Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

Air Marshal Sir John Babington/Tremayne

J T Babington - 1913 Sir John Babington/Tremayne John Tremayne b: 20 Jul 1891 r: 18 Feb 1944 d: 20 Mar 1979

KCB - 11 Jun 1942 (CB - 2 Jan 1939), CBE - 4 Jun 1934, DSO – 1 Jan 1915, LoH, C - 19 May 1916, JP (Cornwall) – 1945, DL (Cornwall) - 1945, High Shf (Cornwall) - 1954.

For a list of foreign decoration abbreviations, click here

3rd Prize, 'R M Groves' Competition – 1922, Special Prize, 'R M Groves' Competition - 1922

(RN): - Mid’n: 15 May 1908, Sub-Lt: 15 Oct 1911, Lt: 15 Oct 1913, Flt Lt: 15 Oct 1913, Flt Cdr: 1 Jul 1914, Sqn Cdr: 27 May 1915, Act Wg Cdr: 23 Jan 1918.

(RAF): - (T) Lt Col [Maj]: 1 Apr 1918, Sqn Ldr: 1 Aug 1919 [1 Apr 1918], Wg Cdr: 30 Jun 1922, Gp Capt: 1 Jan 1930, A/Cdre: 1 Jan 1934, AVM: 1 Jul 1937, Act AM: 7 Jul 1941, (T) AM: 4 May 1942, AM: Retained.

Photo (Far left) - taken from his RAeC Certificate

Photo (left) - Sir John Tremayne

by Howard Coster
half-plate film negative, 1941
NPG x2893

15 Sep 1903: Sailor?, Royal Navy

15 May 1908: Midshipman, Royal Navy.

14 May 1910: Midshipman, HMS Inflexible.

15 Oct 1911: Officer, Royal Navy.

28 Nov 1911: Officer, HMS St Vincent

1 Feb 1912: Officer, HMS Agamemnon

13 Jan 1913: Attended Naval Flying School, Eastchurch.

27 Mar 1913: Flying Officer, RFC (Naval Wing), Isle of Grain.

15 Jan 1914: Assistant Instructor in Flying, Central Flying School

6 May 1914: Flight Commander (2 i/c), Isle of Grain Naval Air Station

14 Aug 1915: Officer Commanding, RNAS Hendon.

1 Jul 1916: Squadron Commander, HP Squadron, Manston

21 Dec 1916: Squadron Commander, No 3 Wing RNAS (Handley Page 0/100 – France)

9 May 1917: Officer Commanding, Manston Naval Air Station.

27 May 1917: Attached to Dover Naval Air Station awaiting disposal

xx xxx 1917: Staff/Pilot, No 5 Wing RNAS

20 Dec 1917: Temporary duty with Air Board, Hotel Cecil

23 Jan 1918: Officer Commanding, No 7 Sqn RNAS, Stonehenge

1 May 1919: Graded as Lt Col (A & S)

18 May 1919:

1 Aug 1919: Awarded Permanent Commission as a Major

10 Aug 1919: Member, Aeronautical Commission of Control (Germany)

22 Jan 1920: Removed from the Navy Lists on being awarded Permanent Commission in RAF

1 Aug 1921: Supernumerary, RAF Depot.

29 Aug 1921: Squadron Commander, No 6 FTS.

3 Apr 1922: Supernumerary, RAF Depot.

1 Aug 1922 Air Staff, HQ No 7 Group.

5 May 1924 Attended RAF Staff College.

6 Apr 1925: Air Staff, HQ No 7 Group.

5 May 1924: Attended RAF Staff College.

28 Nov 1925: Personnel Staff, HQ Iraq Command.

9 - 26 Mar 1927: Placed on half pay list, Scale B.

27 Mar 1927: Officer Commanding, RAF Base Gosport.

28 Sep 1928: Staff, SHQ RAF Hinaidi.

8 Jan 1929: Station Commandant, HQ Iraq Command.

6 Aug 1929: Supernumerary, RAF Depot.

31 Aug 1929: Air Staff, Directorate of Operations and Intelligence.

11 Nov 1929: Air Representative to the League of Nations.

27 Dec 1934: AOC, RAF Halton/Commandant, No 1 SoTT (Apprentices)

10 Jul 1936: AOC, No 24 Group.

12 Aug 1938: AOC, RAF Far East.

7 Jul 1941: AOC in C, Technical Training Command.

xx xxx 1943: Head of RAF Mission to Moscow.

Elder brother of Philip Babington, he was an early experimenter in the use of air to ground W/T and began flying in 1912, transferring to the Naval Wing of the RFC the following year, after gaining RAeC Certificate No 408 on 21 January 1913. He took part in the Friedrichshafen raid of 21 Nov 1914 - See Archives. In 1915 he carried out the first flight of the Handley Page 0/100. He changed his name to Tremayne, his mother's maiden name, in 1945 to avoid confusion with his younger brother.

R C Ayling [Top of Page] P Babington