Air Marshal Sir Francis John Linnell, (16 March 1892 – 3 November 1944) 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) and ...

commander during the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

. He was Controller of Research and Development of the

Ministry of Aircraft Production Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

during the development of the

Bouncing bomb A bouncing bomb is a bomb designed to bounce to a target across water in a calculated manner to avoid obstacles such as torpedo nets, and to allow both the bomb's speed on arrival at the target and the timing of its detonation to be pre-deter ...

, the weapon eventually employed in

Operation Chastise Operation Chastise or commonly known as the Dambusters Raid was an attack on German dams carried out on the night of 16/17 May 1943 by 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command, later called the Dam Busters, using special "bouncing bombs" developed by ...

. 'Jack' was dubbed Sir Francis in the desert in front of the British press by King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

and posthumously appointed Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

by U.S. President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

Career

Francis John Linnell was born on

Isle of Thanet The Isle of Thanet () is a peninsula forming the easternmost part of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, it is no longer an island. Archaeological remains testify to its settlement in anc ...

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

and was educated at

Bloxham School Bloxham School, also called All Saints' School, is an Independent school (UK), independent co-educational day and boarding school of the public school (UK), British public school tradition, located in the village of Bloxham, three miles (5 ...

First World War

Linnell joined the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...

as temporary warrant-telegraphist in September 1914, serving with 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 ...

in France and Belgium. He learnt to fly at the

Grahame-White Grahame-White was an early British aircraft manufacturer, flying school and later manufacturer of cyclecars. The company was established as ''Grahame-White Aviation Company'' by Claude Grahame-White at Hendon in 1911. The firm built mostly aircra ...

Flying School

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...

. Flying a Grahame-White

Biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

he gained

Royal Aero Club The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910. History The Aero Club was foun ...

Certificate No.1338 in June 1915. Flt Sub-Lt Linnell was responsible for carrying out trials in a special Blackburn-built B.E.2c. The unique aircraft No.3999 was ordered by Admiralty for W/T experiments, it was fitted with a 70 hp Renault engine and had a top speed of 72 mph. Blackburn-built B.E.2cs are recognisable by the ringed airscrew motif on the fin and saw active service in every theatre during the war.flymachines.ru
/ref>
Air Marshal Sir Francis Linnell From March 1916 till the end of 1919 he served with the

Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from the ...

as a pilot on , and ''Kent Messenger'', 22 March 1941. and was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

twice. He ended the

Great 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 ...

with a permanent commission of captain in the newly formed

. The Dunning Memorial Cup, given annually to the officer that has done the most to further aviation in connection with the fleet, was awarded Linnell in 1920 "... for flights which led to important developments in artillery and reconnaissance observation."

Inter war years

From 1920 he worked as a

(RAF) Communications Officer at the Department of Civil Aviation, then transferred to Signals Staff duties 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 ...

in 1925. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in June 1923, the citation reads, "This officer has done exceptionally good work in connection with Signals. His liaison with the Navy and the Army has been excellent." He received special thanks from the

Air Council Air Council (or Air Force Council) was the governing body of the Royal Air Force until the merger of the Air Ministry with the other armed forces ministries to form the Ministry of Defence in 1964. It was succeeded by the Air Force Board. Mem ...

for preparing the handbook on air communications and intelligence systems for the air defence of Great Britain.''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', 4 November 1944. His first command on 20 October 1930 was

No. 9 Squadron RAF Number 9 Squadron (otherwise known as No. IX (Bomber) Squadron or No. IX (B) Squadron) is the oldest dedicated Bomber Squadron of the Royal Air Force. Formed in December 1914, it saw service throughout the First World War, including at the Somm ...

located at

RAF Manston Royal Air Force Manston or more simply RAF Manston is a former Royal Air Force station located in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site was split between a commercial airport Kent International Airpor ...

and then in September 1931 Wg Cdr Linnell was Officer Commanding

RAF Malta 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 ...

. He spent 1933 attending the course at RN Staff College

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

after which he took command of

No. 99 Squadron RAF Number 99 Squadron is a squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Air Force which operates the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic/tactical transport aircraft from RAF Brize Norton. The squadron conducts global deployments on behalf of the B ...

He became the first Station Commander at

RAF Mildenhall Royal Air Force Mildenhall or RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located near Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a Royal Air Force station, it primarily supports United States Air Force (USAF) operations, and ...

four days before it hosted 70,000 people for the start of the RAeC

MacRobertson Air Race The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race (also known as the London to Melbourne Air Race) took place in October 1934 as part of the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The race was devised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Harold Gengoult Smith, and th ...

