Gordon Herbert Vasse
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore
Gordon Herbert Vasse CBE RAF
, (born 23 April 1899 – died 26 March 1965), was a fighter pilot in the First World War and a senior Royal Air Force
commander during the Second World War and into the late 1940s and early 1950s. During most of the Second World War he was Director of Air Tactics for the RAF.
In his final appointment Vasse also served as the seventh Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps
. Vasse was chosen as one of the RAF’s principal representatives to the funeral of King George VI in 1952.
as a trainee pilot in the rank of Probationery Flight Officer and was later promoted to Flight Sub-Lieutenant
.
When the RAF
was formed in March 1918 Vasse transferred to the new service in the rank of 2nd Lieutenant (Pilot)
and was rapidly promoted to Pilot Officer
and then Flying Officer
. After seeing active combat duty as a fighter pilot in the latter stages of the First World War Vasse was transferred to the unemployed officer list in September 1919.
pilot at the RAF Central Depot
. After a further supernumerary posting to the School of Technical Training he was posted to No. 6 Squadron RAF
as a pilot in April 1923.
After a short one month period as a supernumerary at the Central Depot over the Christmas of 1925 he was granted a permanent commission in January 1926 and posted as an instructor to the RAF’s Air Armament and Gunnery School. Promoted to Flight Lieutenant
in July 1927, in March 1929 he was appointed Armaments Officer at the RAF North Coates gunnery practice range in Lincolnshire
where he remained until November 1930.
Returning to flying duties as a flight commander with No. XV Squadron RAF
on 1 November 1930 he remained with the squadron until February 1933, apart from a two month period while suffering from an illness that prevented him from flying. In November he was posted overseas firstly as Armaments Officer for No. 3 (Indian) Wing RAF and later as Staff Armament Officer at Headquarters No. 1 (Indian) Group.
Returning to the UK in 1936 he was appointed as a Staff Instructor at the Air Armament School on promotion to Squadron Leader
. After a short armament officer posting to RAF Northolt
he was promoted to Wing Commander
and granted his first command as Officer Commanding the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) at RAF Duxford.
, until July 1941 when he was appointed Deputy Director of the RAF Air Tactics department. In October the following year he became Director of the department in the rank of Acting Air Commodore
. In July 1945 he was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by King George VI in the Birthday Honours List.
Between 1944 and 1945 Vasse filled a number of senior appointments in quick succession including Deputy Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Headquarters Air Command South East Asia, SASO No. 221 Group RAF and SASO HQ RAF Burma. As the war ended Vasse was serving as AOC
RAF Seletar in Singapore
.
Returning to post war England in the Autumn of 1946 Vasse served in a number of AOC appointments with No. 21 Group RAF, No. 25 Group and latterly No. 63 Group where he remained from March 1948 until March 1951. His rank as an Air Commodore was confirmed on 1 July 1947.
and took over as the seventh Commandant Royal Observer Corps
from Air Commodore Sir Richard Bowen Jordan KCB DFC ADC RAF
. Vasse was able to bring his long expertise in air tactics to bear on the operational systems used by the ROC in tracking aircraft. He also oversaw the expansion of the Corps’ coverage to include Northern Ireland for the first time, establishing No. 31 Group ROC with its headquarters in Lisburn
.
Vasse was selected by the RAF to be one of its principal representatives at the funeral of King George VI at Westminster Abbey
and Windsor Castle
. His first task after the funeral was to formally invite Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth to become the Corps’ new Air Commodore in Chief, an appointment she readily accepted.
Air Commodore Vasse’s attention was then directed at the growing problem of the Corps tracking the newly introduced high speed jet aircraft. He realised it would need a revised operational layout to maintain reporting efficiency. The solution addressed a consolidation of group boundaries to match RAF Fighter Command
sectors and crucial improvements in track handover across group boundaries.
The reorganisation of groups reduced their number and Vasse oversaw the closing of the wartime operational centres at Maidstone
, Lincoln
, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge
, Gloucester
, Cardiff
, Wrexham
and Dunfermline
, several of which would reopen three years later. The dual centres at York
were combined into a single establishment. Posts were rearranged so that some clusters now straddled group boundaries and reported to both centres to improve fast jet track handovers between groups.
as a principal guest of honour at the Royal Review of the Royal Observer Corps by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in July 1966, but sadly he died before the event.
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Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Gordon Herbert Vasse CBE 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...
, (born 23 April 1899 – died 26 March 1965), was a fighter pilot in the First World War and a senior 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...
commander during the Second World War and into the late 1940s and early 1950s. During most of the Second World War he was Director of Air Tactics for the RAF.
In his final appointment Vasse also served as the seventh Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps
Royal 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....
. Vasse was chosen as one of the RAF’s principal representatives to the funeral of King George VI in 1952.
Early career
In 1917 Vasse joined the Royal Naval Air ServiceRoyal 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...
as a trainee pilot in the rank of Probationery Flight Officer and was later promoted to Flight Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
.
When 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...
was formed in March 1918 Vasse transferred to the new service in the rank of 2nd Lieutenant (Pilot)
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
and was rapidly promoted to Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
and then 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...
