High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Air Chief Marshal Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane, GBE, KCB, AFC, RAF (24 February 1895-17 December 1977) was a British pilot and Royal Air Force officer, perhaps best known for his role in Operation Chastise-the famous "Dambusters" raid. Ralph Cochrane was born on 24 February 1895, the youngest son of Thomas Cochrane, 1st Baron Cochrane of Cults, in the Scottish village of Springfield. Although not certain, it is likely that he attended the Royal Naval College at Osborne in 1908. On 15 September 1912, Cochrane entered the Royal Navy proper as a midshipman.