Air Commodore Ernest William Norton, (14 May 1893 – 23 May 1966) was a British

air officer An air officer is an air force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force, air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth nations ...

of the

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) and ...

(RAF), who began his military career as a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

of the

First World War 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 ...

credited with nine aerial victories. He rose through the ranks in a mixture of domestic and foreign assignments during the interwar period until he was appointed Air Officer-in-Charge at RAF Headquarters in Singapore on 28 December 1937. By 7 September 1941, he was serving as an air commodore for

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the 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. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...

in Britain. He retired from the RAF on 24 February 1944.

Early life and background

Norton was born in Dolguan, Newtown,

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...

, the son of Clement W. Norton. He was educated at Newtown County School, and then worked at a motor establishment in

Welshpool Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...

First World War

On the outbreak of the

in August 1914 Norton was mobilized to serve in his

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

regiment, the

Montgomeryshire Yeomanry The Montgomeryshire Yeomanry was a Welsh auxiliary unit of the British Army first formed in 1803. It served in home defence and for internal security, including deployments to deal with Chartist disturbances in the 1830s. It provided volunteers ...

, as a

despatch rider A despatch rider (or dispatch) is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle (and occasionally in Egypt during World War I, on camels). In the UK 'despatch rider' is also a term used for a motorcycle courier. Despatch riders were use ...

. On 25 May 1915 he was commissioned as a probationary flight sub-lieutenant to serve in the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

. Following flight training he was granted Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate No. 1476 on 29 July after soloing a Maurice Farman biplane at the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at R ...

Upavon Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...

. In September he was confirmed in his rank of flight sub-lieutenant, with seniority from 25 May, and was posted to No. 5 Squadron at

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, but was soon transferred to "A" Squadron, No. 1 Wing. On 23 January 1916 Norton dropped a bomb on a

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

, which had been previously attacked by another aircraft, whilst patrolling off

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

. In March he was reported as having been injured in the foot, leg, and head during an attack on a

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

. On 28 July he was promoted to flight lieutenant, and at some point afterwards was appointed an acting flight commander. Norton was back in action with No. 1 Wing on 20 October, flying a

Nieuport 11 The Nieuport 11 (or Nieuport XI C.1 in contemporary sources), nicknamed the ''Bébé'', was a French World War I single seat sesquiplane fighter aircraft, designed by Gustave Delage. It was the primary aircraft that ended the Fokker Scourge in ...

armed with

Le Prieur rocket ''Le Prieur'' rockets (French ''Fusées Le Prieur'') were a type of incendiary air-to-air rocket used in World War I against observation balloons and airships. They were invented by the French lieutenant Yves Le Prieur and were first used in the ...

s,Franks (2000), p. 12. with which he destroyed an enemy

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...

at Ostend. He was later awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

for this action, which was gazetted on 1 January 1917. His citation read: Norton was then transferred to No. 6 Squadron, flying a

Nieuport 17bis The Nieuport 17bis C.1 (or Nieuport XVIIbis C.1 in contemporary sources) was a World War I French single-seat sesquiplane fighter that was produced under licence in the United Kingdom in small numbers for the Royal Naval Air Service. Development ...

, serving on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

. On 8 February 1917 he drove down an

Aviatik C Automobil und Aviatik AG was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I. The company was established at Mülhausen (today in France) in 1909 and soon became one of the country's leading producers of aircraft. It relocated to Freiburg in 1 ...

out of control over

Houthulst Houthulst (; vls, Oetulst, ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality consists of the sub-municipalities Houthulst, Jonkershove, Klerken and Merkem. On January 1, 2006, Houthulst had a total population ...

Forest, and on 27 February he was again appointed an acting flight commander. On 5 April he downed two

Albatros D.II The Albatros D.II was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. After a successful combat career in the early '' Jagdstaffeln'', it was gradually superseded by the Albatros D.III. Design and development Albatros designers Robert Thelen ...

s west of

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

, and on 9 April two

Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service (''Luftstreitkräfte'') during World War I. A modified licence model was built by Oeffag for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service ( ''Luftfahrtruppen''). T ...

s over

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

, also surviving a crash landing that burnt out his aircraft.Franks (2000), p. 32. He drove down another D.III east of Honnecourt early on 29 April, and later the same day he accounted for two more D.IIIs over

Guise Guise (; nl, Wieze) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The city was the birthplace of the noble family of Guise, Dukes of Guise, who later became Princes of Joinville. Population Sights The remains ...

