Alfred Warrington-Morris
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore
Alfred Drummond Warrington-Morris CB
CMG
OBE
AFC
RAF
(18 December 1883 – 24 March 1962) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force
during the first half of the 20th century.
Following his regular military service he became the second Commandant of the Observer Corps and commanded the Corps through its adoption by the Royal Air Force Fighter Command, the crucial operations during the Battle of Britain
and the change to the Royal Observer Corps.
. He was promoted to Sub Lieutenant on 18 December 1902 then to Lieutenant
two years later in December 1904 and in 1912 he was recorded as being a Lieutenant Commander
studying at the Royal Navy Torpedo School HMS Vernon
.
Following his training Warrington-Morris was posted as Torpedo Officer to HMS Swiftsure
, the RN Flagship East Indies Station with the rank of Acting Commander.
In 1916 he transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service
and was promoted Commander
on 30 June 1917 as a Senior Wireless Officer.
just before the Royal Flying Corps was amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service
to form the new Royal Air Force
in April of that year. His commission as a Lieutenant Colonel was made permanent and gazetted on 22 August 1919 when he was appointed Deputy Director of Flying Instrumentation.
and his name was removed from the Royal Navy list.
He was appointed Commandant, RAF Electrical and Wireless School on 1 August 1921 and was promoted to Group Captain
in January 1922.
On the 1 January 1925 Warrington-Morris was promoted to Air Commodore
and appointed Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at RAF HQ Iraq Command. In March 1927 he became the RAF’s representative the Ordnance Committee at Woolwich but by September 1928 he was declared as a supernumerary Air Commodore at the RAF Central Depot
.
Between 1928 and 1934 he was Commandant RAF Signals Branch until retirement as a regular officer.
under Air Commodore Edward Masterman
CB
CBE
AFC
RAF (Rtd)
at RAF Uxbridge
. Between 1935 and 1936 he was appointed Commandant of Southern Area of the Observer Corps during the massive and crucial expansion and development of the Corps during the inter war years.
When Air Commodore Masterman stood down as Commandant ROC in April 1936 Warrington-Morris replaced him and took control of the Observer Corps during the important period immediately prior to the Second World War. He oversaw the move of HQ Observer Corps to RAF Bentley Priory
and the Corps’ adoption by RAF Fighter Command
. He also controlled the Corps during the memorable events of the Battle of Britain
and was still at the helm when the Observer Corps was granted the title Royal to become the Royal Observer Corps and became a uniformed branch of the RAF. He was Mentioned in Despatches in July 1940.
by then holding a reserve nominal rank of Wing Commander.
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Alfred Drummond Warrington-Morris CB
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...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
OBE
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...
AFC
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
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...
(18 December 1883 – 24 March 1962) was a senior officer in 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...
during the first half of the 20th century.
Following his regular military service he became the second Commandant of the Observer Corps and commanded the Corps through its adoption by the Royal Air Force Fighter Command, the crucial operations during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
and the change to the Royal Observer Corps.
Royal Navy
Warrington-Morris joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15 in 1899 as a MidshipmanMidshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
. He was promoted to Sub Lieutenant on 18 December 1902 then to 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...
two years later in December 1904 and in 1912 he was recorded as being a Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
studying at the Royal Navy Torpedo School HMS Vernon
HMS Vernon (shore establishment)
HMS Vernon was a shore establishment or 'stone frigate' of the Royal Navy. Vernon was established on 26 April 1876 as the Royal Navy's Torpedo Branch and operated until 1 April 1996, when the various elements comprising the establishment were split up and moved to different commands.-Foundation...
.
Following his training Warrington-Morris was posted as Torpedo Officer to HMS Swiftsure
HMS Swiftsure (1903)
HMS Swiftsure was the lead ship of the Swiftsure class of British predreadnought battleships.-Technical Characteristics:HMS Swiftsure was ordered by Chile as Constitución and laid down by Armstrong Whitworth at Elswick...
, the RN Flagship East Indies Station with the rank of Acting Commander.
In 1916 he transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
and was promoted Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
on 30 June 1917 as a Senior Wireless Officer.
Royal Flying Corps
In 1918 he was posted to the Royal Flying Corps as Staff Officer i/c 1st Class Equipment – Wireless Telegraphy and promoted to Acting Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
just before the Royal Flying Corps was amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
to form the new 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...
in April of that year. His commission as a Lieutenant Colonel was made permanent and gazetted on 22 August 1919 when he was appointed Deputy Director of Flying Instrumentation.
Royal Air Force
When RAF rank structure was reorganised in late 1919 Warrington-Morris became a Wing CommanderWing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
and his name was removed from the Royal Navy list.
He was appointed Commandant, RAF Electrical and Wireless School on 1 August 1921 and was promoted to Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
in January 1922.
On the 1 January 1925 Warrington-Morris was promoted to Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
and appointed Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at RAF HQ Iraq Command. In March 1927 he became the RAF’s representative the Ordnance Committee at Woolwich but by September 1928 he was declared as a supernumerary Air Commodore at the RAF Central Depot
RAF Uxbridge
RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force station in Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon. Its grounds covered originally belonging to the Hillingdon House estate, which was purchased by the British Government in 1915, three years before the founding of the RAF...
.
Between 1928 and 1934 he was Commandant RAF Signals Branch until retirement as a regular officer.
Royal Observer Corps
In 1934 on leaving the Royal Air Force he was employed as the Deputy Commandant of the Observer CorpsRoyal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
under Air Commodore Edward Masterman
Edward Masterman
Air Commodore Edward Alexander Dimsdale Masterman CB CMG CBE AFC RAF was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force in the first half of the 20th century...
CB
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...
CBE
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...
AFC
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
RAF (Rtd)
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...
at RAF Uxbridge
RAF Uxbridge
RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force station in Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon. Its grounds covered originally belonging to the Hillingdon House estate, which was purchased by the British Government in 1915, three years before the founding of the RAF...
. Between 1935 and 1936 he was appointed Commandant of Southern Area of the Observer Corps during the massive and crucial expansion and development of the Corps during the inter war years.
When Air Commodore Masterman stood down as Commandant ROC in April 1936 Warrington-Morris replaced him and took control of the Observer Corps during the important period immediately prior to the Second World War. He oversaw the move of HQ Observer Corps to RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Bentley Priory was a non-flying Royal Air Force station near Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow. It was famous as the headquarters of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and the Second World War. The RAF Bentley Priory site includes a Grade II* listed Officers' Mess and Italian...
and the Corps’ adoption by RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
. He also controlled the Corps during the memorable events of the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
and was still at the helm when the Observer Corps was granted the title Royal to become the Royal Observer Corps and became a uniformed branch of the RAF. He was Mentioned in Despatches in July 1940.
Later Appointments
On leaving the Royal Observer Corps at the age of 59 in June 1942 Warrington-Morris was recommissioned as an Air Commodore in Class CC and served in the Admin and Special Duties Branch RAF RAFO. From 26 Dec 1942 until 8 Nov 1944 he was Deputy Director of the Air Training CorpsAir Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
by then holding a reserve nominal rank of Wing Commander.