Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation


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Air Vice Marshal Sir Alexander Davidson (05106)


A P Davidson - 1916Alexander Paul             b: 26 Jul 1894                       r: 26 Jan 1951                      d: 24 Jan 1971

KBE - 2 Jan 1950 (CBE - 24 Sep 1941), CB - 13 Jun 1946, MiD - 1 Jan 1941, MiD - 17 Mar 1941, MiD - 14 Jan 1944.

(Army):- 2 Lt: 19 Jul 1916, (T) Capt: 10 Jan 1917, (T) Maj: 5 Nov 1917, Lt: 19 Jan 1918.

(RAF):- (T) Maj [Capt]: 1 Apr - 3 Aug 1918, Flt Lt: 4 Aug 1919 [1 Apr 1919], Fg Off: 16 Oct 1921, Flt Lt: 1 Jan 1925, Act? Sqn Ldr: 1 Jan 1925, Wg Cdr: 1 Oct 1937, Act Gp Capt (pd): 1 Sep 1939, (T) Gp Capt: 1 Sep 1940, Act A/Cdre: 21 Feb 1943, (T) A/Cdre: 1 Jun 1943, Gp Capt (WS): 21 Aug 1943, Gp Capt: 1 Dec 1943, Act AVM: 29 Mar 1944, A/Cdre (WS): 29 Mar 1945, (T) AVM: 1 Jan 1946, A/Cdre: 1 Jan 1946, AVM: 1 Oct 1946

xx xxx xxxx:          Attended RMC Sandhurst.

19 Jul 1916:          Officer, Highland Light Infantry, seconded to RFC.

19 Jul 1916:            U/T Pilot, No 4 Reserve Sqn RFC.

 9 Aug 1916:           U/T Pilot, No 11 Reserve Sqn RFC

 1 Sep 1916:           Appointed as a Flying Officer, RFC.

23 Sep 1916:          Pilot, No 51 (Home Defence) Sqn RFC.

 6 Nov 1916:          Wing Instructor in Gunnery (on probation), School of Aerial Gunnery

 5 Dec 1916:           Wing Instructor in Gunnery (Supernumerary), HQ No 21 Wing.

14 Dec 1916:           Wing Instructor in Gunnery (Supernumerary), HQ No 23 Wing.

10 Jan 1917:           Wing Instructor in Gunnery (graded as a Flight Commander)

 5 Jun 1917:           Graded as Instructor in Gunnery (graded as a Equipment Officer 1st Class)

28 Jul 1917:           Group Instructor in Gunnery (Graded as a Flight Commander), Northern Group Command.

 1 May 1917:         Group Instructor in Gunnery (Graded as a Flight Commander), No 16 (Training) Group.

 5 Nov 1917:         Brigade Instructor in Gunnery. (Graded as a Squadron Commander), No 16 (Training) Group.

 1 Apr 1918:          Transferred to Technical Branch, RAF

 3 Aug 1918:          Staff Officer 2nd Class, HQ No 16 Group.

13 Jul 1919:           Staff Officer 3rd Class, HQ No 16 Group.

xx Oct 1919:          Staff Officer 3rd Class, HQ No 7 Wing (on disbandment of No 16 Group)

28 Nov 1919:        Officer, Highland Light Infantry.

16 Oct 1922:         Granted a Temporary Commission in the rank of Flying Officer on secondment to RAF for 4 years.

16 Oct 1922:          Supernumerary, RAF Depot

31 Oct 1922:          Attended Refresher Flying Course, Central Flying School.

23 Feb 1923:         Pilot, No 1 Sqn.

9 Jun 1923:            Air Staff - Operations (Supernumerary), HQ Iraq Command.

17 Sep 1924:         Appointed to a Permanent Commission in the rank of Flying Officer

xx xxx 1925:          ADC to Governor-General of Australia.

xx xxx - 21 May 1928:    Placed on half pay list

21 May 1928:        Flight Commander, No 111 Sqn.

20 Jan 1930:          Attended RAF Staff College.

20 Dec 1930:         Air Staff - Training, HQ Coastal Area.

 8 Mar 1934:          Air Staff, HQ British Forces in Transjordan and Palestine.

xx xxx 1935:           Air Staff, RAF in Palestine and Transjordan.

 7 Feb 1938:           Staff Officer, Inspector-General of the RAF.

 5 Sep 1939:           Air Attaché, Warsaw.

16 Nov 1939:         Supernumerary, RAF Eastchurch

20 Nov 1939:         Officer Commanding, RAF Eastchurch

30 May 1940:         Posted to No 3 School of Technical Training

11 Jun 1940:           Officer Commanding, RAF Bramcote

14 Nov 1940:           Officer Commanding, RAF Bramcote/No 18 OTU

11 Aug 1941:          Officer Commanding, RAF Lindholme.

 3 May 1942:          SASO, HQ AHQ Levant.

xx xxx 1942:           Staff, HQ Middle East Command.

21 Feb 1943:          AOA, AHQ Malta.

xx Oct 1943:           AOA, HQ North West African Coastal Air Force.

 1 Jan 1944:            AOA, HQ Mediterranean Coastal Air Force.

24 Feb 1944:          AOC, AHQ Iraq and Persia.

xx Sep 1944:            Air Force Planning Staff, Military Division of the Control Commission.

xx xxx 1946:            Deputy Chief of Air Division, Control Commission, Germany.

xx xxx 1947:            Chief of Combined Service Division, Control Commission, Germany.

10 Jun 1947:            Director-General of Organisation.

Prior to WW1 he had worked for 17 months as the Assistant Works Manager for Louis Bleriot.  On 20 April 1920 he was flying Snipe, F2373 which crashed on Spilik Dagh following an engine failure but he was rescued by a DH9A.

During his time as Air Attache in Warsaw he was a member of the committee in London that held talks in 1939 with delegates from Poland about the supply of Battles, Hurricanes and Spitfires, but supplies failed to reach the country before the German victory.

This page was last updated on 22/07/20

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