Philippa Marshall


Philippa Frances Marshall was a British Royal Air Force officer, who served as Director of the Women's Royal Air Force from 1969 to 1973.

Biography

Marshall was born on 4 November 1920 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. She was educated at St Dominic's High School for Girls, an all-girls independent school in Stoke-on-Trent.
In 1941, Marshall joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. On 10 June 1942, she was commissioned as an assistant section officer on probation. With the creation of the Women's Royal Air Force in 1949, she was transferred into the WRAF as a flight officer on 1 February 1949 with seniority in that rank from 10 December 1946.
She was promoted to squadron officer on 1 July 1953, to wing officer on 1 January 1964, and to group officer on 1 July 1966. From 1968 to 1969, she served as commanding admin officer at RAF Strike Command. In 1969, she was appointed Director of the Women's Royal Air Force in succession to Dame Felicity Hill. On 1 July 1969, she was promoted to air commodore, hereby becoming the most senior ranking woman in the Royal Air Force. She stepped down as director in July 1973 to be succeeded by Molly Allott, and retired on 1 September 1973.
Marshall died on 4 February 2005, aged 84.

Honours

In the 1956 New Year Honours, Marshall was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. In the 1971, she was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath.