Lawrence Darvall

Air Marshal Sir Lawrence Darvall, (24 November 1898 – 17 November 1968) was a senior Royal Air Force officer.

Early life He was the second son of Richard Thomas Darvall and Annie Johnson, of Reading, Berkshire. One of his younger brothers was the politician and diplomat Frank Ongley Darvall (1906–1987), another was Alan Francis Darvall (1903–1983) who was headmaster of Wells House School in Malvern, Worcestershire from 1933 to 1968. The mountaineer, Margaret Darvall, was his sister.

RAF career After attending and later graduating from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Darvall was commissioned into the Green Howards on 16 August 1916 during the First World War and in 1917 he was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in Macedonia.

After transferring to the RAF as a flying officer in 1919, he became officer commanding, RAF Hawkinge in April 1939.

He was granted the right to retain his rank of air marshal on his retirement.