Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

Marshal of the RAF Sir Edward Ellington

Edward Leonard       b: 30 Dec 1877                            r:  4 Apr 1940                        d: 13 June 1967

GCB - 3 Jun 1935 (KCB - 5 Jun 1920, CB - 1 Jan 1919), CMG - 3 Jun 1916, CBE - 3 Jun 1919, MiD - 19 Oct 1914 (& 9 Dec 1914), MiD - 1 Jan 1916, MiD - 11 Dec 1917, LoH, C - 3 Nov 1914, SS2 - 1 Jun 1917.  

For a list of foreign decoration abbreviations, click here

(Army): - 2 Lt: 1 Sep 1897, Lt: 1 Sep 1900, Capt: 27 Apr 1904, (T) Maj:  8 May 1913, Maj: 5 Oct 1914, Bt Lt Col: 5 Feb 1915, (T) Lt Col: 6 Mar 1916, (T) Col: 22 Jul 1915, (T) Brig-Gen: 14 Jan 1917.

(RAF): - (T) Brig-Gen [Col]: 1 Apr 1918, (T) Maj-Gen: 10 Apr 1918 [1 Apr 1918], AVM: 1 Aug 1919 [1 Apr 1918], AM: 1 Jul 1929, ACM: 1 Jan 1933, MRAF: 1 Jan 1937.

Photo (far left) - taken from his RAeC Certificate

Photo (left) - Sir Edward Leonard Ellington

 7 Sep 1895:               Gentleman Cadet, RMA Woolwich.

 1 Sep 1897:                Officer (5436), Royal Field Artillery.

xx xxx 1908:               Attended War College, Portsmouth.

24 Aug 1909:               Staff  Capt:, War Office.

 9 Aug 1910:                GSO 3, War Office.

xx Nov 1912:                Secretary to the Air Committee.

8 May 1913:                 GSO 2, Directorate of Military Aeronautics.

13 Oct 1913:                ?

17 Dec 1913:                Attended Central Flying School (placed on RFC Reserve)

 5 Oct 1914:                 Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General, HQ BEF, France.

 6 Mar 1915:                Assistant Adjutant & Quartermaster-General, 2nd Cavalry Division.

22 Jul 1915:                 GSO 1, 2nd Army, BEF.

 5 Feb 1916:                 GSO 1, Department of the Chief of the Imperial General Staff

14 Jan 1917:                General Staff, VIII Corps, France.

20 Nov 1917:               Deputy Director-General of Military Aeronautics.

18 Jan 1918:                 Director-General of Military Aeronautics.

10 Apr 1918:                Acting Controller-General of Equipment.

22 Aug 1918:                Comptroller-General of Equipment.

 1 Apr 1919:                 Director-General of Supply and Research.

 1 Aug 1919:                 Awarded Permanent Commission as a Major-General

 1 Mar 1922:                 AOC, Middle East.

 5 Nov 1923:                 AOC, RAF India.

 3 Nov 1926:                 AOC, Iraq Command.

19 Nov 1928:                Supernumerary, HQ Iraq Command.

 1 Feb 1929:                  AOC in C, Air Defence of Great Britain.

27 Feb 1930:                 Principal Air ADC to the King.

26 Sep 1931:                 Air Member for Personnel.

22 May 1933:                Chief of the Air Staff.

xx xxx xxxx - 1 Dec 1933:    Principal ADC to the King.

 1 Sep 1937:                  Inspector-General of the RAF.

 4 Jul 1940:                    Placed on half-pay list

He was awarded RAeC Certificate No 305 on 1 Oct 1912.

Becoming CAS after the untimely death of Sir Geoffrey Salmond, he held the post during one of the RAF's most crucial periods as it tried to regain the ground it had lost during 1920's.  Although not a great innovator himself, he was willing to support those with the innovative ideas and assist them in getting their ideas and developments accepted. It was as a result of his supportive attitude that the RAF was prepared as it was for the war, which came in 1939.    

This page was last updated on 30/12/21

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