AVM Freddie Hurrell RIP

Kyt · Oct 16, 2008

Air Vice-Marshal Freddie Hurrell - Telegraph

Air Vice-Marshal Freddie Hurrell, who has died aged 80, served as Director-General of the RAF Medical Services, having spent many years specialising in aviation medicine; in retirement he devoted a great deal of his time to supporting RAF charities and a flying scholarship scheme for the disabled.

The son of an Army officer, Frederick Charles Hurrell was born on April 24 1928 in Guernsey but the family moved to Dorset six months later. He was educated at the Royal Masonic School, Bushey, where he excelled at sport, captaining the hockey and rugby teams and representing the school at cricket, water polo and athletics. He played rugby for England Schoolboys against the Scottish and Welsh Schoolboys.

In October 1946 he began his medical training at St Mary's Hospital Medical School, Paddington, where he added boxing to his list of sporting activities, representing the hospital at middleweight. After qualifying as a doctor in 1952 and completing a post-graduate year at Paddington Green Children's Hospital, he received his National Service call-up papers and joined the RAF on a four-year short-service commission. In the event, he served for 36 years before retiring in 1988.

The first 12 years of Hurrell's service were spent as the medical officer on RAF flying stations in England and Singapore where, in addition to his general practice, he developed a deep interest in aviation medicine. While serving on a flying training station he learned to fly solo, and while on an operational bomber station he regularly flew as a member of the crew in order to gain first-hand experience of the stresses of flying. These voluntary activities reassured the squadron aircrew that the pressures they endured were understood. He completed the Diploma of Aviation Medicine in 1972.

As a wing commander he was a medical adviser to the Inspector of Air Transport, with responsibilities for the supervision of work schedules and periods of duty time in addition to the development and inspection of appropriate facilities for feeding, sleeping, rest and recreation for RAF aircrew. He co-ordinated the RAF's worldwide aero-medical evacuation service, which annually moved more than 3,000 patients, from three services, and their dependants.

In 1974 he became the Deputy Director of Aviation Medicine, responsible for monitoring the effects of training and operational flying on emotional and physical health. He worked closely with the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine in areas of research and evaluated their advice to the air staff. His role also included advising the Inspector of Flight Safety on the medical aspects of flying accident prevention and investigation.

For two years Hurrell served in Washington on the British Defence Staff, where he maintained a close liaison with American and Canadian service and civilian aviation authorities on the medical aspects of aviation. He represented the British philosophies in human factors and life-support systems for the programmes conducted at the major American research laboratories dealing with manned flight.

As an air commodore in 1980 he commanded the RAF's largest hospital, at Wroughton, near Swindon, before serving in the MoD as Director of Health and Research. On promotion to air vice-marshal in 1984 he was appointed Principal Medical Officer at RAF Strike Command, where he controlled the medical services provided for 51 RAF stations, including 34 airfields, spread across the world. He was also appointed an Honorary Physician to the Queen.

In 1986 Hurrell became the Director-General of the RAF Medical Services responsible to the Air Force Board for the provision and administration of medical, dental and nursing care for the RAF and entitled dependants at home and abroad. He also advised on aviation medicine matters affecting aircrew and on promoting and controlling the long-term aviation medical research carried out in the RAF.

After retiring from the service in 1988 Hurrell became the Director of Appeals for the RAF Benevolent Fund. His work resulted in a transformation of the fund's financial reserves.

He co-ordinated some very shrewd and timely investments and he played a major role in a very successful appeal to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Among his fund-raising projects was the publication of two evocative books, So Few and So Many, illustrated folios of those who fought in the Battle of Britain and in Bomber Command. On a visit to the United States, the then prime minister, John Major, presented a copy of So Few to President George Bush Snr, and the resulting publicity attracted a very large donation to the fund from a wealthy American citizen. After seven years, Hurrell relinquished the post and became a member of the Princess Marina Management Board, which administered the fund's nursing and residential home in Sussex.

From 1997 he served as a vice-president of the Royal International Air Tattoo, the largest air show in Europe, held annually at Fairford in Gloucestershire. He dedicated much of his time to the organisation's Disabled Flying Scholarship scheme, which provides an opportunity for the disabled to learn to fly.

His knowledge of the medical aspects of flying gave him a powerful voice when dealing with the civil aviation authorities, and the scope of the award owes a great deal to his determination, negotiating skills and persuasive powers.

Despite his terminal illness, he attended the 25th anniversary celebrations of the scheme held a few weeks before his death. A colleague commented: "His presence made the occasion."

Hurrell, with his heavy eyebrows, dark eyes and handsome features, only slightly marred by the pugilistic activities of his youth, could be a forbidding presence on first acquaintance. This exterior, however, hid a modest man who cared greatly for people and their welfare. His soft voice and wicked sense of humour, never exercised at anyone's expense, quickly allayed any fears and gave great reassurance. He was an excellent raconteur, and was universally liked and admired by all who met him.

The maintenance of a Victorian house for many years made him a general handyman and he also enjoyed photography. He added golf to his impressive portfolio of sporting activities and steadily improved his play. A playing colleague commented that he used speed of swing rather than timing to achieve the correct results; his putting failures were largely the fault of the green keeper.

In 1986 he was elected a Fellow of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society a year later.

He was appointed OBE in 1968 and CB in 1986. He was particularly proud to receive, in 1970, the Chadwick Gold Medal, awarded every five years and only once every 15 years to an RAF officer.

Freddie Hurrell died on October 3. He married, in 1950, Jay Jarvis, who survives him with their five daughters.
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