Walter Merton
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Sir Walter Hugh Merton GBE
, KCB
, RAF (29 August 1905 - 23 March 1986) was a senior Royal Air Force
commander during World War II
. After the War he held several senior RAF appointments before his retirement in 1963.
, Merton joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet in 1924. He was appointed Officer Commanding No. 38 Squadron
in 1937. He served in World War II
as Officer Commanding No. 218 Squadron
and then as Officer Commanding No. 37 Squadron
. He continued his war service as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters 257 Wing and then in the Middle East. He was made Station Commander at RAF Luqa
in 1943 and Assistant Commandant at the RAF War Staff College in April 1944 before becoming Director of Organisation at the Air Ministry
in August 1944.
After the War he became Station Commander at RAF Mildenhall
and then at RAF Upwood
before becoming Air Attaché
in Prague
in 1947. He was appointed Deputy Director for Air Force Liaison in 1948, Head of the RAF Delegation in Greece
in 1949 and Air Officer Commanding No. 63 Group in 1951. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 22 Group
in 1952, Chief of Staff to the Royal New Zealand Air Force
in 1954 and Air Officer for Administration at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command
in 1956. After that he was made Chief of Staff at Headquarters Allied Air Forces Central Europe
in 1959 and Air Member for Supply and Organisation
in 1960 before retiring in 1963.
In retirement he became Inspector-General of Civil Defence
.
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Walter Hugh Merton GBE
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...
, KCB
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...
, RAF (29 August 1905 - 23 March 1986) was 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 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...
. After the War he held several senior RAF appointments before his retirement in 1963.
RAF career
Born a CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Merton joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet in 1924. He was appointed Officer Commanding No. 38 Squadron
No. 38 Squadron RAF
No. 38 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a bomber squadron formed in 1916 and was disbanded for the last time in 1967.-World War I :...
in 1937. He served 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...
as Officer Commanding No. 218 Squadron
No. 218 Squadron RAF
No. 218 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was also known as No 218 Squadron after the Governor of the Gold Coast and people of the Gold Coast officially adopted the squadron.-World War I:...
and then as Officer Commanding No. 37 Squadron
No. 37 Squadron RAF
-History:No. 37 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Orfordness, Suffolk, on 15 April 1916 but ceased to exist a month later. In September of that year, it was re-formed, with headquarters at Woodham Mortimer, in Essex. It responsibilities included defending London against aerial attack...
. He continued his war service as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters 257 Wing and then in the Middle East. He was made Station Commander 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...
in 1943 and Assistant Commandant at the RAF War Staff College in April 1944 before becoming Director of Organisation at 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...
in August 1944.
After the War he became Station Commander at RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
and then at RAF Upwood
RAF Upwood
RAF Upwood was a United States Air Force installation adjacent to the village of Upwood, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom.It is a non-flying station which was under the control of the United States Air Force, and one of three RAF stations in Cambridgeshire currently used by the United States...
before becoming Air Attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in 1947. He was appointed Deputy Director for Air Force Liaison in 1948, Head of the RAF Delegation in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in 1949 and Air Officer Commanding No. 63 Group in 1951. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 22 Group
No. 22 Group RAF
Number 22 Group is one of only three groups currently active in the Royal Air Force, falling under the responsibility of Deputy Commander-in-Chief in Air Command. Its current full title is Number 22 Group and it is responsible for RAF training policy and controlling the Royal Air Force College...
in 1952, Chief of Staff to the Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
in 1954 and Air Officer for Administration at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
in 1956. After that he was made Chief of Staff at Headquarters Allied Air Forces Central Europe
Allied Air Forces Central Europe
Allied Air Forces Central Europe was the headquarters for NATO air forces in Central Europe from 1951 to 1967 and from 1974 to 1993.-History:It was first based at Fontainebleau , and originally activated in April 1951...
in 1959 and Air Member for Supply and Organisation
Air Member for Supply and Organisation
The Air Member for Supply and Organisation was the senior Royal Air Force officer responsible for procurement matters: he was a member of the Air Force Board...
in 1960 before retiring in 1963.
In retirement he became Inspector-General of Civil Defence
Civil Defence Department
From 1935 to 1971 civil defence in the United Kingdom was the responsibility of the Civil Defence Department and resulted in the establishment during 1957 of the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation...
.
Honours and awards
- Knight Grand Cross 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...
- 1 January 1963 (OBE - 24 September 1941) - Knight Commander of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe 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...
- 1 January 1959 (CB - 1 June 1953) - Air ADC to The QueenAide-de-campAn aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
- 19 November 1962 to 29 August 1963 - Mentioned in Despatches - 1 January 1941, 1 January 1943, 14 January 1944
- Grand Cross of the Order of George IOrder of George IThe Royal Order of George I is a defunct order of Greece.- History :The order was founded in 1915 by King Constantine I in honor of his father, George I. It was only the second Greek order to be created after the Order of the Redeemer in 1833, and remained the second senior award of the Greek...
with Swords (Greece) - 1951 (Officer, with swords - 29 Dec 1942) - Gold Cross of the Order of St. GeorgeOrder of St. GeorgeThe Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный орден Св...
with crossed swords (Greece) - 1951 - Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) - 1963