Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
Encyclopedia
The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) was a senior appointment in the Royal Air Force
. The incumbent was the deputy to the Chief of the Air Staff. The post existed from 1918 to 1968 or 1969. Today, the Chief of the Air Staff's deputy is titled as the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
.
. However, with the establishment of the RAF on 1 April 1918, the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff was removed from the Air Council. From the mid-1920s to 1938, the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff was double-hatted as the RAF's Director of Operations and Intelligence. In 1930, when Trenchard
stepped down as Chief of the Air Staff, the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff was once again appointed to the Air Council.
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...
. The incumbent was the deputy to the Chief of the Air Staff. The post existed from 1918 to 1968 or 1969. Today, the Chief of the Air Staff's deputy is titled as the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
The Assistant Chief of the Air Staff is a senior appointment in the Royal Air Force. The incumbent is in practical terms the deputy to the head of the RAF, the Chief of the Air Staff....
.
History
The post was created on 3 January 1918 as part of the preliminary work before the creation of the RAF and the incumbent sat on the Air CouncilAir Council
Air Council was the governing body of the Royal Air Force until the merger of the Air Ministry with the other armed forces ministries to form the Ministry of Defence. It was succeeded by the Air Force Board.- Composition :...
. However, with the establishment of the RAF on 1 April 1918, the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff was removed from the Air Council. From the mid-1920s to 1938, the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff was double-hatted as the RAF's Director of Operations and Intelligence. In 1930, when Trenchard
Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...
stepped down as Chief of the Air Staff, the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff was once again appointed to the Air Council.
Deputy Chiefs of the Air Staff
Holders of the post included:- 3 January 1918 Major-General M E F Kerr
- 1 April 1918 Brigadier-General R M Groves
- 12 August 1918 Brigadier-General O SwannOliver SwannAir Vice Marshal Sir Oliver Swann KCB, CBE, RAF , born Oliver Schwann, was a leading figure in the Royal Naval Air Service and senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the 20th century....
- February 1919 Brigadier-General R M Groves (Also Director of Operations and Intelligence)
- 8 September 1919 Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
J M SteelJohn Miles SteelAir Chief Marshal Sir John Miles Steel GCB, KBE, CMG, RAF was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-Military career:...
(Also Director of Operations and Intelligence) - 12 April 1926 Air Commodore C L N NewallCyril Newall, 1st Baron NewallMarshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, 1st Baron Newall GCB OM GCMG CBE AM , was a British soldier and airman, who headed the Royal Air Force as the Chief of the Air Staff during the early part of the Second World War before serving as the sixth Governor-General of New Zealand...
(Also Director of Operations and Intelligence) - 6 February 1931 Air Commodore C S BurnettCharles Burnett (RAF officer)Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Stuart Burnett KCB, CBE, DSO was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the 20th century. During the Second World War, he served as Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force.-Early life:Charles Burnett was born in Browns...
(Also Director of Operations and Intelligence) - 1 February 1933 Air Vice-MarshalAir Vice-MarshalAir vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
E R Ludlow-HewittEdgar Ludlow-HewittAir Chief Marshal Sir Edgar Rainey Ludlow-Hewitt GCB, GBE, CMG, DSO, MC, DL was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-World War I:...
(Also Director of Operations and Intelligence) - 26 January 1935 Air Vice-Marshal C L CourtneyChristopher CourtneyAir Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Lloyd Courtney, GBE, KCB, DSO was a senior British Royal Air Force officer.-RAF career:Courtney joined the Royal Navy in May 1905 as a midshipman at Britannia Naval College...
(Also Director of Operations and Intelligence) - 25 January 1937 Air Vice-Marshal R E C PeirseRichard PeirseAir Chief Marshal Sir Richard Edmund Charles Peirse KCB DSO AFC , was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:...
(Also Director of Operations and Intelligence) - 22 April 1940 Air Vice-Marshal W S Douglas
- 25 November 1940 Air Vice-Marshal A T Harris
- 1 June 1941 Air Vice-Marshal N H BottomleyNorman BottomleyAir Chief Marshal Sir Norman Howard Bottomley KCB CIE DSO AFC RAF was the Yorkshire-born successor to Arthur 'Bomber' Harris as Commander-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command in 1945.-RAF career:...
(from 3 May 1942 to 30 Jul 1943 the post was titled Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations)) - September 1945 Air Marshal Sir Albert DurstonAlbert DurstonAir Marshal Sir Albert Durston KBE CB AFC was a senior Royal Air Force officer who became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.-RAF career:...
- 4 February 1948 Air Marshal Sir Hugh WalmsleyHugh WalmsleyAir Marshal Sir Hugh Sidney Porter Walmsley KCB KCIE CBE MC DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during and after World War II.-RAF career:...
- 1 March 1950 Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur SandersArthur Sanders (RAF officer)Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Penrose Martyn Sanders GCB KBE RAF was a Royal Flying Corps pilot during World War I and a senior Royal Air Force commander during World War II and the immediate post-war years.-RAF career:...
- 17 March 1952 Air Chief Marshal Sir John BakerJohn Baker (RAF officer)Air Chief Marshal Sir John Wakeling Baker GCB, MC, DFC, ADC, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the middle of the 20th century.-Flying career:...
- 1 November 1952 Air Marshal Sir Ronald Ivelaw-ChapmanRonald Ivelaw-ChapmanAir Chief Marshal Sir Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman GCB, KBE, DFC, AFC, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the middle of the 20th century and the penultimate RAF commander-in-chief of the Indian Air Force....
- 9 November 1953 Air Marshal Sir Thomas PikeThomas PikeMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Thomas Geoffrey Pike GCB CBE DFC & Bar DL RAF was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force.-RAF career:...
- 4 July 1956 Air Marshal Sir Geoffrey TuttleGeoffrey TuttleAir Marshal Sir Geoffrey William Tuttle KBE CB DFC is a former senior Royal Air Force officer who became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.-RAF career:...
- 15 November 1959 Air Marshal Sir Charles ElworthyCharles Elworthy, Baron ElworthyMarshal of the Royal Air Force Samuel Charles Elworthy, Baron Elworthy KG, GCB, CBE, DSO, LVO, DFC, AFC was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force...
- 18 July 1960 Air Marshal Sir Ronald LeesRonald LeesAir Marshal Sir Ronald Beresford Lees KCB CBE DFC & Bar RAF was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:...
- June 1963 Air Marshal Sir Christopher HartleyChristopher Hartley (RAF officer)Air Marshal Sir Christopher Harold Hartley KCB CBE DFC AFC was a senior Royal Air Force officer who became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.-RAF career:...
- 1 April 1966 Air Marshal Sir Reginald EmsonReginald EmsonAir Marshal Sir Reginald Herbert Embleton Emson KBE CB AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the post-War years.-RAF career:...
- 30 January 1967 Air Marshal Sir Peter WykehamPeter WykehamAir Marshal Sir Peter Guy Wykeham KCB, DSO & Bar, OBE, DFC & Bar, AFC, RAF , born Peter Guy Wykeham-Barnes was a World War II Royal Air Force fighter pilot and squadron commander.-RAF career:...