Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

Air Commodore D H Sutton (41492)

Denys Herschel                        b:   3 Dec 1920                        r:  31 Dec 1975                       d: 9 Jan 2004

CBE – 1 Jan 1971, MiD - 1 Jan 1945.

Act Plt Off (P):  14 Dec 1938 [6 Oct 1938], Plt Off (P):  3 Sep 1939, Plt Off:  6 Oct 1939, Fg Off (WS):  3 Dec 1940, Act Flt Lt:  28 Dec 1940, Flt Lt (WS):  3 Dec 1941, Act Sqn Ldr: 9 Dec 1941 - 17 Nov 1942, Act Sqn Ldr: 21 Oct 1943, Act Wg Cdr:  18 Apr - 23 Oct 1944, Sqn Ldr (WS):  18 Jul 1944 - 1 Jan 1948, Act Wg Cdr:  18 Sep 1945 - 26 Mar 1946, Act Sqn Ldr: 1 Jan 1948, Sqn Ldr:  1 Jan 1949, Act Wg Cdr:  29 Jun 1955, Wg Cdr:  1 Jul 1955, Act (unp) Gp Capt:  30 Jul 1962, Act Gp Capt:  30 Sep 1962, Gp Capt:  1 Jan 1964, Act A/Cdre:  10 May 1971, A/Cdre: 1 Jul 1971.

 6 Oct 1938:      U/T Pilot, RAFVR, No 3 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, Hamble

14 Dec 1938:    Attended Short Disciplinary Course, No 1 RAF Depot

 2 Jan 1939:       U/T Pilot, No 2 Flying Training School

5 Apr 1939:       Awarded his Flying Badge.

 5 Aug 1939:      Pilot, No 226 Sqn

 6 Oct 1939:      Supernumerary, RAF Cranfield

23 Nov 1939:      Pilot, No 98 Sqn

16 Jul 1940:      Navigation Staff, Operations Room, RAF St Eval.

 1 Nov 1940:        Navigation Staff Officer, HQ No 15 (Reconnaissance) Group. (Attached)

28 Dec 1940:       Navigation Staff Officer, HQ No 19 (Reconnaissance) Group.

25 Jul 1941:         Air Staff (Plans), HQ Coastal Command

20 Jul 1942:         Attended No 6 War Staff Course, RAF Staff College

19 Oct 1942:       Air Staff (Plans), HQ Coastal Command.

 6 Oct 1942:        Transferred to RAFO and called up for service

17 Nov 1942:       Air Staff (Plans), HQ Coastal Command.

17 Nov 1942:      Attached, No 3 (P) AFU (Refresher and Conversion Course)

 6 Feb 1943:        Attended Pilots' Course, No 3 School of General Reconnaissance

10 Apr 1943:       Pilot, No 53 Sqn

24 Aug 1943:       Attended Liberator Captains' Course, No 1 (C) OTU.

18 Oct 1943:       Supernumerary, HQ No 16 (Reconnaissance) Group.

21 Oct 1943:       Organisation Staff Officer, HQ No 16 (Reconnaissance) Group.

21 Jan 1945:        No 1 Personnel Despatch Centre

18 Mar 1945:       Disembarked

20 Mar - 16 Apr 1945:    Leave

 3 May 1945:        Staff, RAF Leuchars (No 547 Sqn)

 1 Jun 1945:          Pilot, No 206 Sqn

 1 Aug 1945:         Liberator Ferry Pilot, No 1 Ferry Unit, RAF Pershore

 4 Aug 1945:         Flight Commander (Designate), No 12 Ferry Unit

 4 Aug 1945:         'A' Flight Commander, No 12 Ferry Unit.

18 Sep 1945:        Officer Commanding?, No 12 Ferry Unit

15 Nov 1945:       Wing Commander - Flying, RAF Dunkeswell

15 Apr 1946:        Instructor/Student, Empire Air Navigation School

11 Aug 1946:        Non-effective, Sick, Empire Air Navigation School

 2 Jan 1947:           Instructor/Student, Empire Air Navigation School

 8 Apr 1947:         No 5 Personnel Despatch Centre

11 Apr 1947:        PSO to AOC in C, British Air Forces of Occupation.

29 Apr 1947:        Appointed to a Permanent Commission in the rank of Flight Lieutenant (wef from 1 Jul 1946 [1 Sep 1945]

