Jack Higgins (RAF officer)

Air Marshal Sir John Frederick Andrews Higgins, (1 September 1875 – 1 June 1948), known as Jack Higgins, was a senior officer in the Royal Flying Corps, serving as a brigade commander from 1915 to 1918. After the First World War he served in a range of senior posts in the Royal Air Force until his retirement in 1930. He returned to active service for the first year of the Second World War.

RAF career
Higgins became a cadet at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery in 1895, serving in the Second Boer War. In November 1900 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his service during this war.

He served as Officer Commanding No. 5 Squadron from July 1913 and then at the start of November 1914, Higgins was selected to head up the RFC's training wing which was based at Netheravon. He went on to command II Brigade RFC, VI Brigade RFC and then III Brigade RFC during the course of the First World War. In the closing stages of the war he was General Officer Commanding No. 3 Area and then General Officer Commanding Midland Area.

After the War he was appointed General Officer Commanding RAF forces of the Rhine and then Air Officer Commanding Northern Area before becoming Director of Personnel at the Air Ministry in 1920. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding Inland Area in 1922, Air Officer Commanding Iraq Command in 1924 and Air Member for Supply and Research in 1926. He retired to India in 1930 but was recalled as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Air Forces in India in October 1939 at the start of the Second World War before retiring again in August 1940.