John Curtiss

Air Marshal Sir John Bagot Curtiss, (6 December 1924 – 14 September 2013) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. He served in Bomber Command during the Second World War and was Air Commander of the British forces involved in the Falklands War. He was the first navigator to reach the three-star rank of air marshal.

Early life Curtiss was born on 6 December 1924 in England. His mother was a New Zealander and his father was Australian. His parents moved to England in 1914 after his father joined the Royal Flying Corps to fight in World War One. He began pilot training in April 1943 and learnt to fly the Tiger Moth. Having been passed over during pilot selection, he became a navigator. Through his work with the SBAC, he was involved in planning the Farnborough Air Show.