The Trusty Servant May 2018 No. 125 | Page 13

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.