Air chief marshal Sir William Alec Coryton, (16 February 1895 – 20 October 1981) was a senior

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF) commander in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He was considered by his peers as one of the RAF's most capable group commanders.

Early life and First World War

Coryton was born at Pentillie Castle in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

on 16 February 1895. He was commissioned as an officer in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

's Rifle Brigade (

Special Reserve The Special Reserve was established on 1 April 1908 with the function of maintaining a reservoir of manpower for the British Army and training replacement drafts in times of war. Its formation was part of the military reforms implemented by Ri ...

) during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1918 he was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (RAF) as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. When the RFC became the

, he resigned his army commission and became an officer of the Royal Air Force.

RAF career

From 1925 to 1928, Coryton was Officer Commanding 16 Squadron, based at

Old Sarum Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the now ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest r ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, operating the

Bristol F.2 Fighter The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit"'' or ''"Bif ...

in the tactical

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

role. In 1938 Coryton was made Director of Operations (Overseas) at the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

. He held this post until April 1942, when he was assigned Air Officer Commanding No. 5 Group RAF. While there he presided over the introduction of the Avro Lancaster into service. In February 1943 Coryton was relieved and replaced by

Ralph Cochrane Air Chief Marshal Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane, (24 February 1895 – 17 December 1977) was a British aviator and Royal Air Force officer, perhaps best known for his role in Operation Chastise, the famous "Dambusters" raid. Early RAF career Ral ...

. Air Vice Marshal

Don Bennett Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett, (14 September 1910 – 15 September 1986) was an Australian aviation pioneer and bomber pilot who rose to be the youngest air vice marshal in the Royal Air Force. He led the "Pathfinder F ...

asserted that Coryton was sacked by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris for refusing to send a force of 24 of his Lancasters in poor weather conditions on a sneak raid to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. Coryton was moved to the Air Staff at the Air Ministry, where he served as Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations). On 25 August 1944 Coryton was made Commander, RAF Third Tactical Air Force, which was renamed RAF in Bengal & Burma on 4 December 1944 with Coryton remaining in command. Ten days later he was made Assistant Air Commander, Eastern Air Command, a position he held until May 1945. About 15 October 1945, he handed over his duties in Burma and became Controller of Research and Development at the Ministry of Aircraft Production. The next year he transferred to the Ministry of Supply as Controller of Supplies (Air).Rafweb, "Air of Authority." Coryton retired from the RAF in 1951, but remained at the Ministry of Supply in a civilian capacity. He died on 20 October 1981 at Langton Matravers,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

References

External links

Air Chief Marshal Coryton
at Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Coryton, Alec 1895 births 1981 deaths Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Flying Corps officers British Militia officers Rifle Brigade officers Military personnel from Cornwall Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Members of the Royal Victorian Order Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Commanders of the Legion of Merit People from Cornwall