THE PRO PATRIA PROJECT

BOXER Alan Hunter Cachemaille

41545, Wing Commander, Royal Air Force

CITATION

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO)

Gazetted 13 July 1970

Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB)

Gazetted 1 January 1968

Distinguished Service Order

Gazetted 23 March 1945

Wing Commander Boxer has commanded his squadron with great ability for a long period.  He has been very keen to fly on all types of operations,

irrespective of the hazards involved. By his skill and determination, he has set a fine example to all in his squadron. He has completed several special

flights to Poland and others which have involved being airborne for long periods

Distinguished Flying Cross

Gazetted 26 March 1943

Within the last 2 months, Squadron Leader Boxer has successfully completed several long-range sorties. On one of them, when some hundreds of

miles from base, one engine of his aircraft failed. Despite this, he succeeded in flying the bomber home. Some time later, he completed the return

flight from a distant target in similar circumstances. He is a most reliable and determined pilot.

Virtuti Militari (Poland)

Awarded 21 Jan 1944

Bronze Star (United States)

Gazetted 25 May 1951, p2876

Serving as a Project Officer with the 92nd Bombardment Group, United States Air Force

Air Medal (United States)

Awarded 25 May 1951, p2876

Serving as a Project Officer with the 92nd Bombardment Group, United States Air Force

KNOWN AWARDS

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO)

Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB)

Distinguished Service Order

Distinguished Flying Cross

1939-45 Star

Air Crew Europe Star

Defence Medal

War Medal 1939-45

Korea Medal

United Nations Medal

       KOREA

Virtuti Militari (Poland)

Bronze Star (USA)

Air Medal (USA)

NOTES

Born 1 December 1916, Hastings, New zealand

Died 26 April 1998, England

BIOGRAPHICAL

A New Zealander he took a series of short-term jobs in order to help the family finances, he father having died when he was nine, whilst managing to take flying lessons in his spare time.  With war clouds looming over Europe he decided to leave New Zealand in 1938 and join the RAF.  Having already amassed 175 hours he found himself posted as a instructor following his service flying training.  He remained in Training Command for two years, but eventually in 1942 he was posted to an operational unit, No 161 Squadron at Tempsford.  Here he commanded the Hudson Flight  and was involved in the delivery and collection of SOE Agents from occupied France, although many of his missions were long ranging to Scandinavia and Poland often lasting 13 hours.  A spell as a staff officer at the Air ministry co-ordinating SOE flights was followed by a return to 161, this time as CO. 

After the war he attended both the RAF Staff College and the Army College at Haifa before being given an exchange posting with the USAF.  Here he flew B29’s on the West Coast of America including a six-month tour of duty taking part in operations during the Korean War.  Following his return from the USA he spent a year at the Central Fighter Establishment before being appointed to the directing staff of the RAF Staff College. 

After the Staff College he was tasked with reforming No 7 Squadron as a Valiant unit.  Although the squadron officially reformed on 1 November 1956 at Honington, it was the end of the month before he was able to collect the first of its aircraft from the Vickers factory at Wisley.  One of the tasks he performed with 7 Squadron was the transporting of an ‘H’ bomb to Christmas Island for the forthcoming tests.  This necessitated him landing in the USA to re-fuel without being able to divulge the nature of his payload.  Promotion to Group Captain brought command of the Victor base at Wittering.  A staff post at HQ Bomber Command and attendance at the Imperial Defence College was followed by two SASO posts. The first at HQ No 1 Group and the second as the last person to hold the post at Bomber Command before it was amalgamated with Fighter Command to form Strike Command. 

In 1967 he became the first RAF officer to hold the post of Defence Services Secretary, which involved liaising between the Ministry of Defence and Buckingham Palace.  As such he was heavily involved with the Prince of Wales’s investiture at Caernarfon in 1969.  Retiring in 1970 he spent a brief period working as a planning inspector with the Department of the Environment but soon became despondent with the Civil Service and left to concentrate on his other two great passions sailing and conservation.

[Biography courtesy Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation]