Wallace Kyle

Air Chief Marshal Sir Wallace Hart Kyle GCB KCVO CBE DSO DFC (22 January 1910 – 31 January 1988) was an Australian officer who served as a senior Royal Air Force (RAF) commander and later as the Governor of Western Australia. Born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Kyle was commissioned into the RAF in 1929, and, having seen service in World War II and the Malayan Emergency, held a number of senior positions, including Vice-Chief of the Air Staff and commander-in-chief of the RAF's Bomber Command and Strike Command. He was made governor of Western Australia in 1975, a position in which he served until 1980, later returning to England, where he died in 1988.

Career
Born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, and educated at Guildford Grammar School, Kyle was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1929. He served in World War II and in 1940 was appointed Officer Commanding No. 139 Squadron before becoming Station Commander at RAF Marham in 1942 and Station Commander at RAF Downham Market in 1944 and them transferring to Bomber Command.

After the war he joined the Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College, Bracknell and was then joined the Air Plans team at Headquarters RAF Mediterranean & Middle East. He was appointed Assistant Commandant at the RAF Cranwell in 1951 and Director of Operational Requirements (Air) at the Air Ministry in 1952. He became Air Officer Commanding at Air Headquarters Malaya in 1955 during the Malayan Emergency, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operational Requirements) in 1957 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Technical Training Command in 1959. He became Vice-Chief of the Air Staff in 1962 and Air Officer Commander-in-Chief Bomber Command in 1965. When Bomber Command merged with Fighter Command to form Strike Command, Kyle became Strike Command's first Air Officer Commander-in-Chief in 1968.

He served as Governor of Western Australia from 1975 and briefly caused excitement when he spoke out in favour of developing a uranium processing plant at Kalgoorlie in 1978.

Honours and awards

 * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath – 1 Jan 1966 (KCB - 1 January 1960, CB – 1 January 1953)
 * Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order – 5 August 1977 [26 March 1977]
 * Commander of the Order of the British Empire - 1 January 1946
 * Distinguished Service Order – 26 October 1945
 * Distinguished Flying Cross – 2 May 1941
 * Knight of St John - 26 February 1976
 * Air Aide de Camp to the King - 26 April 1949
 * Air Aide de Camp to the Queen - 10 June 1952 to 31 July 1956
 * Mention in Despatches - 11 June 1942, 14 January 1944, 1 January 1945, 4 June 1945
 * Hon Doctor of Technology (Western Australian Institute of Technology) - 1979
 * Hon Doctor of Law (University of Western Australia) - 1980