12 Oct 1949:         Supernumerary, No 5 Personnel Despatch Centre (Leave 14 Oct - 21 Nov 1949)

22 Nov 1949:        Refresher Flying Course, Flying Refresher School, Finningley.

30 Jan 1950:           Supernumerary, Air Ministry Unit

15 - 26 May 1950:       Attached, RAF Innsworth

12 Jun 1950:            Board President, Aircrew Allocation Unit

9 Apr - 4 May 1951:    Attached AMU for Ramridge House Board

23 Jul - 2 Aug 1951:    Attached Debden Division, RAF Technical College for Instrument Rating Course

 1 Sep 1951:        Special Duties List, AMU pending posting to No 12  Course

17 Mar 1952:        Supernumerary, School of Maritime Reconnaissance

 9 May 1952:        Attended No 57 (A) Course, No 236 OCU.

18 Jul 1952:         Officer Commanding, No 42 Sqn. (Shackleton MR1/2)

16 - 21 May 1954:    Attended No 7 Guided Weapons Course, RAF Flying College

 5 Jul 1954:          Supernumerary, AMU pending posting, attached to Directorate of Administrative Plans

13 Jul 1954:         Staff Officer, Directorate of Administrative Plans.

13 Jun 1955:        Supernumerary, AMU pending posting to FEAF

29 Jun 1957:        Air Plans II, HQ Far East Air Force

29 Sep 1957:       Supernumerary, No 5 Personnel Despatch Centre

 3 Nov 1957:       Attended No 132 All Weather Course, RAF Flying College

 3 Jan 1958:         Attended No 11 Course, RAF Flying College

xx Jul 1958:          Officer Commanding, Flying Wing, RAF Aldergrove.

4 May - 5 Jul 1959:    Attached, No 62 RN Tactical Course.

16 Jul - 19 Aug 1959:         Attended No 106 Short Canberra Course, No 231 OCU.

23 Jul 1959:        Attended High Altitude Decompression Test (Passed)

9 Sep 1959:         Attended No 50 Valiant Course, No 232 OCU.

 2 Dec 1959:       Officer Commanding, No 18 Sqn.

30 Jul - 27 Aug 1962:    Attached supernumerary, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff ((Operational Requirements)

 6 Sep 1962:        Supernumerary Requirements Interchange Officer, British Defences Staff, Washington.

24 Sep 1962:       Requirements Interchange Officer, British Defences Staff, Washington.

23 Sep 1963:       Exchange posting – Research and Development Ministry of Aviation Staff, Wright-Patterson AFB.

28 Sep 1965:        Staff, HQ Flying Training Command

7 Nov - 1 Dec 1965:     No 23/65 Jet Provost Course, RAF Flying College

10 Dec 1965:       Officer Commanding, RAF Acklington/No 6 FTS

29 Jan - 22 Feb 1968:       Supernumerary, HQ No 23 (Training) Group.

26 Feb 1968:       SASO, HQ No 23 (Training) Group.

11 Sep 1970:       Supernumerary, HQ No 23 (Training) Group

15 Oct 1970:        Group Captain - Air Plans, HQ Near East Air Force.

10 May 1971:      AOA, HQ Near East Air Force.

17 Nov 1971:      Supernumerary, HQ Near East Air Force.

12 Dec 1973:       Air Commander (Designate), Gibraltar.

15 Dec 1973:       Air Commander, Gibraltar.

 1 Oct 1975:        Supernumerary, RAF Uxbridge

 8 Oct 1975:        Terminal Leave (Attended Business Management Appreciation Course, 10 Nov - 19 Dec 1975)

Known as 'The Clutch'. 

On 11 August 1946 he was flying as a passenger in Mosquito PR Mk 34, RG241 of No 540 Squadron which crashed at Bomere Heath, Shropshire during a forced landing following an engine failure at 400 ft shortly after take-off and was seriously injured, sustaining a broken back, leaving him a full torso plaster cast for months.

My thanks to his son, Philip Sutton for providing a copy of his RAF Service Record.

This page was last updated on 21/07/24^©

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