Sir Gerry Mayhew
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Air Marshal Mayhew in 2019
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| Born | (1969-02-15) 15 February 1969 (age 55) Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1988–2022 |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Commands held | No. 1 Group (2016–18) RAF Leuchars (2013–14) No. 13 Squadron RAF (2007–09) |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Air Marshal Sir Gerard Michael David Mayhew, KCB, CBE (born 15 February 1969) is a former senior Royal Air Force officer, who served as Deputy Commander Operations, Headquarters Air Command between May 2019 and August 2022.
Mayhew was born on 15 February 1969 in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, (now in the West Midlands), England. He was educated at St Benedict's Catholic High School, a voluntary aided Catholic schoolinAlcester, Warwickshire, and at Alcester Grammar School, a grammar school in Alcester.[1]
Mayhew was commissioned into the Royal Air Force on 28 July 1988 as an acting pilot officer.[2] He served as an air traffic control officer from 1988 to 1990.[1] In 1990, he trained as a pilot and became a Qualified Weapons Instructor (QWI).[1] His early career as a pilot was spent flying the Jaguar and Tornado, and he has more than 3000 flying hours.[3] From 2007 to 2009, he served as Officer Commanding No. 13 Squadron RAF.[1]
In January 2013, Mayhew was appointed Air Officer Scotland and Officer Commanding RAF Leuchars.[3] One of his main duties was to oversee the transfer of Leuchars, then an RAF station, to the British Army as a barracks; this was finalised in March 2015. He stepped down as Air Officer Scotland on 17 November 2014.[4] From April 2015 to April 2016, he was a member of the Strategic Defence and Security Review Team in the Cabinet Office.[5] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours.[6] On 28 April 2016 was promoted to air vice marshal and appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group.[7]
In August 2018, Mayhew succeeded Air Vice Marshal Michael WigstonasAssistant Chief of the Air Staff.[8] In May 2019, he became Deputy Commander Operations, Headquarters Air Command and was promoted to air marshal.[9] Mayhew was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2022 New Year Honours.[10][11]
In April 2022 Mayhew accepted the freedom of Causeway Coasts and Glens Borough, on behalf of the RAF, at a ceremony in Limavady, County Londonderry. The town held a parade and saw a fly past of a Boeing P-8 Poseidon. The RAF were based in Limavady and in the nearby village of Ballykelly during World War Two.[12]
Mayhew was criticised in an employment tribunal case in October 2023 in which he was found to have offered "hollow and unconvincing evidence" in a claim by a serving military officer.[13]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Station Commander RAF Leuchars 2013–2014 |
Post disbanded |
| Air Officer Scotland 2013–2014 |
Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group 2016–2018 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Assistant Chief of the Air Staff 2018–2019 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Commander Operations 2019–2022 |
Succeeded by |
