Air Vice Marshal Frank Linden Hopps, (3 December 1894 – 10 October 1976) was a senior officer 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) an ...

(RAF). During the First World War, Hopps was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 5th Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, but later transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). After training as a pilot, Hopps was posted in August 1917 to a scout (fighter) squadron on the Western Front, No. 20 Squadron RFC. (The RAF was formed from a merger of the RFC and Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918.) Hopps remained in the RAF following the end of the war. In 1929, he graduated from the RAF College, Cranwell. After the beginning of the Second World War, Hopps (with the rank of temporary group captain) served as station commander at

RAF Eastchurch Royal Air Force Eastchurch or more simply RAF Eastchurch (formerly RNAS Eastchurch) is a former Royal Air Force station near Eastchurch village, on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England. The history of aviation at Eastchurch stretches back to the fi ...

during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

. During late 1942, he was posted to North-West Russia as commanding officer of the Search & Strike Force, an expeditionary

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

stationed in the Soviet Union, under the code name

Operation Orator Operation Orator was the code name for the defence of the Allied Arctic convoy Convoy PQ 18, PQ 18 by United Kingdom, British and Australian air force units, based temporarily in North-West Russia, against attack by the German battleship and oth ...

, to protect the Arctic convoy PQ 18. As a result of the operation's success, Hopps received the ''Orden Kutuzova'' (Order of Kutuzov) 3rd Class (OK3) – a Soviet military decoration awarded to senior officers for the skilful avoidance of attacks and/or leading successful counterattacks. In 1943–45, Hopps commanded No. 16 Group, which performed

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 ...

duties for

RAF 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 ...

. Following the end of the war, Hopps was appointed Air Officer in Charge of Administration (AOA) at the British Air Forces of Occupation in Germany. In 1947 he was appointed commander of No. 19 Group, a Coastal Command unit which included reconnaissance and strike squadrons. Hopps retired from the RAF, with the substantive rank of air vice marshal on 24 March 1950. Between 1953 and 1968, he was chief executive of the

Agricultural Engineers Association Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) is a trade association in the United Kingdom which represents manufacturers and importers of agricultural machinery and outdoor equipment to Government, Parliament, and the media. History The AEA was es ...

(UK).

Bibliography

* ''Lieutenant Frank Linden HOPPS. The King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry)'' (Officer's personal file; War Office), Public Records Office (ref. WO 374/34673) * ''Who Was Who: 1897–2000'', New York, St. Martin's Press, 2002, p. 403
Battle of Britain Historical Society, 2007, "Tuesday August 13th 1940 Adler Tag (Eagle Day) Begins"

FamilySearch, 2014, "Frank Linden Hopps, 1976", ''England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837–2007''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopps, Frank 1894 births 1976 deaths Royal Air Force air marshals Companions of the Order of the Bath Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Commanders of the Order of the British Empire King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry officers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Flying Corps officers Military personnel from London Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 3rd class Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell People from Hackney, London