John Severne

Air Vice-Marshal Sir John de Milt Severne, (15 August 1925 – 4 October 2015) was a senior Royal Air Force officer and aerobatic display pilot. Senior appointments included Commanding Officer of RAF Kinloss, Commandant of the Central Flying School, Air Officer Commanding the Southern Maritime Air Region, and Captain of the Queen's Flight. In 1960, he won the King's Cup Race and the British air racing championship.

Honours and decorations
On 1 March 1955, Severne was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) "in recognition of gallantry and devotion to duty". The actions that lead to him being awarded the AFC were as follows: "He had been undertaking a practice flight when, during a loop-the-loop, one of his engines caught fire. A few days earlier, a plane from the same squadron had also caught alight during flight, but had been completely destroyed in a crash landing; this meant no investigation could take place to ascertain the cause of the fire. Serverne decided to land his plane rather than eject, therefore allowing for an investigation. He successfully landed his plane without lowing the undercarriage so that he could land quicker. He then left the cockpit and put out the fire himself using a CO2 fire extinguisher."

In the 1968 New Year Honours, Severne was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This was in recognition of his role in the withdrawal of British forces from Aden in 1967. On 15 December 1988, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) for his service as Captain of the Queen's Flight. On 17 May 1991, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of the County of Somerset.

Other medals awarded to Severne were the War Medal 1939–1945, the General Service Medal with South Arabia clasp, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.

Autobiography
Severne wrote an autobiography in the 2000s. The foreword was written by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who knew Serene through his role in the Queen's flight and also from an earlier period when he served as equerry to the Duke.