Wing Commander Frank William Foster DFC,

DSM DSM or dsm may refer to: Science and technology * Deep space maneuver * Design structure matrix or dependency structure matrix, a representation of a system or project * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ** DSM-5, the fifth e ...

(10 April 1887,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

— 5 March 1963,

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

). Although born in West London, he was brought up and educated in the

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

Stockcross Stockcross is a village in Berkshire, England. The village lies to the west of Newbury in the civil parish of Speen and the district of West Berkshire. Close to the cross-road in the middle of the village were the stocks hence the name Stock-Cr ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. He 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 1903 at the age of 16, and saw action in many theatres of

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 ...

, including the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

, in which he gained the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

. He transferred to the RAF in the latter part of the War, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry and devotion to duty in North Russia. At the cessation of activities he joined the little group of pioneers who were struggling to develop an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

deck landing technique on an old converted

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

— . During this period, he was in

No. 205 Squadron RAF No. 205 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit formed on 1 April 1918. Prior to this it had existed as No. 5 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). In 1929, it became the first RAF squadron to be permanently based in Singapore, taking as it ...

(Coastal Area, No.9 Group), based out of

RAF Leuchars Royal Air Force Leuchars or RAF Leuchars was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. Throughout the Cold War and beyond, the station was home to fighter aircraft which policed northern UK airspac ...

. In 1927, trouble flared up on the North-West Frontiers of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, and Flying Officer Foster was drafted with a

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...

of old Bristol Fighters to police the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

and keep order. This involved active duty for five years. As a form of relaxation, on one of his leaves he made a trek accompanied by an Indian guide to

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

, visiting the district of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

. Returning from India in 1933, a short spell as radio and communications instructor followed, prior to a return to the sea in the ill-fated HMS ''Courageous''. F/O Foster was transferred to a Coastal Command at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, a comparatively short time before HMS ''Courageous'' was sunk by enemy action. Coastal Command service led to promotion to the rank of Wing Commander, involving transfer to Western Approaches Command, Derby House,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, one of a number of vital communication centres for the three services. It figured in the tracking and final annihilation of the Bismarck. For his service he 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 ...

three times, on 17 March 1941, 11 June 1942 and 14 January 1944. Wing Commander Foster's service 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 opposin ...

carried him beyond the normal retiring age, but the day had to come, of course, when he had to take leave of the services, in November 1945. Not for him however was the sedentary life of retirement. In January 1946, he joined the

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but representing 44 nations. Founded in November 1943, it was dissolved in September 1948. it became part o ...

(UNRRA) as a Communications Officer, serving until the administration closed down in June 1948. The

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for aircr ...

knew the Wing Commander next, and he became an experimental officer acting as a liaison between 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 ...

and aircraft manufacturers. In December 1955 he had finally to retire from the active scene. Wing Commander Foster had a wife, Edith, and two children, Harold and Betty - his home remained at Stockcross until the end of his life, when he was taken to the Battle Hospital in

after a long fight against

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. He died there on 5 March 1963, aged 75.

Navy career

Source: * 22 June 1903 - Volunteered * 23 June 1903 - Boy 2nd Class, HMS ''Impregnable'' * 21 January 1904 - Boy 1st Class * 1 September 1904 - Signal Boy, HMS ''Hercules'' * 22 November 1904 - HMS ''Sutlej'' * 25 January 1905 - HMS ''Iphigenia'' * 27 April 1905 - Signalman (signed up for 12 years service) * 20 August 1905 - HMS ''Hogue'' * 9 November 1905 - Qual. Sig. * 13 February 1906 - HMS ''Tamar'' * 13 March 1907 - HMS ''Spartiate'' * 14 May 1907 - HMS ''Victory'' * 1 October 1907 - Signalman * 15 December 1907 - HMS ''Grafton'' * 1 April 1908 - Leading Signalman * 27 September 1908 - HMS ''Victory'' * 7 January 1909 - HMS ''Hawke'' * 1 March 1909 - HMS Tamar (Otter) * 1 April 1909 -

HMS King Alfred One ship and two shore establishments of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''King Alfred'', after Alfred the Great: Ships * was a armoured cruiser launched in 1901 and sold in 1920. Shore establishments

* was a training establishment at ...

* 1 October 1909 - HMS ''Tamar'' (Otter) * 1 April 1910 - HMS Minotaur * 16 August 1910 - HMS ''Tamar'' (Otter) * 1 April 1911 - HMS ''Crescent'' * 22 June 1911 - HMS ''Victory'' * 28 January 1912 - HMS ''Arrogant'' * 30 April 1912 - HMS ''Crescent'' * 14 May 1912 - HMS ''Orontes'' (Albatross) * 1 July 1912 - HMS ''Egmont'' * 15 November 1913 - HMS ''Victory'' * 1 October 1914 - Yeoman of Signals * 23 October 1914 - HMS ''Emperor of India'' * 19 June 1916 - Acting Signal Boatswain * 19 October 1916 - HMS ''Superb'' (

1st Battle Squadron The 1st Battle Squadron was a naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 1st Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After World War I the Grand Fleet was reverted to its original name, t ...

) * 11 August 1917 - Signal Boatswain ''(Available naval records stop here)''

RAF career

* 27 July 1918 - Appointed Second Lieutenant Observer * 22 December 1918 -

Pilot Officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

* 6 May 1920 - Air Ministry * 27 January 1920 - Promoted Observer Officer * 15 July 1926 - Appointed Flying Officer (on abolition of title of Observer) * 1 Nov 1928 - No.2 (Indian Wing) Station,

Risalpur Risalpur (Pashto/ ur, رسالپور) is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin so ...

* 19 June 1931 - Promoted

Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

, General Duties Branch * 30 June 1932 - HMS ''Courageous'' * 1 July 1938 - Promoted

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

* 24 April 1940 - Transferred to Technical Branch * 1 December 1940 - Promoted Wing Commander (temporary) - placed on retired list and re-employed with RAF * 11 November 1945 - Reverted to retired list, as Wing Commander

Honours and awards

* Mons Star, Yeoman of Signals 1914/15 * Distinguished Service Medal - 15 September 1916 ''The following awards have been approved in connection with the recommendations of the Commander-in-Chief for services rendered by Petty Officers and men of the Grand Fleet in the action in the North Sea on the 31st May - 1 June 1916 - To receive the Distinguished Service Medal, Yeoman of Signals Frank William Foster, O.N 226416 (now Acting Signal Boatswain)'' * Distinguished Flying Cross - 22 December 1918 "Pilot Officer Frank William Foster DSM (North Russia) In recognition of distinguished services rendered during the War and since the close of hostilities." * General Service Medal, 2nd/Lt RAF 1918 * Victory Service Medal, 2nd/Lt RAF 1918 * India General Service Medal & Bar, F/O RAF 1930/31 (North West Frontier) * Silver Jubilee Medal, 1935 * Coronation Medal, 1937 * War Medal & Mentioned in Despatches clasp, 1939/45 * Defence Medal, 1945

References

External links

* Naval communications history �
Royal Naval Communications Association, Communications History - The First Signal Schools
* Derby House, Liverpool �
Liverpool and the Battle of the Atlantic
an
Western Approaches - History (BBC Liverpool, Local History)
* Large naval history sites �
Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk
an

* Fleet Air Arm Archive �

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Frank William 1887 births 1963 deaths Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom) Royal Navy personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Navy sailors Royal Air Force officers