Alec Coryton
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Sir William Alec Coryton KCB
, KBE
, MVO
, DFC
, RAF
(16 February 1895 – 20 October 1981), commonly known as Alec Coryton, was a senior RAF commander in World War II
.
as a Lieutenant
in 1918. When the RFC became the Royal Air Force
he resigned his Army commission and became a Royal Air Force officer.
From 1925 to 1928, he was Officer Commanding 16 Squadron
based at Old Sarum
.
operating the Bristol F.2 Fighter
in the tactical reconnaissance
role.
In February 1943 Coryton moved to the Air Staff at the Air Ministry
and was appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) in 1944.
On 25 August 1944 he became Commander, RAF Third Tactical Air Force
.
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Probert,Henry, Bomber Harris His Life and Times,Stoddart,2001 p207
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir William Alec Coryton KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, MVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(16 February 1895 – 20 October 1981), commonly known as Alec Coryton, was a senior RAF commander in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Life
Originally commissioned as an officer in the British Army's Rifle Brigade (Special Reserve), he transferred to the Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1918. When the RFC became the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
he resigned his Army commission and became a Royal Air Force officer.
From 1925 to 1928, he was Officer Commanding 16 Squadron
No. 16 Squadron RAF
No. 16 Squadron is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. It formed in 1915 at Saint-Omer to carry out a mixture of offensive patrolling and reconnaissance and was disbanded in 1919 with the end of the First World War...
based at Old Sarum
Old Sarum
Old Sarum is the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury, in England. The site contains evidence of human habitation as early as 3000 BC. Old Sarum is mentioned in some of the earliest records in the country...
.
operating the Bristol F.2 Fighter
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
in the tactical reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
role.
- 1942 25 April AOC, No. 5 Group RAFNo. 5 Group RAFNo. 5 Group was a Royal Air Force bomber group of the Second World War, led during the latter part by AVM Sir Ralph Cochrane.-History:The Group was formed on 1 September 1937 with headquarters at RAF Mildenhall....
Bomber Command. It has been claimed that the then Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Croyton was sacked by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris for refusing to send a small force of LancastersAvro LancasterThe Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
from his group on a sneak raid to BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in poor weather conditions.
In February 1943 Coryton moved to the Air Staff at the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
and was appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) in 1944.
On 25 August 1944 he became Commander, RAF Third Tactical Air Force
RAF Third Tactical Air Force
The RAF Third Tactical Air Force , which was formed in South Asia in December 1943, was one of three tactical air forces formed by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF and the air forces of the British Commonwealth...
.
- 1944 4 December Commander, RAF in Bengal & Burma.
- 1944 14 December – May 1945 Assistant Air Commander, Eastern Air CommandEastern Air CommandEastern Air Command may refer to the following military formations:* Eastern Air Command, Indian Air Force* a former home defence command of the Royal Canadian Air Force* Allied air force units under South East Asia Command, during 1944–45...
. - 1945 27 February Air Marshal Commanding, HQ RAF Burma
Honours and awards
- Knight Commander of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
- 2 January 1950 (CB - 1 January 1942) - Knight Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- 5 July 1945 - Member of the Royal Victorian OrderRoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
- 8 August 1919 - Distinguished Flying CrossDistinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
- 21 November 1922 - Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France) - 1917
- Commander of the Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
(United States) - 15 March 1946
External links
- http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/group.html
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Probert,Henry, Bomber Harris His Life and Times,Stoddart,2001 p207