. After seeing active combat duty as a fighter pilot in the latter stages of the First World War Vasse was transferred to the unemployed officer list in September 1919.
Back to the RAF
In October 1921 he rejoined the RAF on a short service commission in the rank of Flying Officer and posted as a supernumerarySupernumerary
A Supernumerary is an additional member of an organization. A supernumerary is also a non-regular member of a staff, a member of the staff or an employee who works in a public office who is not part of the manpower complement...
pilot 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...
. After a further supernumerary posting to the School of Technical Training he was posted to No. 6 Squadron RAF
No. 6 Squadron RAF
No. 6 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 at RAF Leuchars.It was previously equipped with the Jaguar GR.3 in the close air support and tactical reconnaissance roles, and was based at RAF Coltishall, Norfolk until April 2006, moving to RAF Coningsby until...
as a pilot in April 1923.
After a short one month period as a supernumerary at the Central Depot over the Christmas of 1925 he was granted a permanent commission in January 1926 and posted as an instructor to the RAF’s Air Armament and Gunnery School. Promoted to Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight 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"...
in July 1927, in March 1929 he was appointed Armaments Officer at the RAF North Coates gunnery practice range in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
where he remained until November 1930.
Returning to flying duties as a flight commander with No. XV Squadron RAF
No. XV Squadron RAF
No. 15 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Panavia Tornado GR4 from RAF Lossiemouth. Currently XV Squadron is the RAF's Operational Conversion Unit for the Tornado GR4. The OCU teaches pilots how to fly the aircraft and what tactics to use to best exploit the performance of their...
on 1 November 1930 he remained with the squadron until February 1933, apart from a two month period while suffering from an illness that prevented him from flying. In November he was posted overseas firstly as Armaments Officer for No. 3 (Indian) Wing RAF and later as Staff Armament Officer at Headquarters No. 1 (Indian) Group.
Returning to the UK in 1936 he was appointed as a Staff Instructor at the Air Armament School on promotion to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron 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...
. After a short armament officer posting to RAF Northolt
RAF Northolt
RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station situated in South Ruislip, east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights...
he was promoted to Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
and granted his first command as Officer Commanding the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) at RAF Duxford.
Commands
He would remain at Duxford, becoming Station Commander there, on promotion to Group CaptainGroup 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...
, until July 1941 when he was appointed Deputy Director of the RAF Air Tactics department. In October the following year he became Director of the department in the rank of Acting Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
. In July 1945 he was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by King George VI in the Birthday Honours List.
Between 1944 and 1945 Vasse filled a number of senior appointments in quick succession including Deputy Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Headquarters Air Command South East Asia, SASO No. 221 Group RAF and SASO HQ RAF Burma. As the war ended Vasse was serving as AOC
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
RAF Seletar in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Returning to post war England in the Autumn of 1946 Vasse served in a number of AOC appointments with No. 21 Group RAF, No. 25 Group and latterly No. 63 Group where he remained from March 1948 until March 1951. His rank as an Air Commodore was confirmed on 1 July 1947.
Royal Observer Corps
In March 1951 Vasse was posted to RAF Bentley PrioryRAF 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 took over as the seventh Commandant Royal Observer Corps
Royal 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....
from Air Commodore Sir Richard Bowen Jordan KCB DFC ADC RAF
Richard Jordan (RAF officer)
Air Marshal Sir Richard Bowen Jordan KCB DFC ADC RAF was a bomber pilot and squadron commander during the Second World War, a senior Royal Air Force officer during the Second World War and sixth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps, in the post war period of the early 1950s.-Early Royal Air...
. Vasse was able to bring his long expertise in air tactics to bear on the operational systems used by the ROC in tracking aircraft. He also oversaw the expansion of the Corps’ coverage to include Northern Ireland for the first time, establishing No. 31 Group ROC with its headquarters in Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
.
Vasse was selected by the RAF to be one of its principal representatives at the funeral of King George VI at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
and Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
. His first task after the funeral was to formally invite Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth to become the Corps’ new Air Commodore in Chief, an appointment she readily accepted.
Air Commodore Vasse’s attention was then directed at the growing problem of the Corps tracking the newly introduced high speed jet aircraft. He realised it would need a revised operational layout to maintain reporting efficiency. The solution addressed a consolidation of group boundaries to match 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...
sectors and crucial improvements in track handover across group boundaries.
The reorganisation of groups reduced their number and Vasse oversaw the closing of the wartime operational centres at Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
and Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
, several of which would reopen three years later. The dual centres at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
were combined into a single establishment. Posts were rearranged so that some clusters now straddled group boundaries and reported to both centres to improve fast jet track handovers between groups.
Retirement
The Royal Observer Corps was Vasse’s final service appointment and he retired from the RAF on 26 April 1954 and handed over command of the ROC to Air Commodore J H T Simpson DSO AFC. Vasse was due to return to RAF Bentley PrioryRAF 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...
as a principal guest of honour at the Royal Review of the Royal Observer Corps by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in July 1966, but sadly he died before the event.
Main Sources
- http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Vasse.htm
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