N o .125
T he T rusty S ervant
Centenary of the Royal Air Force
1918-2018
Of those OWs who served in the Royal
Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, 22 were
killed in the Great War and 50 in WWII.
Here are the four who reached the highest
ranks, with Dowding and Portal being
without doubt in the pantheon of great war
leaders:
Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding of
Bentley Priory GCB GCVO CMG (G,
1895-99): joined RFC 1914. In 1930, as
Air Member for Research and Devel-
opment, he oversaw the development
of eight-gun fighters but, even more
importantly, the use of wireless in the
detection of aircraft. AOC Fighter Com-
mand 1936, he established the coastal
chain of radar stations and the reporting
and control system which allowed his
aircraft to be placed in the right place.
The ‘Dowding System’ is considered key
to the success of the RAF against the
Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain,
after which he retired unwillingly. After
the War, he became actively interested in
spiritualism, both as a writer and speaker.
Marshal of the RAF Viscount Portal
of Hungerford KG GCB OM DSO
& Bar MC DL (F, 1906-12): joined
RFC in 1915; OC 16 Squadron 1917;
Commander British Forces Aden 1934;
C–in-C Bomber Command and then
Chief of the Air Staff 1940, continuing
in this capacity for the remainder of the
war. He quickly gained a reputation for
clear thinking and diplomacy and was a
favourite of Churchill. He continuously
supported the strategic bombing offen-
sive against Germany, and advocated
the formation of the Pathfinder Force,
critical to improving the destructive
force of Bomber Command. When he
retired from the post in December 1945,
he had held the position for over five
years, a length of time only exceeded by
Trenchard.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Foster
KCB CBE DFC DL (Coll, 1912-16):
joined the RFC in 1916 and had a total
of 16 victories by the end of the war. In
WWII, head of the Air Commission in
Italy 1944; AOC RAF Austria 1945;
Assistant Chief of the Air Staff 1947;
and finally C-in-C 2 nd Tactical Air Force
1951. He was a representative of the
RAF at the funeral of King George VI.
13
Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher
Foxley-Norris GCB DSO OBE FRSA
(Coll, 30-35): called up in 1939 and
fought in Battle of Britain, followed by
anti-shipping strikes in Beaufighters; OC
603 and 153 Squadrons 1945; Assis-
tant Chief of the Defence Staff 1963;
Director-General of Organisation 1967;
C-in-C, 2 nd Tactical Air Force/RAF Ger-
many 1968; and Chief of Personnel and
Logistics 1971.