, to bring his victory total to nine. Norton was promoted to flight commander on 30 June, and as an acting squadron commander was appointed

Officer Commanding The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, ...

, No. 12 Squadron on 1 July, then commanded No. 9 Squadron from 15 September, finally receiving promotion to squadron commander on 31 December 1917. On 1 April 1918, the Royal Naval Air Service and the Army's

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

were merged to form the Royal Air Force, and Norton was transferred to the new force with the rank of major. He commanded

No. 204 Squadron RAF No. 204 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit first formed in March 1915 as No.4 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service. First World War No. 4 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service was formed on 25 March 1915 at Dover from the former RNAS Defence Flight.Jeff ...

from 27 July, then No. 65 Wing from December.

Inter-war career

In the immediate post-war period Norton received several decorations from the Allies. He was made an Officer of the Order of the Crown by Belgium on 8 February 1919, and was awarded the ''Croix de guerre'' with Palm by France on 5 April, and received the Belgian ''Croix de guerre'' on 15 July. On 1 August 1919 Norton was granted a permanent commission in the RAF, initially with the rank of major, later changed to squadron leader. On 21 February 1920 Norton was appointed to the staff of the No. 1 School of Technical Training (Boys), and then served as an instructor at the

No. 1 Flying Training School The No. 1 Flying Training School (1 FTS) is the oldest military pilot training school in the world, currently used to deliver rotary training to aircrew of the British armed forces. History First formation (1919 – 1928) On 23 December 1919 ...

from 1 October 1923. He was then sent to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, where he was appointed Officer Commanding, No. 6 Armoured Car Company on 5 December 1924. On 1 July 1925 he was promoted to wing commander, and on 1 December took command of No. 70 Squadron, based at

RAF Hinaidi Royal Air Force Hinaidi or more commonly known as RAF Hinaidi (or Hinaidi Cantonment), is a former Royal Air Force station near Baghdad in the Kingdom of Iraq. It was operational from 1922 until 1937, when operations were transferred to RAF H ...

. The following year Norton returned to England, being transferred to the Home Establishment on 20 August 1926, and was posted temporarily to the Depot at

RAF Uxbridge RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Uxbridge, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, occupying a site that originally belonged to the Hillingdon House estate. The British Government purchased the estate in 1915, three years ...

before attending a Staff Course at the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equiv ...

, from 28 September. On completion of his studies Norton was slated for command of No. 7 Squadron based at

RAF Worthy Down RAF Worthy Down was a Royal Air Force station built in 1918, north of Winchester, Hampshire, England. After it was transferred to Royal Navy control in 1939 as RNAS Worthy Down (HMS Kestrel), the airfield remained in use throughout the Second Wo ...

, but this was later cancelled and instead he was appointed commander of No. 58 Squadron on 28 July 1927. On 30 June 1928, during the ninth annual Royal Air Force Display at

Hendon Aerodrome Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in London, England, that was an important centre for aviation from 1908 to 1968. It was situated in Colindale, north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became a central hub of civil aviation ("the Charing Cros ...

, Norton took part in the "Aerial Parade" led by the prototype

Beardmore Inflexible The Beardmore Inflexible, also known as the Rohrbach Ro VI, was a three-engined all-metal prototype bomber aircraft built by William Beardmore and Company at Dalmuir, Scotland. Design and development William Beardmore and Company had acquired ...

, Boulton & Paul Partridge,

Hawker Hawfinch The Hawker Hawfinch was a British single-engined biplane fighter of the 1920s. It was unsuccessful, with the Bristol Bulldog being selected instead. Development The Hawker Hawfinch fighter aircraft was designed in 1925 as a replacement for both ...

