John Mortimer Warfield
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore
John "Johnnie" Mortimer Warfield CBE RAF R’td
was a bomber pilot during the Second World War, a senior RAF staff officer and commander during the Malayan Emergency
in the 1950s and, as an Air Commodore
in his final tour, the ninth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps
.
on 29 December 1930 on a short service commission and commenced training at the RAF Central Depot
, RAF Uxbridge
and two months later transferred to the No. 2 Flying Training School as a pilot under instruction. On 29 December 1931 he was posted as a pilot
in the rank of Pilot Officer
to No. 13 Squadron RAF.
Promoted to Flying Officer
in August 1932 and Flight Lieutenant
in April 1936, Warfield was appointed as a flight commander on 13 Squadron before being posted to as a supernumerary officer at the Air Armaments School just three months later. Following his course on 3 July 1937 he was posted as Armament Officer at No. 5 Armament Training Establishment at RAF Penrhos
. The following year he was posted overseas to RAF Kalafrana seaplane base on Malta
where he was promoted to Squadron Leader
.
In February 1939, just before the Second World War started, Warfield was appointed as Command Armament Staff Officer at HQ Mediterranean Command at RAF Luqa
serving under Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd, a post he held until the spring of 1941 when he was promoted to Wing Commander
and appointed as Officer Commanding of the Malta airbase RAF Ta' Qali.
In December 1942 Warfield returned to the UK and was appointed as Officer Commanding No. 226 Squadron RAF
flying Douglas Boston III twin engined bombers from RAF Wattisham
in support of the United States Air Force
during daylight raids over Germany
. In April 1943 Warfield was promoted in temporary rank of Group Captain
and served as the station commander of RAF Wattisham
where he remained until near the end of the war, when he was reverted to the rank of Wing Commander briefly. When the war finished he was serving as Senior Officer Administration at Headquarters No 12 Group RAF.
Immediately after the war Warfield was involved in the conflict with communist guerrilla forces
on the Malayan Peninsula
that created the Malayan Union
. He was posted as Command Armament Officer at Headquarters Far Eastern Air Command. The following year he was promoted as a substantive Group Captain
and appointed as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Air Headquarters Malaya, later moving to Advance AHQ Malaya. In 1950 Warfield returned to the UK as Officer Commanding RAF Waddington
in Lincolnshire
.
In September 1955 Warfield was promoted to Acting Air Commodore
as Air Officer Commanding No. 66 (Scottish) Group RAF. In January 1957 the Air Commodore rank was made substantive and he was appointed as Air Officer Administration at Headquarters British Forces Arabian Peninsula.
from Air Commodore J H T Simpson. The ROC was Warfield's final service appointment and he retired on 26 June 1961, handing over command to Air Commodore C M Wight-Boycott.
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
John "Johnnie" Mortimer Warfield CBE RAF R’td
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 a bomber pilot during the Second World War, a senior RAF staff officer and commander during the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
in the 1950s and, as an 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 his final tour, the ninth 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....
.
RAF service
Warfield joined the Royal Air ForceRoyal 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...
on 29 December 1930 on a short service commission and commenced training 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...
, 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...
and two months later transferred to the No. 2 Flying Training School as a pilot under instruction. On 29 December 1931 he was posted as a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
in the rank of 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...
to No. 13 Squadron RAF.
Promoted to 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...
in August 1932 and 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 April 1936, Warfield was appointed as a flight commander on 13 Squadron before being posted to as a supernumerary officer at the Air Armaments School just three months later. Following his course on 3 July 1937 he was posted as Armament Officer at No. 5 Armament Training Establishment at RAF Penrhos
RAF Penrhos
RAF Penrhos was a World War II Royal Air Force airfield at Penrhos, on the Llŷn Peninsula near Pwllheli, Gwynedd. It was operational from 1 February 1937 to 21 October 1946 for armarment training, air observer, bombing and gunnery schools....
. The following year he was posted overseas to RAF Kalafrana seaplane base on Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
where he was promoted 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...
.
In February 1939, just before the Second World War started, Warfield was appointed as Command Armament Staff Officer at HQ Mediterranean Command at RAF Luqa
RAF Luqa
Royal Air Force Luqa was a flying station and location of RAF Mediterranean Command headquarters of the Royal Air Force on the island of Malta during World War II...
serving under Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd, a post he held until the spring of 1941 when 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 appointed as Officer Commanding of the Malta airbase RAF Ta' Qali.
In December 1942 Warfield returned to the UK and was appointed as Officer Commanding No. 226 Squadron RAF
No. 226 Squadron RAF
First formed on 1 April 1918 at Pizzone, Italy, by re-designating the Bombing School Pizzone, No. 226 Squadron RAF operated fast bombers and fighter aircraft and formed No. 472, 473 and 474 Flights within it in September 1918...
flying Douglas Boston III twin engined bombers from RAF Wattisham
RAF Wattisham
RAF Wattisham was a Royal Air Force station located in East Anglia just outside the village of Wattisham, south of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. During the Cold War it was a major front-line air force base...
in support of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
during daylight raids over Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In April 1943 Warfield was promoted in temporary rank of 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...
and served as the station commander of RAF Wattisham
RAF Wattisham
RAF Wattisham was a Royal Air Force station located in East Anglia just outside the village of Wattisham, south of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. During the Cold War it was a major front-line air force base...
where he remained until near the end of the war, when he was reverted to the rank of Wing Commander briefly. When the war finished he was serving as Senior Officer Administration at Headquarters No 12 Group RAF.
Immediately after the war Warfield was involved in the conflict with communist guerrilla forces
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
on the Malayan Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
that created the Malayan Union
Malayan Union
The Malayan Union was a federation of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single government so as to simplify administration. The Malayan Union later became the independent...
. He was posted as Command Armament Officer at Headquarters Far Eastern Air Command. The following year he was promoted as a substantive 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...
and appointed as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Air Headquarters Malaya, later moving to Advance AHQ Malaya. In 1950 Warfield returned to the UK as Officer Commanding RAF Waddington
RAF Waddington
RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.-Formation:Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into care and maintenance....
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...
.
In September 1955 Warfield was promoted to 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...
as Air Officer Commanding No. 66 (Scottish) Group RAF. In January 1957 the Air Commodore rank was made substantive and he was appointed as Air Officer Administration at Headquarters British Forces Arabian Peninsula.
Royal Observer Corps
On the 29 June 1959 Warfield took over as Commandant Royal 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....
from Air Commodore J H T Simpson. The ROC was Warfield's final service appointment and he retired on 26 June 1961, handing over command to Air Commodore C M Wight-Boycott.
Honours and awards
- 28 December 1945 - Officer 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...
. - 26 April 1949 - 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...
to Acting Group Captain John Mortimer Warfield OBE RAF for distinguished service in Malaya.