s. He was Chief of the Air Staff during the early 1980s at the time of the emergency airlift of food and supplies to Ethiopia ("Operation Bushel"). RAF career The son of Percy Williamson and his wife Gertrude, Williamson was educated at Bancroft's School and Market Harborough Grammar School. He enlisted in the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme at RAF Halton in 1945, and was transferred to the Aircraft Apprentice Wing at RAF Cranwell, No 1 Radio School where he joined the 50th Entry and was trained as an Air Radio Fitter. After graduating in 1948, he was selected for a cadetship at RAF College Cranwell and was commissioned on 13 December 1950. He was sent to the Advanced Flying School at RAF Driffield, where he trained on Meteors and Vampires and was then posted to No. 112 Squadron in July 1951 flying Vampires initially from RAF Fassberg and then from RAF Jever in Germany. Promoted to flying officer on 13 December 1951, Williamson volunteered to join No. 77 Squadron RAAF flying Meteors in a ground attack role in the Korean War in January 1953. After being promoted to flight lieutenant on 13 June 1953, he returned home in late 1953 to become aide-de-camp to Air Marshal Sir Harold Lydford, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RAF Home Command. After briefly returning to No. 112 Squadron in 1956, he joined No. 20 Squadron at RAF Oldenburg in Germany as a flight commander flying Hunters. Promoted to squadron leader on 1 July 1958, that year he went to the Central Flying School where he became a Qualified Flying Instructor and then an examiner. Williamson attended the RAF Staff College in 1962 and was then post to the Air Secretary's department at the Air Ministry. He was promoted to wing commander on 1 January 1964. He was given command of No. 23 Squadron flying Lightnings from RAF Leuchars in 1966 and became Station Commander at RAF Gütersloh in 1968. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in the 1968 Birthday Honours,