, and

Bristol Bulldog The Bristol Bulldog is a British Royal Air Force single-seat biplane fighter designed during the 1920s by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. More than 400 Bulldogs were produced for the RAF and overseas customers, and it was one of the most fa ...

aircraft, followed by the

Vickers Virginia The Vickers Virginia was a biplane heavy bomber of the British Royal Air Force, developed from the Vickers Vimy. Design and development Work on the Virginia was started in 1920, as a replacement for the Vimy. Two prototypes were ordered on 13 ...

and

Handley Page Hyderabad The Handley Page H.P.24 Hyderabad was a twin-engine biplane heavy bomber designed and produced by the United Kingdom, British aircraft manufacturer Handley Page. It holds the distinction of being the last wooden heavy bomber to be operated by ...

bombers of No. 7, No. 58 and No. 10 Squadrons, and the

Fairey Fox The Fairey Fox was a British light bomber and fighter biplane of the 1920s and 1930s. It was originally produced in Britain for the RAF, but continued in production and use in Belgium long after it was retired in Britain. Development and desi ...

es of No. 12,

Hawker Horsley The Hawker Horsley was a British single-engined biplane bomber of the 1920s. It was the last all-wooden aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft, and served as a medium day bomber and torpedo bomber with Britain's Royal Air Force between 1926 and 1935 ...

s of No. 11, and the

Hawker Woodcock The Hawker Woodcock was a British single-seat fighter built by the Hawker Engineering Company as the first fighter to be produced by Hawker Engineering (the successor to Sopwith Aviation). It was used by the RAF as a night fighter in the 1920 ...

s of

No. 3 ''No. 3'' () is a 1997 Koreans, South Korean Kkangpae, gangster comedy film starring Han Suk-kyu as the titular no. 3 man of a gang who's aspiring to rise up the ranks and become the leader of his own gang. It was writer-director Song Nung-han's ...

and No. 17 fighter squadrons. In August Norton led No. 58 Squadron in the 1928 Air Manoeuvres, as part of the attacking "Eastland" forces under Air Vice-Marshal Sir John M. Steel, against the defenders of "Westland" commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Sir

Robert Brooke-Popham Air Chief Marshal Sir Henry Robert Moore Brooke-Popham, (18 September 1878 – 20 October 1953) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. During the First World War he served in the Royal Flying Corps as a wing commander and senior staff o ...

. The exercises were designed to test unit efficiency, and to improve the co-ordination of air and ground defence systems in organization, tactics, and communications. On 7 December 1928 Norton was appointed temporary Station Commander of

, before returning to command of No. 58 Squadron on 18 April 1929. In the Air Manoeuvres of August 1930 he led No. 58 Squadron as part on the attacking Blue forces, against the defending Red forces. From 18 August 1930 Norton served as Station Commander at

RAF Upavon Royal Air Force Upavon or RAF Upavon is a former RAF station in Wiltshire, England. It was a grass airfield, military flight training school, and administrative headquarters of the Royal Air Force. The station opened in 1912 and closed in 1993, ...

. He was promoted to group captain on 1 July 1932, and left Upavon on 27 July, taking command of No. 5 Flying Training School at

RAF Sealand MoD Sealand (formerly RAF Sealand), is a Ministry of Defence installation in Flintshire, in the northeast corner of Wales, close to the border with England. It is a former Royal Air Force station, active between 1916 and 2006. Under defence cu ...

on 5 August. On 1 January 1937 Norton was promoted to air commodore, and on 15 February was transferred to the headquarters of

Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

Lee-on-the-Solent Lee-on-the-Solent, often referred to as Lee-on-Solent, is a seaside district of the Borough of Gosport in Hampshire, England, about five miles (8 km) west of Portsmouth. The area is located on the coast of the Solent. It is primarily a resi ...

to serve as Air Officer-in-Charge of Administration. On 28 December Norton was appointed Air Officer-in-Charge of Administration at the headquarters of RAF Far East at

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Second World War

Norton returned to the United Kingdom to serve as Duty Air Commodore at the Headquarters of

Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the 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. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...

from 7 September 1941, and retired from the RAF on 24 February 1944.

References

;Notes

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Ernest 1893 births 1966 deaths British World War I flying aces People from Powys People from Newtown, Powys Military personnel from Powys Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Naval Air Service aviators Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich British Army personnel of World War I Royal Navy personnel of World War I Montgomeryshire Yeomanry soldiers