Frank William Foster
Encyclopedia
Wing Commander
Frank William Foster DFC
, DSM
(10 April 1887, London
— 5 March 1963, Reading
). Although born in West London, he was brought up and educated in the village
of Stockcross
in Berkshire
. He joined the Royal Navy
in 1903 at the age of 16, and saw action in many theatres of World War I
, including the Battle of Jutland
, in which he gained the Distinguished Service Medal.
He transferred to the RAF
in the latter part of the War, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry and devotion to duty. At the cessation of activities he joined the little group of pioneers who were struggling to develop an aircraft carrier
deck landing technique on an old converted cruiser
— HMS Argus
.
In 1927, trouble flared up on the North-West Frontiers of British India, and Flying Officer
Foster was drafted with a squadron
of old Bristol Fighters
to police the Himalayas
and keep order. This involved active duty for five years. As a form of relaxation, on one of his leaves he made a trek
accompanied by an Indian guide to Tibet
, visiting the district of Ladakh
.
Returning from India in 1933, a short spell as radio and communications instructor followed, prior to a return to the sea in the ill-fated HMS Courageous
. F/O Foster was transferred to a Coastal Command
at Plymouth
, a comparatively short time before HMS Courageous was sunk by enemy action. Coastal Command service led to promotion to the rank of Wing Commander, involving transfer to Derby House, Liverpool
, one of a number of vital communication centres for the three services. It figured in the tracking and final annihilation of the Bismarck
. For his service he was mentioned in despatches three times, on 17 March 1941, 11 June 1942 and 14 January 1944.
Wing Commander Foster's service in World War II
carried him beyond the normal retiring age, but the day had to come, of course, when he had to take leave of the services, in November 1945. Not for him however was the sedentary life of retirement. In January 1946, he joined the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
(UNRRA) as a Communications Officer, serving until the administration closed down in June 1948. The Ministry of Supply knew the Wing Commander next, and he became an experimental officer acting as a liaison between the Air Ministry
and aircraft manufacturers. In December 1955 he had finally to retire from the active scene.
Wing Commander Foster had a wife, Edith, and two children, Harold and Betty - his home remained at Stockcross until the end of his life, when he was taken to the Battle Hospital in Reading
after a long fight against Parkinson's disease
. He died there on 5 March 1963, aged 75.
(Available naval records stop here)
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Frank William Foster 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...
, DSM
Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Navy and members of the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, up to and including the rank of Chief Petty Officer, for bravery and resourcefulness on active service...
(10 April 1887, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
— 5 March 1963, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
). Although born in West London, he was brought up and educated in the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Stockcross
Stockcross
Stockcross is a village in Berkshire, England.The village lies to the west of Newbury in the district of West Berkshire. Close to the cross-road in the middle of the village were the stocks hence the name Stock-Cross, which were removed in the early 1980s....
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. He joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1903 at the age of 16, and saw action in many theatres of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, including the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
, in which he gained the Distinguished Service Medal.
He transferred to the 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...
in the latter part of the War, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry and devotion to duty. At the cessation of activities he joined the little group of pioneers who were struggling to develop an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
deck landing technique on an old converted cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
— HMS Argus
HMS Argus (I49)
HMS Argus was a British aircraft carrier that served in the Royal Navy from 1918–1944. She was converted from an ocean liner under construction when the First World War began, and became the world's first example of what is now the standard pattern of aircraft carrier, with a full-length flight...
.
In 1927, trouble flared up on the North-West Frontiers of British India, and Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
Foster was drafted with a squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
of old Bristol Fighters
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...
to police the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and keep order. This involved active duty for five years. As a form of relaxation, on one of his leaves he made a trek
Travel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
accompanied by an Indian guide to Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, visiting the district of Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
.
Returning from India in 1933, a short spell as radio and communications instructor followed, prior to a return to the sea in the ill-fated HMS Courageous
HMS Courageous (50)
HMS Courageous was the lead ship of the cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord, John Fisher, the ship was very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Courageous was completed in late...
. F/O Foster was transferred to a Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, a comparatively short time before HMS Courageous was sunk by enemy action. Coastal Command service led to promotion to the rank of Wing Commander, involving transfer to Derby House, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, one of a number of vital communication centres for the three services. It figured in the tracking and final annihilation of the Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
. For his service he was mentioned in despatches three times, on 17 March 1941, 11 June 1942 and 14 January 1944.
Wing Commander Foster's service 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...
carried him beyond the normal retiring age, but the day had to come, of course, when he had to take leave of the services, in November 1945. Not for him however was the sedentary life of retirement. In January 1946, he joined the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but representing 44 nations. Founded in 1943, it became part of the United Nations in 1945, was especially active in 1945 and 1946, and largely shut down...
(UNRRA) as a Communications Officer, serving until the administration closed down in June 1948. The Ministry of Supply knew the Wing Commander next, and he became an experimental officer acting as a liaison between 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 aircraft manufacturers. In December 1955 he had finally to retire from the active scene.
Wing Commander Foster had a wife, Edith, and two children, Harold and Betty - his home remained at Stockcross until the end of his life, when he was taken to the Battle Hospital in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
after a long fight against Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. He died there on 5 March 1963, aged 75.
Navy career
- 22 June 1903 - Volunteered
- 23 June 1903 - Boy 2nd Class, HMS Impregnable
- 21 January 1904 - Boy 1st Class
- 1 September 1904 - Signal Boy, HMS HerculesHMS Hercules (1868)HMS Hercules was a central-battery ironclad of the Royal Navy in the Victorian era, and was the first warship to mount a main armament of calibre guns....
