David Murray (RAF officer)

The Honourable
David Murray
Born 1960 (age 55–56)
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Air Force
Years of service 1980 - 2013
Rank Air Vice Marshal
Service number 8023715
Commands held RAF Halton, Winchester Garrison
Battles/wars Bosnia, Sierra Leone
Awards Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Air Vice-Marshal David Paul Murray, CVO, OBE (born 1960) is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer. He served as Defence Services Secretary in the Royal Household from 2010 to 2012. He is currently the Chief Executive of the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Military career

The son of the late Baron Murray of Epping Forest,[1] the former TUC General Secretary Len Murray, Murray was commissioned into the Royal Air Force on 27 March 1980 in the rank of acting pilot officer.[2] He was promoted to pilot officer on 27 September 1980[3] and to flying officer on 5 July 1982.[4] Murray served as Station Commander RAF Halton and then at Worthy Down before becoming Garrison Commander at Winchester and then Commandant of the Defence College of Police and Personnel Administration. Murray served on operational tours in the Falkland Islands, on UN peace-keeping duties in Bosnia and Sierra Leone. He also served in Africa,Australia, Cyprus and Germany.[5] He became Assistant Chief of Staff Training in the RAF in 2006[6] and Head of Ministry of Defence Personnel Strategy and Programmes in 2009 before he was promoted to air vice marshal in 2010 and appointed as Defence Services Secretary and Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel).[7] Murray led the Diamond Jubilee Armed Forces Parade and Muster in 2012.[8] He officially retired from the Royal Air Force on 21 January 2013.[9]

Later life

In October 2012, Murray became Chief Executive of national Armed Forces charity SSAFA.[10]

As Chief Executive of SSAFA, Murray led an organisation with an annual turnover of more than £55m, 900 paid staff (mainly medical professionals and social workers) and over 7500 volunteers, providing practical support and assistance to more than 50,000 people each year, from D-Day veterans to young soldiers wounded in Afghanistan.[11]

In September 2016, Murray was appointed Controller/Chief Executive of the RAF Benevolent Fund. Founded in 1919, the RAF Benevolent Fund is the RAF's leading welfare charity supporting serving and former members of the RAF as well as their families. Annually, the charity spends over £18m supporting more than 41,000 members of the RAF family.[12]

Honours and decorations

Murray was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1996 New Year's Honours List and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1999 Birthday Honours List.[13] He was invested as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) for his services as Defence Services Secretary in October 2012.[14]

References

  1. ↑ A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe, www.thepeerage.com
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 48176. p. 6688. 2 May 1980. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 48331. p. 13960. 6 October 1980. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49069. p. 10143. 2 August 1982. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Trustees". Royal Air Forces Charitable Trust. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  6. ↑ RAF Introduces a Recruitment Bounty Scheme
  7. ↑ Ministry of Defence & Tri-service senior appointments
  8. ↑ "Diamond Jubilee: Armed forces in parade and flypast". BBC News. BBC. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60438. p. 4260. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  10. ↑ "New man at the top for SSAFA Forces Help". SAFFA. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  11. ↑ "SSAFA Annual Report". SSAFA. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "How we spend our money". RAF Benevolent Fund. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 55513. p. 7. 12 June 1999. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  14. ↑ Court Circular, Facebook 11 October 2012
Military offices
Preceded by
Matthew Sykes		 Defence Services Secretary
2010–2012 		Succeeded by
Simon Williams
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