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Air Council Appointments 1


This section lists all the posts that have, at some time, been established on the Air Council/Air Force Board.  However, for continuity all holders of the post have been shown whether they sat on the Air Council/Air Force Board or not.

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'

Chief of the Air Staff:

Post established – 3 Jan 1918. Post appointed to Air Council – 3 Jan 1918

3 Jan 1918                             Maj-Gen Sir Hugh Trenchard

13 Apr 1918                          Maj-Gen Sir Frederick Sykes

22 Jan 1919                           AM-MRAF Sir Hugh Trenchard

1 Jan 1930                             ACM-MRAF Sir John Salmond

1 Apr 1933                            ACM Sir Geoffrey Salmond

28 Apr 1933                          MRAF Sir John Salmond (acting)

22 May 1933                         ACM-MRAF Sir Edward Ellington

1 Sep 1937                            ACM-MRAF Sir Cyril Newall

25 Oct 1940                          ACM-MRAF Sir Charles Portal

1 Jan 1946                             MRAF Sir Arthur Tedder

 1 Jan 1950                            ACM Sir John Slessor

 1 Jan 1953                            ACM Sir William Dickson

 1 Jan 1956                            ACM Sir Dermot Boyle

 1 Jan 1960                            ACM Sir Thomas Pike

 1 Sep 1963                           ACM Sir Charles Elworthy

 1 Apr 1967                           ACM Sir John Grandy

 1 Apr 1971                           ACM Sir Denis Spotswood

 1 Apr 1974                           ACM Sir Andrew Humphrey

 7 Aug 1976                          ACM Sir Neil Cameron

10 Aug 1977                         ACM Sir Michael Beetham

15 Oct 1982                          ACM Sir Keith Williamson

15 Oct 1985                          ACM Sir David Craig

14 Nov 1988                         ACM Sir Peter Harding           

 6 Nov 1992                          ACM Sir Michael Graydon

10 Apr 1997                          ACM Sir Richard Johns

21 Apr 2000                         ACM Sir Peter Squire

 1 Aug 2003                          ACM Sir Jock Stirrup

13 Apr 2006                         ACM Sir Glenn Torpy

31 Jul 2009                           ACM Sir Stephen Dalton

xx Jul 2013                           ACM Sir Andrew Pulford

xx Jul 2016                           ACM Sir Stephen Hillier

xx Jul 2019:                           ACM M Wigston

Deputy Chief of the Air Staff:

Post established – 3 Jan 1918. Post appointed to Air Council - 3 Jan 1918, removed from Air Council, 1 Apr 1918?   From 1923/5 to 1938, the post also held the dual title of Director of Operations and Intelligence.  Post re-appointed to the Air Council - 1 Jan 1930.  Post abolished - xx xxx 1968?

3 Jan 1918                 Maj-Gen M E F Kerr

1 Apr 1918                 Brig-Gen R M Groves

xx xxx xxxx                 Brig-Gen O Swann

xx xxx 1920                A/Cdre J M Steel

12 Apr 1926               A/Cdre C L N Newall

6 Feb 1931                 A/Cdre C S Burnett

1 Feb 1933                 AVM E R Ludlow-Hewitt

26 Jan 1935                AVM C L Courtney

25 Jan 1937                AVM R E C Peirse

xx xxx 1938                AVM W S Douglas

22 Jul 1940                 AVM N H Bottomley

xx xxx 1942                 Post abolished

xx xxx 1943                 AM Sir Norman Bottomley

xx xxx 1945                 AM Sir Albert Durston

 4 Feb 1948                 AM Sir Hugh Walmsley

 1 Nov 1948                AM Sir Arthur Sanders

17 Mar 1952               ACM Sir John Baker

 1 Nov 1952                AM Sir Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman

 9 Nov 1953                AM Sir Thomas Pike

 4 Jul 1956                   AM Sir Geoffrey Tuttle

15 Nov 1959               AM Sir Charles Elworthy

18 Jul 1960                  AM Sir Ronald Lees

 5 Jun 1963                  AM Sir Christopher Hartley

 1 Apr 1966                 AM R H E Emson

30 Jan 1967                 AM Sir Peter Wykeham

 

Master-General of Personnel:

Post established - 3 Jan 1918. Post appointed to Air Council – 3 Jan 1918. Post absorbed into Department of CAS and downgraded to Director of Personnel – xx Apr-Jun 1919?

 

3 Jan 1918                 Maj-Gen G M Paine

22 Aug 1918              Maj-Gen W S Brancker

xx xxx 1919                Post vacant

 

Controller-General of Equipment:

Post established - 3 Jan 1918. Post appointed to Air Council – 3 Jan 1918. Post renamed Director-General of Aircraft Production and Research.

3 Jan 1918                 Maj-Gen E L Ellington

 

Director-General of Aircraft Production and Research:

Post replaced Controller-General of Equipment - xx Feb 1919. Post appointed to Air Council – xx Feb 1919. Post renamed Director-General of Supply and Research.

xx xxx 1919                 Maj-Gen E L Ellington

 

Director-General of Supply and Research:

Post replaced Director-General of Aircraft Production and Research - xx Mar/Apr 1919. Post appointed to Air Council – xx Mar/Apr 1919. Post renamed Air Member for Supply and Research.

xx xxx 1919                 Maj-Gen/AVM E L Ellington

23 Feb 1922                AVM Sir Geoffrey Salmond

 

