Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

Brigadier-General F L Festing

Francis Leycester                b: 25 Jul 1877                r: 31 May 1919                   d: 17 Oct 1948

CB - 3 Jun 1919, CMG - 1 Jan 1916, MiD - 21 Jan 1916, MiD - 4 Jan 1917, MiD - 20 May 1918, MiD - 11 Jul 1919.

(Army): - 2 Lt:  5 Sep 1896, Lt: 8 Apr 1899, Capt: 23 Feb 1901/4 Mar 1901, Maj: 1 Sep 1915, (T) Lt Col: 12 Mar 1916, (B) Lt Col: 1 Jan 1917, (B) Col: 3 Jun 1918.

(RAF): - (T) Brig-Gen [Lt Col/Bt Col]: 1 Apr 1918, Col: 14 Oct 1918.

(RAFO): - (H) Gp Capt: - 7 Sep 1939 - 13 Jul 1940

 xx xxx xxxx:              Attended RMC Sandhurst

5 Sep 1896:                 Officer, 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers.

 4 Oct 1896:                Served in Gibraltar

18  Jan 1898:              Served in Egypt (1898 Sudan Expedition)

 4 Oct 1898:                Served in Crete

24 May 1899:              Served in UK

16 Sep 1899:               Served in South Africa

23 Nov 1899:              Seriously wounded

xx Apr 1900:               Transferred to 4th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers

23 Sep 1903:               Attended Musketry Course, Hythe

 1 Apr 1905:                Assistant Instructor, School of Musketry

28 Dec 1907:               Instructor, School of Musketry.

 1 Apr 1909:                Restored to the establishment of the Northumberland Fusiliers.

 1 Oct 1912:                Brigade-Major, HQ Aldershot.

 5 Aug 1914:               General Staff Officer 2nd Class.

 2 Feb 1915:                Restored to the establishment of The Northumberland Fusiliers.

28 Mar 1915:               Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General, HQ RFC in France.

25-28 Jul 1915:            Temporary Duty in Paris 

 1 Apr 1918:                 Senior Personnel Staff Officer, HQ RAF in the Field.

15 Aug 1918:                Temporary Duty in England

16-31 Aug 1918:          Leave

29-31 Oct 1918:           Temporary Duty in England

24 Nov 1918:               Returned to Home Establishment

25 Nov 1918:               Deputy Master-General of Personnel

31 May 1919:               Relinquished his Commission in the RAF

xx xxx xxxx:               Airline Operator.

xx xxx 1921:               Deputy Controller of Aerodromes and Licensing, Department of Civil Aviation. (Acting Controller)

 7 Sep 1939:                Granted honorary commission in RAFO Admin and Spec Duties Branch.

The son of Major-General Sir Francis Festing he was a Queen's Cadet at Sandhurst and Trenchard always considered him to be one of his best staff officers and would have liked him to have remained in the post war RAF.  However, he decided to get together with Sir Sefton Brancker, with whom he formed Air Transport & Travel, one of the earliest British civilian airlines.  This airline was later absorbed into Imperial Airways, after which he joined the Department of Civil Aviation.  He served as part of the Nile Expedition in 1898 taking part in the Battle of Khartoum.  During the South African War.  he was seriously wounded during the Advance on Kimberley.   He relinquished his commission in the RAFO on 13 Jul 1940 on account of ill health.

This page was last updated on 28/03/21

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