(England to Australia) of 1934. Then in July 1935, the year of the Silver Jubilee,

welcomed King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

for the first ever Royal review of the RAF. Linnell returned to the Air Ministry in July 1935 as Deputy Director of Organisation, Department of A.M.S.O.

Second World War

After attending

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

from the beginning of 1939 until 25 August, he was attached to HQ

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...

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 ...

in Charge of Administration and

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

in 1940. In February 1941 he joined the Air Ministry as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in charge of Training. On March, 1941 he was awarded the

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

. He was appointed Controller of Research and Development

and an additional Member of the Air Council on 5 June of the same year. A post that he held until 19 April 1943. King George knighting Sir John Linnell

From May 1943 Air Marshal Linnell was Deputy AO C-in-C,

RAF Mediterranean and Middle East 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 ...

He was advanced from an Officer to a

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(KBE) in June 1943, and knighted in the field by King

, at an operational airport in the Tunisian desert. Linnell rejoined the Air Ministry in July 1944 for special duties. He died on active service, 3 November 1944, in a car accident in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, aged fifty-two. He was cremated at

Charing Charing is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, in south-east England. It includes the settlements of Charing Heath and Westwell Leacon. It is located at the foot of the North Downs and reaches up to the escarpment. T ...

(Kent County) Crematorium.
CWGC Casualty Record. Linnell was posthumously invested as a Commander of the United States

in recognition of his outstanding services in the Mediterranean theatre of operations from 29 February – 29 June 1944. The decoration was presented to his widow, Lady Linnell, by Brigadier General E. F. Koenig at a special ceremony in London.

Project ''Upkeep''

Linnell was apparently against the idea of a

bouncing bomb A bouncing bomb is a bomb designed to bounce to a target across water in a calculated manner to avoid obstacles such as torpedo nets, and to allow both the bomb's speed on arrival at the target and the timing of its detonation to be pre-deter ...

Royal Air Force Museum London
Wing Commander Winterbotham's Letter reasoning that it was drawing development resources away from the prototype high altitude bomber

Vickers Windsor The Vickers Windsor was a Second World War British four-engine heavy bomber, designed by Barnes Wallis and Rex Pierson at the Vickers-Armstrongs factory at Brooklands. Design and development As a possible replacement for the pre-war Vickers ...

, his thinking may have been influenced by Charles Craven, the Chairman at

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

.New Scientist
2 March 1978 pages 563–564 Early in 1943, tests authorised by Linnell in June 1942 at the instigation of

Sir Henry Tizard Sir Henry Thomas Tizard (23 August 1885 – 9 October 1959) was an English chemist, inventor and Rector of Imperial College, who developed the modern " octane rating" used to classify petrol, helped develop radar in World War II, and led the f ...

, indicated that a

was technically feasible. A meeting between the Air Ministry,

and MAP decided to continue development of project ''Upkeep'' with a proposal to have a fully trained squadron ready by May.

AOC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of ...

-in-C of

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle o ...

thought differently and saw the project as a waste of precious Lancasters. However Chief of the Air Staff

Portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

was convinced by film footage of the tests and ordered three Lancasters allocated to the project. One week later, at a meeting convened by Linnell, the number of Lancasters ordered had risen to a squadron and

was planned for that spring.Dambusters – Operation ''Chastise'' 1943
by Douglas C.Dildy

Personal life

Only son of William Henry and Kate Linnell, he had one sister, Marjorie Clare. On 26 May 1917, 'Jack' married Margaret Christabel Carpenter of

St Leonards-on-Sea St Leonards-on-Sea (commonly known as St Leonards) is a town and seaside resort in the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. It has been part of the borough since the late 19th century and lies to the west of central Hastings. The origina ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, at

Christ Church, Turnham Green Christ Church, Turnham Green is a Grade II listed Anglican church sited on the eastern half of Turnham Green in Chiswick, west London. The church and the green on which it sits are local landmarks, and are considered of special historic interest ...

. They had no children.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Linnell, Francis John 1892 births 1944 deaths Aerial warfare pioneers Commanders of the Legion of Merit Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Bloxham School People from Margate People from Thanet (district) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Royal Air Force air marshals of World War II Royal Naval Air Service aviators Road incident deaths in England Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Naval Reserve personnel