Alfred Earle

After studying at Shebbear College, Earle was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1925.[1] He served in bomber squadrons in the United Kingdom and in Iraq and then became an instructor at the RAF School of Photography from 1930.[1]

He served in the Second World War and commanded the new School of Photography in Blackpool before joining the Directorate of Photography at the Air Ministry in 1940.[1] He transferred to the Directorate of Plans in 1941 and then formed and commanded No. 428 Squadron RCAF in 1942.[1] He was made commander of RAF Ridgewell and RAF West Wickham in 1943 before joining the staff of General Sir Hastings Ismay for the Cairo Conference and then the Yalta Conference.[1] In 1945 he was made Air Officer Commanding No. 300 (Transport) Group in Australia.[1]

After the war he became Air Officer Commanding No. 232 Group in South East Asia before joining the Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College, Bracknell in 1946.[1] He was made Senior Personnel Staff Officer at Headquarters Technical Training Command in 1949 and then Commandant of the Royal Australian Air Force Staff College in 1951.[1]

He became Director of Policy (Air Staff) in 1954 and Air Chief of Staff (Policy) in 1955.[1] He was Air Officer Commanding No. 13 Group from 1957 and Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff from 1960.[1] He was made Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Technical Training Command in 1962 and Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in 1964.[1]

In 1966 Sir Alfred became the second chief of Defence Intelligence, then known as Director-General Intelligence, succeeding Sir Kenneth Strong.

Earle retired from the RAF in 1966, before taking up the position of Director-General of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence. From 1974 to 1976 he was the chairman of Waveney District Council.[2]