Air Council Posts and members

Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

Other Departments of the Air Council

Details of the duties and responsibilities of the holders of these appointments and those of the subordinate Directorates, etc can be found in the Members' Area under 'AM Distribution of Duties'

Air Member for Training:

8 Jul 1940	Post established on Air Council by upgrading Directorate of Training
8 Jul 1940	AM Sir Guy Garrod
27 Apr 1943	AM Sir Peter Drummond
14 May 1945	AM Sir Roderic Hill
1 Jan 1947	Duties transferred to AM (Technical Services)

AMT controlled the following Directorates -

Directorate of Operational Training (Jul 1940 - Jan 1947, transferred to AMTS)
Directorate of Flying Training (Jul 1940 - Jan 1947, transferred to AMTS)
Directorate of Technical Training (Jul 1940 - Jan 1947, transferred to AMTS)
Administrative Training (Nov 1940 - Jan 1942, renamed Directorate of the Air Training Corps)
Training Progress (Nov 1940 - Jan 1947, transferred to AMTS)
Directorate of Pre-Entry Training (Feb 1941 - Jan 1942, renamed Directorate of the Air Training Corps)
Training Methods (Jan 1942 - Mar 1943, renamed Training Research)
Directorate of the Air Training Corps (Jan 1942 - Jan 1944, upgraded to Directorate-General)
Directorate of Training (Air) (Feb 1942 - xxx 1945)
Inspector of the ATC (Sep 1942 - xxx 1945)
Directorate-General of Training (Air) (Mar 1943 - Jan 1947, upgraded to AMTS)
Directorate of Training (Ground) (Mar 1943 - xxx 1945)
Directorate of Educational Services (Mar 1943, transferred from AMP - Jan 1947, transferred to AMP)
Training Research (Mar 1943, renamed from Training Methods - Jan 1947)
Directorate of Accident Prevention (Jan 1944 - xxx 1946, transferred to ACAS (Operations))
Directorate-General of the Air Training Corps (Jan 1944, upgraded from Directorate - xxx 1946, absorbed into Auxiliary and Reserve Forces, AMP)
Training Literature (Jun 1944 - Jan 1947)
Directorate of Plans (Training) (Jun 1944 - Jan 1947, transferred to AMTS as Assistant Directorate)
Deputy Directorate of Films (Sep 1944 - xxx 1945)

Air Member for Technical Services:

1 Jan 1947	Post established from Directorate-General of Training
1 Jan 1947	ACM Sir Roderic Hill
16 Aug 1948	AM Sir Victor Goddard
xx xxx 1951	Duties transferred to Air Member for Supply and Organisation

AMTS controlled the following Directorates -

Directorate of Operational Training (Jan 1947 transferred from AMT - xxx 1947, transferred to ACAS (Training))
Directorate of Flying Training (Jan 1947 transferred from AMT - xxx 1947, transferred to ACAS (Training))
Directorate of Technical Training (Jan 1947 transferred from AMT - xxx 1951, transferred to AMSO)
Directorate of Command and Staff Training (Jan 1947 - xxx 1947, transferred to ACAS (Training))
Training Progress (Jan 1947 transferred from AMT - xxx 1947, transferred to ACAS (Training))
Assistant Directorate of Training (Plans) (Jan 1947 transferred from AMT - xx 1947, transferred to ACAS (Training))
Directorate-General of Armament (xxx 1948, also see Dept of CAS - xxx 1950)
Directorate of Armament (xxx 1948, transferred from CAS - xxx 1951)
Directorate-General of Engineering (xxx 1948 - xxx 1950)
Directorate of Engineering (xxx 1948 - xxx 1951)
Deputy-Directorate of Signals (xxx 1948, transferred from CAS - May 1950, upgraded to AM Signals))
Directorate of Radio (xxx 1948, transferred from CAS - xxx 1951)
Directorate of Technical Policy (xxx 1948 -xxx 1951)
Directorate of Aeronautical Inspection Services (xxx 1948, transferred from AMSO - xxx 1951, transferred to AMSO)
Directorate-General of Technical Services (I) (xx 1950 - xxx 1951)
Directorate-General of Technical Services (II) (xx 1950 - xxx 1951)

AOC in C/C in C Strike Command:

Post was established - 30 Apr 1968. Post appointed to Air Force Board - 1 Apr 1996?. Only those appointees holding a seat on the Air Force Board shown, see Command Section for full list.

1 Jan 1994	ACM Sir William Wratten
25 Jul 1997	ACM Sir John Allison
29 Mar 1999	ACM Sir Peter Squire
6 Apr 2000	ACM Sir Anthony Bagnall
5 Apr 2001	ACM Sir John Day.
31 Jul 2003	ACM Sir Brian Burridge
13 Jan 2006	ACM Sir Joe French
30 Mar 2007	ACM Sir Clive Loader

C in C Air Command:

Post was established - 1 Apr 2007. Post appointed to Air Force Board - 1 Apr 2007 but was abolished in March 2012 with the role being taken over by the Chief of the Air Staff.

