D H F Barnett

Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis Barnett (05167)

Sir Denis Hensley Fulton Barnett Denis Hensley Fulton

b: 11 Feb 1906

r: 27 Nov 1964

d: 31 Dec 1992

GCB - 13 Jun 1964 (KCB - 13 Jun 1957, CB - 2 Jan 1956), CBE - 1 Jan 1945, DFC - 24 Dec 1940, MiD - 11 Jun 1942, MA - 1935, BA - 1929, LoM (Cdr) - 10 Aug 1954, LoH, Cdr - 15 Apr 1958, C de G (F) - 15 Apr 1958.

For a list of foreign decoration abbreviations, click here

(RAFO - Class AA): Plt Off (P) : 15 Aug 1927, Plt Off : 15 Aug 1928, Fg Off: 15 Feb 1929,

(RAF) Plt Off: 5 Oct 1929 [5 Oct 1928], Fg Off: 5 Apr 1930, Flt Lt: 1 Jun 1934, Sqn Ldr: 1 Feb 1938, Act Wg Cdr: 3 Jun 1940, (T) Wg Cdr: 1 Sep 1940, Act Gp Capt: 27 Oct 1941, Wg Cdr (WS): 27 Apr 1942, (T) Gp Capt: 1 Sep 1942, Act A/Cdre: 16 Jan 1945 - 22 Jun 1946, Gp Capt (WS): 16 Jul 1945, Wg Cdr: 25 Jan 1945 [1 Jun 1944], Gp Capt: 1 Oct 1946, Act A/Cdre: 31 Mar 1949, A/Cdre: 1 Jan 1950, Act AVM: 29 Oct 1952, AVM: 1 Jul 1953, Act AM: 1 Aug 1956, AM: 1 Jul 1959, ACM: 1 Jul 1962,

