Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
Henry Rudolph
b: 28 Mar 1910
r: 28 Apr 1962
d: 14 Feb
1987
CB 12 Jun 1958, CBE
9 Jun 1955, DSO- 22 Aug 1941, DFC 9 Jan 1942, MiD
- 1 Jan 1941, MC (Czech 1939)
10 Jan 1941
Plt
Off (P): 10 Apr 1931, Plt Off: 10 Apr 1932, Fg Off:
10 Nov 1932, Flt Lt: 1 Apr 1936,
Sqn Ldr: 1 Dec 1938, (T) Wg Cdr:
1 Mar 1941, Wg Cdr (WS): 27 Jan
1943, Act Gp Capt: 22
Jun 1943?, Gp Capt (WS): 22 Dec
1943?, (T) Gp Capt: 1 Jul 1944,
Wg Cdr:
1 Oct 1946, Gp Capt: 1 Jul 1947, A/Cdre: 1 Jan
1954, Act AVM: 19 Dec 1955, AVM:
1 Jul 1956.
24
Apr 1931:
U/T Pilot, No 3 FTS.
27
Mar 1932:
Pilot, No 56 Sqn.
28
Feb 1933:
Pilot/Flight Commander, No 45 Sqn.
7
Dec 1936:
Adjutant, RAF Heliopolis.
4
Apr 1938:
Attended School of Air Navigation.
30
Jan 1939:
Group Navigation Officer, HQ No 3 (Bomber) Group.
29 Jul - 13 Oct 1940: Seconded as Flight Commander/Navigation Instructor, No 311 (Czech) Sqn.
17
Oct 1940:
Navigation Staff Officer, HQ Bomber Command.
xx xxx xxxx: Staff, Bomber Development Unit
xx
Apr 1941:
Officer Commanding, No 7 Sqn. (Stirlings)
xx
Apr 1942:
27
Jul 1942:
Command Navigation Officer, HQ Bomber Command.
22
Jun 1943:
Officer Commanding, RAF Wyton.
28
Oct 1943:
19 Nov - 16 Dec 1943: Admitted to RAF Officers' Hospital, Cleverleys, Blackpool
18 Dec 1943: Sick leave
24 May 1944: Embarkation Leave
xx xxx 1944: Deputy Director of Bomber Operations 1
xx
xxx 1945:
Deputy Director, Directorate of Navigation.
6
Jul 1945:
Head of Flying Control, HQ Transport Command.
xx
xxx xxxx:
Officer Commanding, No 5 FTS/RAF Oakington.
21
Apr 1952:
Director of
Navigation and Control.
xx
xxx 1953:
Director of Operations (3).
19
Dec 1955:
AOC, No 23 (Training) Group.
1
Dec 1958:
AOA, HQ Flying Training Command.
A South African, he originally intended to make a
career at sea having been educated on the Training Ship ''General Botha''
followed by five years (1926 -31) with the Union Castle Line.
Stirlings which were promptly attacked by 12 Bf
109's, for a while he was able to hold off the German attack but the three
bombers were eventually separated. However,
he managed to hold his aircraft steady thereby giving his gunners a steady
platform, a tactic which resulted in a 109 being seen to go down having
attempted a head on attack and narrowly missed his Stirling.
On 15 August 1941, he was returning from an operation to Magdenburg in
N6041 when it overshot the runway at Oakington and crashed, although all the
crew were uninjured.
He retired from the RAF and returned to his native
South Africa to take up farming and from 1966 to 1969, was a member of the
National Trust.
Wing Commander Henry Rudolph GRAHAM, D.S.O. (32009), No.7 Squadron.
One
day in December 1941, a strong force of bomber aircraft carried out a determined
attack on the German warships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst at Brest.
The operation was carried out in the face of extremely heavy and accurate
anti-aircraft fire and determined attacks by enemy fighters.
Nevertheless the air crews engaged pressed home their attacks to the
utmost and succeeded in scoring hits on their objectives.
Several enemy aircraft were shot down.
The success of the operation, which demanded the highest degree of skill
and courage ,reflects the greatest credit on the efforts of the following
officers and airmen who participated in various capacities as leaders and members of aircraft crews: -
(London Gazette 9 Jan
1942)
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