Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
Edward Alexander Dimsdale
b: 15 Apr 1880
r: 1 Mar 1929
d: 26 Aug 1957
CB
- xx xxx 1928, CMG - 3 Jun 1919,
CBE - 7 Jan 1918, AFC -
1 Jan 1919.
(RN): - Mid’n: 15 Jun 1896, Act Sub Lt: 15 Jul 1899, Sub Lt: 15 Jul 1899, Lt: 15 Jan 1900, Cdr: 31 Dec 1910, Wg Cdr: 1 Jul 1914, Wg Capt: 30 Jun 1916, Act Capt: 14 Jul 1917.
(RAF): - (T) Col [Lt Col]: 1 Apr 1918, (T) Brig-Gen: 3 Jul 1918, Act Brig-Gen: 1 May 1919, (T) Brig-Gen: 2 Jul 1918, Gp Capt: 1 Aug 1919, A/Cdre: 8 Aug 1919.
Photograph © Crown Copyright
15 Jan 1894: Attended
HMS Britannia.
15 Jan 1896: Midshipman, HMS Revenge.
2 Oct 1897: Midshipman, HMS Resolution.
5 Aug 1898: HMS St Vincent for ?
19 Oct 1898: Midshipman, HMS Resolution.
3 Jul 1900: HMS Duke of Wellington whilst commanding Torpedo Boat No 42
1 Oct 1900: Lieutenant, HMS Seal (Nile)
1 Nov 1900: ? Cruise
1 Feb 1901: Officer, HMS Alert
1 Sep 1903: Attended Torpedo Specialist Course, HMS Vernon
1 Sep 1904:
3 Jan 1905: Torpedo Officer, HMS Resolution.
10 Mar 1905: Torpedo Staff, HMS Vernon
15 Jul 1905: Officer, HMS New Zealand
29 Jun 1907: Torpedo Requalification Course, HMS Vernon
24 Aug 1907: HMS Victory whilst studying Russian in Russia.
30 Jul 1908: Qualified as Interpreter (Russian)
1 Oct 1908: Staff Officer (Russia Interpreter), HMS Vernon.
11 Jun 1909: Lent to HMS Diadem for manoeuvres
15 Jul 1909: Torpedo Officer, and Russian Interpreter, HMS Vesuvius
16 Feb 1911: Officer Commanding, HMS Rocket
12 Apr 1911: On strength of HMS Hermione
27 Jan 1912: ?
1 Mar 1912: HMS Blake whilst commanding HMS Lyra
xx xxx 1912: Officer Commanding, Naval Airship Section RFC.
1
Jul 1914:
Officer Commanding, Farnborough Airship Station.
13 Aug 1915: Inspecting Commander of Airships (Temporary)
1
Sep 1915: Assistant
Superintendent of Aircraft Construction (Lighter-than-Air)
1 Mar 1916: Officer Commanding, Rigid Airship Trial Flight, Barrow in Furness/Howden (from December)
xx xxx 1917: Officer Commanding, Barrow-in-Furness Airship Station
3 Jul 1918: GOC/AOC, No 22 (Operational) Group.
1 May 1919: Specially Employed
1 Aug 1919: Awarded Permanent Commission as a Colonel
10
Aug 1919: President, Aeronautical Committee of Guarantee (Germany).
22
Jan 1920: Removed
from the Navy Lists on being awarded Permanent Commission in RAF
8
May 1922: Supernumerary, HQ Coastal
Area attached to Directorate of Intelligence.
10 Jun - 2 Oct 1922: Placed on half pay list, scale ?
2 Oct 1922: Supernumerary, Central Flying School
9
Oct 1922: Commandant, Central Flying School.
1
Jan 1923:
AOC, No 7 Group.
1 Dec 1924: AOC, No 10 Group.
1 Jun 1928: Placed on half pay list, scale A.
1 Mar 1929: Commandant, Observer Corps. (Ret'd)
xx
xxx 1937 - xx xxx 1942:
Area Commandant, Western Area, Observer Corps. (Ret'd)
By 1911 he had become involved in the Navy's early
experimental work on airships which resulted in the unsuccessful Rigid Airship
No 1, 'Mayfly'. Prior to his move
to Barrow, he was tasked by Admiral Fisher (28 February 1915)
to design some small fast airships for anti-submarine duties.
Within three weeks, together with Commander N F Usborne, he devised the
SS airships, which used existing components becoming one of the main types used
by the RNAS during WW1.
This page was last updated on 24/08/19
H M Massey