- 22 November 1904 - HMS SutlejHMS Sutlej (1899)Named after one of the five great rivers of the Punjab, HMS Sutlej was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser in the Royal Navy. She served with her sisters in the First World War, and was one of the three who survived the war. Already obsolete by the outbreak of war, she was sold on May 9, 1921 and...
- 25 January 1905 - HMS Iphigenia
- 27 April 1905 - Signalman (signed up for 12 years service)
- 20 August 1905 - HMS HogueHMS Hogue (1900)HMS Hogue was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser in the Royal Navy. Hogue was sunk by the German U-boat U-9 on 22 September 1914.-Service history:...
- 9 November 1905 - Qual. Sig.
- 13 February 1906 - HMS TamarHMS Tamar (1863)HMS Tamar was a Royal Navy troopship built by the Samuda Brothers at Cubitt Town, London, and launched in Britain in 1863. She served as a supply ship from 1897 to 1941, and gave her name to the HMS Tamar shore station in Hong Kong ....
- 13 March 1907 - HMS Patriot (?)
- 14 May 1907 - HMS VictoryHMS VictoryHMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
- 1 October 1907 - Signalman
- 15 December 1907 - HMS GraftonHMS Grafton (1892)HMS Grafton was a first class cruiser of the Edgar class. She was launched on 30 January 1892. She served in the First World War in the Gallipoli Campaign, along with her sisters Endymion, Edgar and Theseus...
- 1 April 1908 - Leading Signalman
- 27 September 1908 - HMS Victory
- 7 January 1909 - HMS HawkeHMS Hawke (1891)HMS Hawke, launched in 1891, was the sixth British warship to be named Hawke. She was an Edgar-class protected cruiser.-Service:...
- 1 March 1909 - HMS Tamar (Otter)
- 1 April 1911 - HMS CrescentHMS Crescent (1892)HMS Crescent was a first class cruiser of the Edgar class. Crescent, and her sister ship Royal Arthur, were built to a slightly modified design and are sometimes considered a separate class. She was built at Portsmouth and launched on 30 March 1892. As at 11 January 1895 she was leaving Australia...
- 22 June 1911 - HMS Victory
- 28 January 1912 - HMS Arrogant
- 30 April 1912 - HMS Crescent
- 14 May 1912 - HMS OrontesHMS Orion (1879)HMS Orion was a of the Victorian Royal Navy. Originally constructed for the Ottoman Empire, and called Bourdjou-Zaffer, she was purchased by the British Government before completion....
(Albatross) - 24 July 1912 - HMS EgmontHMS Achilles (1863)The broadside ironclad HMS Achilles was the third member of the 1861 programme, was described as an armoured frigate, and was originally projected as a modified version of the earlier ....
- 15 November 1913 - HMS Victory
- 1 October 1914 - YeomanYeomanYeoman refers chiefly to a free man owning his own farm, especially from the Elizabethan era to the 17th century. Work requiring a great deal of effort or labor, such as would be done by a yeoman farmer, came to be described as "yeoman's work"...
Signalman - 23 October 1914 - HMS Emperor of IndiaHMS Emperor of India (1913)HMS Emperor of India was an Iron Duke-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. She was originally to have been named Delhi but was renamed just a month before launching after King George V, who was also Emperor of India....
- 19 June 1916 - Acting Signalman BoatswainBoatswainA boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
- 11 August 1917 - Signal Boatswain
(Available naval records stop here)
RAF career
- 27 July 1918 - Appointed Second Lieutenant Observer
- 27 January 1920 - Promoted Observer Officer
- 15 July 1926 - Appointed Flying OfficerFlying OfficerFlying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
(on abolition of title of Observer) - 19 June 1931 - Promoted Flight LieutenantFlight LieutenantFlight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
- 1 July 1938 - Promoted Squadron LeaderSquadron LeaderSquadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
- 24 April 1940 - Transferred to Technical Branch
- 1 December 1940 - Promoted Wing Commander (temporary) - placed on retired list and re-employed with RAF
- 11 November 1945 - Reverted to retired list, as Wing Commander
Honours and awards
- Mons Star, Yeoman of Signals 1914/15
- Distinguished Service Medal - 15 September 1916 The following awards have been approved in connection with the recommendations of the Commander-in-Chief for services rendered by Petty Officers and men of the Grand Fleet in the action in the North Sea on the 31st May - 1 June 1916 - To receive the Distinguished Service Medal, Yeoman of Signals Frank William Foster, O.N 226416 (now Acting Signal Boatswain)
- Distinguished Flying Cross - 22 December 1918 Pilot Officer Frank William Foster DSM (North Russia) In recognition of distinguished services rendered during the War and since the close of hostilities.
- General Service Medal, 2nd/Lt RAF 1918
- Victory Service Medal, 2nd/Lt RAF 1918
- India General Service Medal & Bar, F/O RAF 1930/31 (North West Frontier)
- Silver Jubilee Medal, 1935
- Coronation Medal, 1937
- War Medal & Mentioned in Despatches clasp, 1939/45
- Defence Medal, 1945
External links
- Naval communications history — Royal Naval Communications Association, Communications History - The First Signal Schools
- Derby House, Liverpool — Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool and the Battle and Western Approaches - History (BBC Liverpool, Local History)
- Large naval history sites — Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk and MaritimeQuest
- Fleet Air Arm Archive — Fleet Air Arm (FAA) Archive Welcome Page on British Naval Aviation