Photo (right) Sir Denis Hensley Fulton Barnett

by Elliott & Fry
quarter-plate negative, 1962
NPG x82683

Photo (left) ^©Crown Copyright

xx Oct 1926: Member, Cambridge University Air Sqn

15 Aug 1927: Officer, RAFO

20 Aug 1928: Authorised to wear 'Wings' whilst serving in the RAFO

5 Oct 1929: Relinquished his RAFO commission on being appointed to a Permanent Commission in the RAF

5 Oct 1929: U/T Pilot, No 5 FTS.

28 Feb 1930: Authorised to wear Flying Badge Certs 'B' and 'C'

24 Apr 1930: Awarded a Distinguished Pass on completion of flying training.

4 Mar 1930: Pilot, No 13 Sqn.

7 Oct 1930: Adjutant, No 13 Sqn.

1 Jan 1932: Pilot, No 13 Sqn.

2 Feb - 16 Apr 1932: Attended Instructors' Course, CFS (categorised 'B')

17 Apr 1932: Flying Instructor, No 5 FTS.

8 Jun - 24 Jul 1932: Attached for temporary duty as Flying Instructor, Cambridge University Air Sqn

2 Sep 1932: Flying Instructor, Station Flight - RAF Duxford.

2 - 27 Sep 1932: Attached, No 5 FTS

9 - 17 Jan 1933: Attached, Home Aircraft Depot

26 May 1933: Re-categorised from Instructor 'B' to 'A2'

22 Aug 1933: Flying Instructor, CFS

19 Nov 1934: Flying Instructor, Cambridge University Air Sqn

11 Sep 1935: Flying Instructor, CFS.

23 Nov - 23 Dec 1936: Attended Anti-Gas Course, Small Arms School

2 Feb 1937: Re-categorised from Instructor 'A2' to 'A1'

11 Feb 1937: Adjutant, No 84 Sqn

15 Mar 1937: Supernumerary, Communications Flight - Iraq.

30 Mar 1937: Officer Commanding, Communications Flight - Iraq.

8 Apr 1938: Supernumerary, No 84 Sqn.

14 Apr 1938: Officer Commanding, No 84 Sqn.

21 Nov 1938: Supernumerary, No 1 RAF Depot. (Leave: 13 Dec 1938 - 13 Mar 1939)

6 Feb 1939: Flying Examining Officer, CFS.

3 Jun 1940: Officer Commanding, No 40 Sqn.

24 Dec 1940: Air Staff, HQ No 7 Group

7 Apr 1941: Operations Room Staff, HQ Bomber Command.

9 May 1942: Supernumerary, RAF Swanton Morley.

11 May 1942: Officer Commanding, RAF Swanton Morley.

14 Jun 1943: Administrative Plans, Tactical Air Force HQ

3 Sep 1943: Organisation Policy, Tactical Air Force HQ

8 May 1944: Air Staff - Strategic Bombing, HQ Bomber Command

30 Oct 1944: Supernumerary, Air Ministry Unit (Directorate of Bomber Operations)

16 Jan 1945: Deputy SASO, HQ Bomber Command.

27 Jun 1945: Director of Bomber Operations.

1 Jan 1946: Director of Operations.

22 Jun 1946: Supernumerary, Air Ministry Unit (pending posting)

25 Jul 1946: Supernumerary, AHQ India.

1 Aug 1946: Supernumerary, AHQ India.

15 Aug 1947: Air Staff Plans, AHQ (Supreme) India (SDL 450)

3 Nov 1947: Supernumerary, Mauripur, AHQ (Supreme) India (SDL 450)

10 Nov 1947: Officer Commanding, Mauripur, AHQ (Supreme) India (SDL 450)

1 Jan 1948: Officer Commanding, Mauripur Staging Post

28 Feb 1948: Supernumerary, Mauripur Staging Post

29 Feb 1948: Supernumerary, No 5 PDC (Deplaned: 2 Mar 1948, Disembarkation leave: 4 - 29 Mar 1948)

30 Mar 1948: Attended No 3 Course, Joint Services Staff College.

11 Oct 1948: Supernumerary, Air Ministry Unit

11 - 23 Oct 1948: Attached Empire Flying School, Hullavington for Refresher Flying Course

24 Oct 1948: Supernumerary, Central Bomber Establishment.

7 Nov 1948: Gp Capt - Tactics, Central Bomber Establishment.

28 Mar 1949: Appointed ADC to the King.

31 Mar 1949: Commandant, Central Bomber Establishment, RAF Marham.

14 Apr 1949: Commandant, Central Bomber Establishment, RAF Lindholme

17 Oct 1949: Temporary duty, Air Ministry Unit

25 Oct 1949: Director of Operations

1 Jan 1950: Relinquished appointment of ADC to the King.

21 Dec 1950: Director of Operations (1)

20 Dec 1951: Supernumerary, Air Ministry Unit, pending posting to course

31 Dec 1951 - 4 Jan 1952: Attached, Director Staff Training (briefing prior to IDC course)

5 Jan 1952: Attended Imperial Defence College.

31 Jul 1952: Supernumerary, Air Ministry Unit

1 Oct 1952: Attached, Ministry of Defence for briefing prior to posting to Japan

15 Oct 1952: Supernumerary, Air Ministry Unit on emplaning for Japan

29 Oct 1952: Senior British Liaison Officer to General Clark's HQ, Tokyo.

15 Mar 1954: Supernumerary, Air Ministry Unit pending posting (Deplaned: 15 Mar 1954, disembarkation leave: 16 Mar - 8 Apr 1954)

17 May 1954: Attended Refresher Flying Course, RAF Flying College, Manby

29 Jun 1954: Supernumerary, No 205 Group.

30 Jun 1954: AOC, No 205 Group.

5 Mar 1956: Supernumerary, No 5 PDC (Deplaned: 7 Mar 1956, Leave: 8 Mar - 14 Apr 1956)

1 May 1956: Commandant, RAF Staff College, Bracknell

1 Aug 1956: Air Secretary

3 Aug 1956: Air Task Force Commander, Operation 'Muskateer', Suez

23 Dec 1956 Air Secretary

14 - 25 Jan 1957: Attended Refresher Flying Course, RAF Flying College, Manby

1 - 8 Jan 1958: Attended Canberra Conversion Course, No 231 OCU

1 May 1959: Supernumerary, Transport Command

16 May 1959: AOC in C, Transport Command

30 Apr 1962: Supernumerary, Transport Command

16 Jul 1962: AOC in C, Near East Air Force/Commander British Forces - Cyprus

16 Jul 1962: The Administrator, Sovereign Base Areas - Cyprus

25 Sep 1964: RAF HQ Unit (Debriefing)

2 Oct 1964: RAF HQ Unit (Terminal Leave)

A New Zealander, he joined the RAFO whilst at Cambridge, being awarded a permanent commission in the RAF on completion of his degree. In 1935, he was sent to the USA to study instructional methods used by the American services. In late 1939, he was a member of a mission sent to Italy to investigate the purchase of Italian aircraft for the RAF.

As AOC, No 205 Group, the task fell to him of supervising the move of the RAF from Egypt to it's new bases in Cyprus and remained in Egypt whilst the AOC in C established the new HQ in Cyprus, eventually moving to the new HQ himself in October 1955. However, his tour in the Mediterranean ended in 1956 and he returned to the Britain to command the RAF Staff College. 1956 saw the gradual increase in tension between Britain. France and Egypt following the latter's nationalization of the Suez Canal. When this tension escalated to the point of armed conflict, he found himself appointed to command of the air task force to be involved in the Suez campaign, Operation Musketeer. His immediate staff was selected from officers then attending the Imperial Defence College where much of the early planning for this operation took place. His selection and the appointment of a planning staff divorced from the existing Middle East command structure whilst not a popular move with the resident Middle Eastern commanders (ACM Sir Hubert Patch and AVM W J Crisham) was logical in that Denis Barnett had more recent experience of operations and the situation in Egypt than any other serving Air Officer. The air task force was allocated he role of bombing the Egyptian airfields in order to achieve the required air superiority. He ordered operations to commence at 16:15 hours on 31 Oct 1956 and by 2 November he considered the Egyptian Air Force to have been eliminated as an effective fighting force, a view which was later confirmed by the Bomber Command Operational Research Branch.

From 1965 he was the Member for Weapons Research and Development on the Atomic Energy Authority, a post he held until 1972.

L K Barnes [Top of Page] J Barraclough