Cathcart Wight-Boycott

Air Commodore Cathcart Michael Wight-Boycott CBE DSO and bar MA, RAF R’td (18 August 1910 – December 1998) was a British fighter pilot during the Second World War and a senior Royal Air Force officer during the post-war years. As an Air Commodore in 1961 Wight-Boycott became the 10th Commandant Royal Observer Corps.

Early life
Wight-Boycott attended Clare College at Cambridge University where he joined the Cambridge University Air Squadron that was based at RAF Duxford and learned to fly in 1930. After leaving university he joined the Metropolitan Police as a non-uniformed civilian administrator.

In September 1937 Wight-Boycott joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve as a Pilot Officer in his spare time and undertook advanced combat training on Hawker Hurricanes. He was promoted to Flying Officer in the RAFVR before enlisting on a short service commission in the RAF at the start of the Second World War in September 1939.

Royal Air Force
After joining the RAF he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and his first posting was as a QFI at No. 1 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, Hatfield where he remained until May 1941. He was sent on a course at No. 54 Operational Training Unit before receiving a combat posting as a fighter pilot with No. 219 Squadron RAF. In July 1941 he was promoted again to Acting Squadron Leader and appointed as flight commander of ‘B’ flight.

In September 1942 his rank of Squadron Leader having been made substantive he was promoted to Acting Wing Commander and posted to RAF West Malling as Officer Commanding No. 29 Squadron RAF flying Bristol Beaufighters. Between December 1942 and January 1943 he took the additional temporary role of Station Commander at West Malling.

In February 1943, he was reverted to Squadron Leader (War Substantive) before he was posted in to No. 81 Group RAF as a headquarters staff officer. In July that year Wight-Boycott returned to operational flying as an Acting Wing Commander and Officer Commanding No. 9 Group RAF. In the September he was appointed Officer Commanding No. 25 Squadron RAF flying de Havilland Mosquitos. Wight-Boycott finished the air war with a score of seven aircraft destroyed, two damaged and two V-1 flying bombs shot down and destroyed.

In September 1944 Wight-Boycott was posted as a Headquarters Staff Officer with No. 12 Group RAF but only a few months later moved to an appointment as Station Commander of RAF Church Fenton. In early 1945 he moved, again as Station Commander, to RAF Molesworth home of the USAF 303rd Bombardment Group and remained there until September when he attended a ‘’Methods of Instruction’’ course at the RAF Senior Staff College.

Following his course he became an instructor at the RAF’s Officers’ Advanced Training School. As the war ended Wight-Boycott was confirmed as a permanent commission officer in the substantive rank of Squadron Leader. In July 1947 he was promoted to Wing Commander with seniority and pay backdated to October 1946. In February 1948 he was posted as the Air Staff Officer at Headquarters, RAF Middle East. He returned to the UK in 1950 on the staff at Headquarters Southern Sector, Fighter Command at RAF Colerne.

Promoted to Group Captain in July 1952 he took up the appointment of Station Commander at Colerne where remained until 1954 when he became a QFI at the RAF Flying College, RAF Manby in Lincolnshire. In April 1955 he was posted to RAF Luqa as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Air Headquarters Malta.

On 13 January 1958 he was appointed the RAF’s Director of Operational Requirements (A), moving sideways as Director of Organisation/Logistics (Forecasting and Planning) in September that year.

Royal Observer Corps
On 1 July 1958 Wight-Boycott received his final promotion to Air Commodore and was appointed as the tenth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps, taking over from Air Commodore J M Warfield. He had taken over the ROC at a crucial time in its development, as the building programme of 1,500 underground monitoring posts and 31 operational group controls, to provide protected accommodation during nuclear warfare, had just started all over the UK. As Commandant, Wight-Boycott found himself travelling the country to perform endless opening ceremonies as each new Group Control bunker was commissioned and declared operational.

In the course of the massive consolidation of the organisation nine previous ROC groups were disestablished and closed. Some spare time observers were able to transfer to nearby groups but many others, together with the groups' civilian staffs, found that their services were no longer required and they were stood down. The professional wholetime officers from the closed group headquarters were declared supernumerary, redesignated as Mobile Training Officers and spent the next few years moving from group to group covering holiday and illness absences by other officers. The arrangement continued until natural wastage had reduced the cadre back to the new manning levels.

In July 1961 Wight-Boycott presented a Royal Observer Corps long-service medal to the Battle of Britain Class locomotive Royal Observer Corps that had started its service with the Great Western Railway company in December 1948. The ceremony took place at Waterloo Station. The locomotive's cab was repainted with a representation of the medal and its ribbon and displayed it until the engine was withdrawn from service and broken up in the late 1960s. Following the engine's break up its original nameplate and front badge were recovered and displayed in the entrance hall of Headquarters ROC at RAF Bentley Priory, until 1996 when it was transferred to the RAF Museum.

On 3 June 1964 Air Commodore Wight-Boycott retired from the RAF and handed over command of the Corps to Air Commodore J H Greswell.

Retired appointment
Following his retirement from active service in 1964 Wight-Boycott remained in uniform as a retired 'C' class status Senior Staff Officer in charge of flying training at the Headquarters of the Air Cadets. Wight-Boycott's son also served in the RAF and is recorded as being a Group Captain and serving as Regional Commandant of Scotland and Northern Ireland ATC.

Honours and awards

 * 5 February 1943 - Distinguished Service Order in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy to Acting Wing Commander Cathcart Michael Wight-Boycott (72005), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 29 Squadron. Since July, 1941, Wing Commander Wight-Boycott has completed much operational flying by night. He was appointed to command his squadron in September 1942. In January, 1943, during an enemy air attack, he displayed outstanding skill and keenness and destroyed 4 enemy aircraft. Wing Commander Wight-Boycott's exceptional personal feat and the fine performance of his squadron was in keeping with his reputation for outstanding enthusiasm and thoroughness.


 * 21 November 1944 - Bar to the Distinguished Service Order to Acting Wing Commander Cathcart Michael Wight-Boycott DSO (72005) RAFVR, No. 25 Squadron.