THE new chief of the Royal Air Force is a former pupil of Ysgol Friars who attended the 1557 Squadron Air Training Corps at Friars School in Bangor.

Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston CBE, became Chief of the Air Staff on 26 July, taking over from Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier who stepped down after 39 years of service in the RAF.

He took up his new role following a ceremony at the RAF College at Cranwell and is now the professional head of the RAF, leading a service of 35,000 RAF personnel and 5000 Civil Servants, together with over 700 manned and unmanned aircraft.

The new Air Chief Marshal (ACM) was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1986. He was promoted to pilot officer on 15 July 1989, to flying officer on 15 January 1990, and to flight lieutenant on 15 January 1992.

Promoted to squadron leader on 1 January 2000, he was given command of No. 12 Squadron and, having been promoted to wing commander on 1 July 2003, he became commander of No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing in Afghanistan in 2008. He went on to be director of air operations at the International Security Assistance Force Headquarters in Afghanistan in 2011 and principal staff officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff in 2012. ACM Wigston was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services in Afghanistan on 22 March 2013.

ACM Wigston said he was “honoured” to be the new Chief of the Air Staff. He said: “When growing up in North Wales and at school in Bangor, it was the sight and sound of aircraft from RAF Valley that made me want to join the Air Cadets and then the RAF.

“After 33 years of RAF Service, it’s a great honour for me to be new Chief of the Air Staff, leading the Royal Air Force to deliver air and space power to protect our nation.

“As part of this, I look forward very much to returning to RAF Valley, together with our other RAF units in Wales, to see the huge range of vital work that continues to be done in Wales to enable the RAF to carry out its mission”.

Photos: Royal Air Force