He was educated at De La Salle Grammar School for Boys in Liverpool, followed by Royal Air Force College Cranwell and Open University.
[1] Coville joined the Royal Air Force in 1964, at the height of the Cold War.
[2] In 1986 he became Station Commander at RAF Coningsby,[4] where he flew Tornado F3 and displayed Hurricanes and Spitfires on the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
[2] In 2000 his NATO command was absorbed into the Regional Headquarters Allied Forces North Europe of which Coville became the Deputy Commander-in-Chief.
Chris is a keen glider pilot and active in his local gliding club.