The Friends of St Clement Danes are delighted to announce the appointment of Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth KCB OBE DFC ADC MA RAF, Chief of the Air Staff, as our new Patron.
Sir Harv brings with him an exceptional record of service and leadership within the Royal Air Force, spanning more than three decades. Born and educated in Northern Ireland, he joined the RAF in 1991 through the Sixth Form Scholarship Scheme. Following flying training, he spent 15 years as a frontline Harrier pilot and weapons instructor, flying hundreds of operational missions from both land bases and aircraft carriers in Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Throughout his distinguished career, Sir Harv has held a number of senior operational and strategic appointments. He worked within the UK Air & Space Warfare Centre and served two tours within the F-35 Lightning programme, including a period in Washington DC as the UK’s F-35 National Director. He later retrained as a Tornado pilot, becoming Station Commander of RAF Marham and leading the station’s transition to support the introduction of the F-35 Lightning aircraft.
Promoted to Air Commodore in 2015, he became both Tornado Force Commander and the UK’s first F-35 Lightning Force Commander. Subsequent appointments included Head of Carrier Enabled Power Projection within the Ministry of Defence and Director of the 609th Combined Air and Space Operations Centre in Qatar during the height of the Counter-Daesh campaign.
As an Air Vice-Marshal, Sir Harv commanded the RAF’s Air Combat Group as Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group and later became the Ministry of Defence’s inaugural Director Space, where he played a leading role in establishing UK Space Command and developing the UK’s National and Defence Space Strategies.
Promoted to Air Marshal in 2022, he served as the RAF’s Deputy Commander (Operations), later becoming the UK’s Air and Space Commander with responsibility for all RAF air and space operations worldwide. In April 2024, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations), providing military advice at the highest levels of government and overseeing the development and delivery of UK military strategy and operations.
In 2025, Sir Harv was appointed Chief of the Air Staff, the professional head of the Royal Air Force.
His distinguished service has been recognised through numerous honours, including the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and most recently as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB).
Alongside his military responsibilities, Sir Harv is a committed supporter of charitable and educational organisations. He serves as Patron of the Jon Egging Trust, the Mark Long Trust, and now the Friends of St Clement Danes Church. He also holds a number of honorary and ambassadorial positions across the RAF community and wider aviation sector.
We are honoured that Sir Harv has agreed to become a Patron of the Friends of St Clement Danes and look forward to working with him in supporting and promoting the church, its heritage, and its enduring connection with the Royal Air Force.