Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

Francis Rowland Scarlett, (18 May 1875 – 15 April 1934) 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.

Early and family life

Francis Rowland Scarlett was born on 18 May 1875, the son of

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

William James Scarlett. At the age of 29 he married Dora Blakiston-Houston, the daughter of John Blakiston-Houston, an Irish Unionist Party politician. He was the father of Air Vice Marshal James Rowland Scarlett-Streatfeild who was killed serving in 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 ...

Military career

Scarlett joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in (or around) 1891, and held the rank of

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 sub ...

when in July 1902 he was posted as 1st lieutenant on the training ship HMS ''Caledonia'', anchored at the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...

. In April 1913 he attended 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 ...

, being awarded his Aviator's Certificate no. 468 on 4 April 1913.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Vice-Marshal F R Scarlett
/ref> He served in 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 ...

as the Inspecting Captain of Aircraft, of Air Stations and then of Air Training, gaining a promotion to wing captain at the close of 1915. In February 1916 he became Commander of all

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 ...

units in the Eastern Mediterranean and in May 1919 he was given command of No. 12 Group. He was created a Commander of the Greek

Order of the Redeemer The Order of the Redeemer ( el, Τάγμα του Σωτήρος, translit=Tágma tou Sotíros), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the ...

. In December 1919 became was made Officer Commanding the No. 1 School of Technical Training at

RAF Halton Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World W ...

and on 22 January 1920, he was awarded a permanent commission in the

RAF 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 went on to be Air Officer Commanding Coastal Area in 1924, Air Officer Commanding

Air Defence of Great Britain The Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) was a RAF command comprising substantial army and RAF elements responsible for the air defence of the British Isles. It lasted from 1925, following recommendations that the RAF take control of homeland air ...

(on a temporary basis) in 1928 and Air Officer Commanding Fighting Area in January 1929. His last appointment was as Air Officer Commanding

Middle East Command Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...

in October 1929 before he retired in the rank of

air vice marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

in December 1931.

References

, - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Scarlett, Francis Rowland 1875 births 1934 deaths Royal Navy officers Royal Air Force generals of World War I Royal Air Force air marshals Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Aviation pioneers