Harold Maguire

Air Marshal Sir Harold John Maguire, KCB, DSO, OBE, (12 April 1912 – 1 February 2001) was Director-General of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence from 1968 to 1972.

RAF career
Harold Maguire was born in Kilkishen in County Clare in Ireland. Educated at Wesley College, Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, Maguire joined the Royal Air Force in 1933. He served in World War II as Officer Commanding No. 229 Squadron and then as Officer Commanding No. 226 Wing based in Sumatra. He was awarded the DSO in 1946 for the gallant example he had set to his fellow captives while he was a Prisoner of War during the Japanese invasions of Sumatra and Java in 1942.

After the War he became Station Commander at RAF Linton-on-Ouse and then Group Captain, Operations at RAF Fighter Command. He was appointed Station Commander at RAF Odiham in 1950, Senior Air Staff Officer at AHQ Malta in 1952 and Director of Tactical and Air Transport Operations in 1956. He went on to be Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters No. 11 Group in 1958, Air Officer Commanding No. 13 Group in 1959 and Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group in 1961. After that he was made Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Far East Air Force in 1962, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Intelligence) in 1964 and Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Intelligence) in 1965 before retiring in 1968.

In retirement he was Director-General of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence from 1968 to 1972.

Maguire was appointed OBE in 1950 and CB in 1958. He was appointed KCB in 1966.

Family
In 1940 he married Mary Elisabeth Wild; they had a son and a daughter.