1 Apr 2007	ACM Sir Clive Loader
xx Apr 2009	ACM Sir Christopher Moran
18 Jun 2010	ACM Sir Simon Bryant
xx Mar 2012	Post abolished

Deputy C-in-C (Operations), Air Command:

1 Apr 2007	AM I W McNicholl
14 Apr 2010	AM R F Garwood

Deputy Commander (Operations), Air Command:

Post appointed to the Air Force Board on the abolition of the post of C-in-C Air Command in March 2012.

xx xxx 2012	AM R F Garwood
16 Apr 2013	AM G J Bagwell

Deputy C-in-C (Personnel), Air Command:

see Air Member for Personnel

Deputy Commander (Personnel), Air Command:

see Air Member for Personnel

Deputy Commander (Capability), Air Command:

see Air Member for Personnel

Controller Air:

To be added

Inspector Generals of the RAF.

Post established – 22 Aug 1918, Appointed to Air Council – 22 Aug 1918. Removed from Air Council xx Feb/Mar 1919 and abolished xx xxx 1920. Post re-established, - 1 Aug 1935, but with expansion of the RAF a second post was established on 1 July 1939 (abolished – xx xxx 1967). On 2 September 1939 he moved to No 2, The Terrace, Richmond Hill, London.

The Post was not on the Air Board after 1919 but subsequent post holders are shown here for reference.

22 Aug 1918	Maj-Gen Sir Godfrey Paine
1 Aug 1919	AVM Sir Godfrey Paine
xx xxx 1920	Post Abolished
1 Aug 1935	ACM Sir Robert Brooke-Popham
1 Sep 1937	ACM Sir Edward Ellington (1)
1 Jul 1939 - 15 Jan 1940	ACM Sir Charles Burnett (2)
15 Jan 1940 – 2 Apr 1940	AM Sir Leslie Gossage
14 Apr 1940 – 29 Oct 1945	ACM Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt
24 May 1940 - 1 Jun 1941	AM Sir William Mitchell
1 Jun 1941 – xx xxx 1942	ACM Sir Arthur Longmore
xx xxx 1943 – 6 Nov 1943	ACM Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferte
29 Oct 1945	ACM Sir Arthur Barratt
17 Jan 1947	ACM Sir Norman Bottomley
1 Jan 1948	ACM Sir George Pirie
1 Sep 1948	ACM Sir Leslie Hollinghurst
31 Sep 1949	ACM Sir Hugh Saunders
9 Feb 1951	ACM Sir James Robb
31 Jul 1951	AM Sir Thomas Williams
1 Oct 1952	AM Sir Stephen Strafford
19 Apr 1954	AM Sir Charles Guest
31 Jul 1956	ACM Sir Walter Dawson
1 Jan 1958	AM Sir Gilbert Nicholetts
3 Jun 1959	AM Sir John Whitley
1 Jun 1962	AM Sir Paterson Fraser
15 Aug 1964	ACM Sir Augustus Walker
17 Feb 1967	AM Sir Reginald Emson

Controller of Research and Development,

This post, within the Ministry of Aircraft Production, was added to the Air Council - 15 Oct 1945.

15 Oct 1945 AM W A Coryton

Controller Aircraft

This post was added to the Air Force Board - xx xxx xxxx.

8 Nov 1975	ACM Sir Douglas Lowe
xx xxx xxxx
1 Jan 1983	ACM Sir John Rogers
20 Jan 1986	ACM Sir David Harcourt-Smith
xx xxx xxxx	AVM A A Nicholson
30 Oct 1996	AM Sir Peter Norriss
xx xxx xxxx	AVM B M Thornton
xx xxx xxxx	AVM D N Williams
xx xxx xxxx	AVM S G G Dalton
20 Apr 2006	AVM S D Butler

Director-General Equipment Support (Air)

This post was added to the Air Force Board - xx xxx 2000.

xx xxx xxxx

AVM P W Henderson

Air Member for Equipment Capability.

This post was added to the Air Force Board - 1 Apr 2007. This post is 'dual-hatted' with that of Capability Manager (Information Superiority) in the Ministry of Defence

1 Apr 2007	AVM S D Butler
31 Jul 2008	AVM C W Dixon
xx Oct 2010	AVM S J Hillier
28 Oct 2011	AVM M C Green

Additional Members of the Air Council

From time to time officers have been appointed to the Air Council/Board for specific duties: -

xx xxx 1920 – xx xxx 1921

Adm Sir Cecil Lambert (Director of Personnel)

This entry was last updated on 01/08/26

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