Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
Oswyn George William Gifford
b: 21 Aug 1895 r: 29 Mar 1946 d: 3 Feb 1957
CB – 8 Jun 1944, CBE – 9 Jun 1938 (OBE – xx xxx xxxx), MiD – 17 Jan 1915, LoM (Cdr) – 5 Nov 1946.
For a list of foreign decoration abbreviations, click here
(Army): - 2Lt (P): 9 Nov 1912, 2Lt: 6 Jun 1913, (T) Lt: 12 Dec 1914 Lt: 15 Apr 1915, (T) Capt: 12 Aug 1915, (T) Maj: 6 Sep 1917, (T) Capt (Norf Reg): 5 Aug 1918 – 1 Apr 1920.
(RAF): - (T) Maj [Capt]: 1 Apr 1918, Flt Lt: 1 Aug 1919, Sqn Ldr: 1 Jan 1924, Wg Cdr: 1 Jul 1932, Gp Capt: 1 Nov 1938, Act A/Cdre: xx xxx 1940, (T) A/Cdre: 1 Dec 1940, A/Cdre: 4 Jun 1942, Act AVM: 24 Oct 1942, (T) AVM: 1 Jun 1943.
9 Nov 1912: Officer, The Norfolk Regiment, Special Reserve of Officers, Supplementary List.
5 Aug 1914: Officer, The Norfolk Regiment.
5 Aug 1914: Flying Officer, RFC
12 Aug 1915: Flight Commander, No ? Sqn RFC
23 Aug 1917: Special Appointment (Graded as Equipment Officer 1st Class)
6 Sep 1917: Officer Commanding, No 9 Aircraft Acceptance Park
1 Aug 1919: Appointed to a Permanent Commission in the rank of Captain (Technical Branch)
15 Mar 1920: Technical Staff, HQ No 29 (Fleet) Group.
xx xxx xxxx: Supernumerary?
15 Apr 1921: Staff, Aircraft Park, India.
xx xxx xxxx: Supernumerary?
xx Jan 1924: Awarded the Specialist Symbol 'E'
1 May 1924: Air Staff (Signals), HQ Inland Area.
26 Feb 1930: Staff Officer, Signals Branch.
1 Oct 1934: Chief Signals Officer, HQ Coastal Area.
1 May 1936: Chief Signals Officer, HQ Coastal Command.
14 May 1937: Chairman, W/T Board.
26 Nov 1938: Deputy Director of Signals.
24 Apr 1940: Transferred to the Technical Branch
xx xxx 1940: Principal Deputy Director of Signals.
15 Sep 1942: AOC, No 26 (Signals) Group
He was awarded RAeC Certificate 600 on 21 Aug 1913 and later in his career designed an encoding machine for the same function as the German Enigma machine.
This page was last updated on 09/09/24©
M D Lyne
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