Air Member for Personnel

Deputy Commander (Capability)/Member for Personnel and Capability

Post upgraded from Director of Personnel - xx xxx 1923. Post appointed to Air Council - xx xxx 1923.  On 1 Apr 1994, the post was amalgamated with that of AOC in C, Personnel and Training Command with a single officer holding both titles. From 1 April 2007 PTC was disbanded and the post holder took on the duty of Deputy C-in-C (Personnel), HQ Air Command, which was changed to Deputy Commander (Capability) in 2012

xx xxx 1923                              AVM Sir Oliver Swann

27 Nov 1923                            AVM Sir Philip Game

1 Jan 1929                                ACM Sir John Salmond

1 Jan 1930                                AVM Sir Tom Webb-Bowen

26 Sep 1931                             AM Sir Edward Ellington

22 May 1933                            Vacant

31 Jul 1933                               AVM F W Bowhill

1 Jul 1937                                 AM Sir William Mitchell

xx xxx xxxx                               AM Sir Leslie Gossage

1 Dec 1940                              AM Sir Philip Babington

17 Aug 1942                            AM Sir Bertine Sutton

 5 Apr 1945                             AM Sir John Slessor

 1 Oct 1947                             AM Sir Hugh Saunders

31 Oct 1949                            ACM Sir Leslie Hollinghurst

 1 Nov 1952                            AM Sir Francis Fogarty

 1 Jan 1957                              AM Sir John Whitley

 1 Apr 1959                             ACM Sir Hubert Patch

 1 Oct 1959                             AM Sir William Macdonald

11 Dec 1961                            AM Sir Walter Cheshire

22 Feb 1965                            AM Sir David Lee

18 Mar 1968                            AM Sir Andrew Humphrey

18 Mar 1970                            AM Sir Lewis Hodges 

25 Apr 1973                            AM Sir Harold Martin  

 5 Oct 1974                             AM Sir Neil Cameron

 5 Jun 1976                              AM Sir John Aiken

25 Feb 1978                            AM Sir John Gingell

 3 May 1980                            AM Sir Charles Ness

 7 May 1983                            AM/ACM Sir Jock Kennedy

28 Feb 1986                            AM Sir Anthony Skingsley

20 Mar 1987                            AM Sir Laurence Jones

25 Oct 1989                            ACM Sir David Parry-Evans

xx xxx xxxx                              AM Sir Roger Palin

16 Apr 1993                            AM Sir Andrew Wilson

 1 May 1995                            AM/ACM Sir David Cousins

 7 Aug 1998                             AM Sir Anthony Bagnall

23 Mar 2000                           AM Sir John Day

20 Mar 2001                           AM Sir Christopher Coville

25 Apr 2003                            AM Sir Joe French

 6 Jan 2006                              AM B M Thornton

 1 May 2007                            AM S G G Dalton

 1 Apr 2009                             AM Sir Simon Bryant

xx Jul 2010                               AVM M G Lloyd (acting)

 1 Sep 2010                             AM A D Pulford

 3 May 2013                            AM Sir Baz North

xx xxx xxxx

23 May 2019                           AM A M Turner

22 May 2022                           AM R J Knighton

Air Member for Supply and Research:

Post replaced Director-General of Supply and Research - xx xxx 1923. Post appointed to Air Council - xx xxx 1923. Duties split into two - 14 Jan 1935, Air Member for Research and Development and Air Member for Supply and Organisation.

xx xxx 1923                 AVM Sir Geoffrey Salmond

27 Dec 1926                AVM Sir John Higgins

1 Sep 1930                  AVM H C T Dowding

 

Air Member for Research and Development:

Post established by splitting the duties of the Air Member of Supply and Research - 14 Jan 1935. Post appointed to Air Council - 14 Jan 1935.

14 Jan 1935                 AM Sir Hugh Dowding

1 Apr 1936                  AVM W R Freeman

 

Air Member for Supply and Organisation:

Post established by splitting the duties of the Air Member of Supply and Research - 14 Jan 1935. Post appointed to Air Staff - 14 Jan 1935. Post renamed Air Member for Logistics - 1 Sep 1994.

14 Jan 1935                             AVM C L N Newall

1 Sep 1937                              AVM W L Welsh

15 Jan 1940                             AM Sir Christopher Courtney

14 Sep 1945                             AM Sir Leslie Hollinghurst                 

 1 Sep 1948                             ACM Sir George Pirie                

 2 Mar 1950                             ACM Sir William Dickson

 1 Sep 1952                             ACM Sir John Whitworth-Jones

 1 May 1954                            ACM Sir Donald  Hardman         

 1 Jan 1958                              ACM Sir Walter Dawson                       

 8 Apr 1960                             AM Sir Walter Merton

xx xxx 1963                            AM Sir John Baker-Carr (acting)              

 1 Aug 1963                             AM Sir John Davis                               

 2 Aug 19666                           AM Sir Charles Broughton       

 4 Sep 1968                             AM Sir Thomas Prickett           

 1 Dec 1970                             AM Sir Neil Wheeler   

27 Mar 1973                            AM Sir Anthony Heward           

 3 Jun 1976                              AM Sir Alistair Steedman                    

28 Sep 1977                            AM Sir John Nicholls   

 1 Dec 1978                             AM Sir Rex Roe                      

 4 Jul 1981                               ACM Sir John Rogers                       

 1 Jan 1983                              AM Sir Michael Knight            

 7 Feb 1985                             AM Sir Michael Armitage                     

27 Nov 1987                           AM Sir Patrick Hine                

 5 Aug 1988                             AM Sir Brendan Jackson                       

xx xxx xxxx                              ACM Sir Michael Alcock

Air Member for Operations:

Post established ?

 

This page was last updated on 14/03/24

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