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Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferte

P B Joubert de la Ferte - 1912Sir Philip Bennet Joubert de la FertéPhilip Bennet               

b: 21 May 1887                    r: 6 Nov 1943                    d: 21 Jan 1965

KCB - 9 Jun 1938 (CB - 23 Jun 1936), CMG - 1 Jan 1919, DSO - 1 Jan 1917, MiD -19 Oct 1914 (9 Dec 1914), MiD - 1 Dec 1916, MiD - 30 May 1918, MiD - 6 Jan 1919, MiD - 5 Jun 1919, SMSL, C - 2 Nov 1918, CdeG (I) - 2 Nov 1918,  LoM (Cdr) - 25 Apr 1947, ON(KGC)s - 18 Nov 1947.

For a list of foreign decoration abbreviations, click here

(Army): - 2 Lt: 23 Jul 1907, Lt: 23 Jul 1910, (T) Capt: 7 Aug 1914, Capt: 30 Oct 1914,(T) Maj: 25 May 1915, (T) Lt Col: 1 Jul 1916, Maj: 22 Jun 1917.

(RAF): - Lt Col: 1 Apr 1918, (T) Col: 26 Mar 1918?, Bt Lt Col: 3 Jun 1918, Act Col: 3 Jun 1918, Wg Cdr: 1 Aug 1919 [1 Apr 1918], Gp Capt: 30 Jun 1922, A/Cdre: 1 Jul 1929, AVM: 1 Jan 1933, AM: 1 Jul 1936, (T) ACM: 1 Jul 1941?, ACM: 14 Apr 1942 [1 Jul 1941], AM: 23 Nov 1943.

Photo (left) - taken from his RAeC Certificate

Photo (right) - Sir Philip Bennet Joubert de la Ferté

by Walter Stoneman
bromide print, 1946
NPG x168674

© National Portrait Gallery, London

xx xxx 1905:         Attended RMA Woolwich.

23 Jul 1907:          Officer, Royal Field Artillery.

 7 Mar 1913:          Appointed Flying Officer, RFC.

 7 Mar 1913:          Attended Central Flying School.

xx Apr 1913:          Pilot, No 2 Sqn RFC. (Various types – Montrose)

 7 Jun 1913:            Pilot, No 3 Sqn RFC. (Various types – Netheravon)

 7 Aug 1914:          Flight Commander, No 3 Sqn RFC. (Various types – Western Front)

25 May 1915:         Officer Commanding, No 15 Sqn RFC. (BE2c, BE2d – Hounslow/Dover)

19 Aug 1915:         Officer Commanding, No 1 Sqn RFC. (BE8, Morane Parasol, Morane Biplane – Western Front)

18 Nov 1915:         Admitted to Hospital

20 Nov 1915:         Returned to UK for convalescence

15 Jan 1916:           Officer Commanding, No 33 Sqn RFC. (BE2c, BE2d – Filton/Midlands/Yorkshire)

 1 Jul 1916:             Officer Commanding, 5th Wing RFC. (Middle East)

 5 Feb 1917:            ?

xx xxx 1917:           Officer Commanding, 21st Wing RFC. (Western Front?)

 2 Nov 1917:          Officer Commanding, 14th (Army) Wing RFC/RAF. (Western Front/Italy)

26 Mar 1918:         Officer Commanding, RAF in Italy (No 6 Group?).

 6 Jul 1918:             Returned to UK for Temporary Duty

 3 Jun 1919:            Officer Commanding, No 2 (Training) Group

 1 Aug 1919:           Awarded Permanent Commission as a Lieutenant Colonel

22 Jan 1920:           Attended Army Staff College, Camberley.

18 Mar 1921:         Officer Commanding, M.T. Repair Depot, Harlescott.

 1 Nov 1921:          Holding post, Air Pilotage School (cadre) - pending formation of RAF Staff College

12 Dec 1921:          Holding post, Air Pilotage School (cadre) - pending formation of RAF Staff College

xx Jan 1922:            Qualified as 1st Class Interpreter in French

 1 Apr 1922:           Directing Staff, RAF Staff College.

 4 Nov 1921           Attached to Department of Intelligence?

21 Dec 1921:          Staff, Air Pilotage School (cadre)

 1 Apr 1923:           Deputy Director of Personnel

May/Jun 1924:        Deputy Director of Manning.

xx Jan 1925:            Leave

 4 Oct 1925:            Placed on half pay list, Scale A.

20 May 1926:         Chief Staff Officer, HQ Fighting Area.

15 Sep 1926:          Directing Staff, Imperial Defence College.

15 Dec 1929:          AOC, No 23 Group.

 7 Sep 1930:           Commandant, RAF Staff College.

 2 Jan 1934:           AOC, Fighting Area.

14 Jul 1936:            AOC, No 11 (Fighter) Group.

24 Aug 1936:          Supernumerary, HQ Coastal Command

 1 Sep 1936:           AOC in C, Coastal Command.

29 Sep 1937:          AOC, RAF India

27 Dec 1938:          AOC, Air Forces in India.

xx xxx 1940:           Special duties - RDF.

xx xxx 1940:           Air Adviser on Combined Operations.

xx xxx 1940:           Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Radio).

14 Jun 1941:           AOC in C, Coastal Command.

 5 Feb 1943:           Inspector-General of the RAF.

23 Nov 1943:         Deputy Chief of Staff (Information and Civil Affairs), SEAC

14 Nov 1945:         Reverted to Retired List

xx xxx 1946 – xx xxx 1947:            Director of Public Relation.

After leaving Harrow School (1901 - 1905) he attended the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich.  He was still a 2nd Lieutenant in 1912, when he decided to realise an early ambition by learning to fly, gaining RAeC Certificate No 280 on 3 September.  One of the first to join the BEF,  he actually flew one of the first two operational sorties of WW1 on 19 Aug 1914.   Shortly after taking command of No 14 Wing, it was reduced to cadre owing to the cancellation of the planned offensive.  He fulfilled a number of minor posts at Brigade before defeat at Caporetto on the Italian Front brought 14 Wing back to life and a move to Italy.   He was also well known as a broadcaster during WW2 for his commentaries on the progress of the war on the BBC.  In Coastal Command he was responsible for a number of innovations including  'Planned Flying and Maintenance' as well as  requesting production of a torpedo version  of the Beaufighter with which he then set up Strike Wings of 'Torbeaus' supported by cannon armed Beaufighters too tackle 'flak' ships.

 Further reading: - The Fated Sky,  Joubert de la Ferte, ACM Sir Philip - Hutchinson (1952)

This page was last updated on 21/09/24

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