Air Marshal Sir Hugh Sidney Porter Walmsley, (6 June 1898 – 2 September 1985) was a senior commander in 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 ...

during and after 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 opposi ...

. He was the final commander of

RAF India RAF India, later called Air Forces in India (1938–47) was a command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) that was active from 1918 until Indian independence and partition in 1947. It was the air force counterpart of the British Army in India. Origi ...

and the unified

Royal Indian Air Force The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the Indian Army, and Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire. The Indian Air Force was offi ...

before its division upon India's independence and partition.

RAF career

Educated at

Dover College , motto_translation = I cannot refuse the task , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = Church of England , headmaster = Simon Fisher , r_head_label = , r_head ...

, Walmsley was commissioned into the

Loyal North Lancashire Regiment The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Reg ...

in January 1916 during 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 ...

.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir Hugh Walmsley
/ref> He was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps later that year and received a permanent commission in the Royal Air Force in 1919. He 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, t ...

No. 33 Squadron in 1933 and Officer Commanding No. 8 Squadron in 1935 before becoming Station Commander at

RAF Abingdon Royal Air Force Abingdon or more simply RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps. History The airfield was opened in 1932, initially as ...

in 1937. He served in the

as Officer Commanding No. 71 Wing and Officer Commanding

RAF Scampton Royal Air Force Scampton or RAF Scampton is a Royal Air Force station located adjacent to the A15 road near to the village of Scampton, Lincolnshire, and north-west of the city of Lincoln, England. RAF Scampton stands on the site of a Firs ...

before transferring to Headquarters RAF Bomber Command. He continued his war service as Air Officer Commanding No. 6 (Bomber) Group, Air Officer Commanding No. 91 Group and as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Bomber Command. Finally he was made Air Officer Commanding No. 4 Group in May 1945. After the War he served with Transport Command in South East Asia before being appointed Air Officer Administration at AHQ India in June 1946. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at

in November 1946,

Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) may refer to: * Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Australia) * Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (India) * Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan) * Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom) The Deputy Chief ...

in February 1948 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Flying Training Command in 1950 before retiring in 1952. In retirement he became managing director of Air Service Training Limited at

Hamble Hamble may refer to: * The River Hamble in Hampshire, England * Hamble aerodrome on the banks of the River Hamble. ** Hamble-Warsash Ferry, a ferry service on the River Hamble * Hamble-le-Rice, a village on the river Hamble, close to the city of Sou ...

.AST Chief's Trip
Flight International, 29 January 1954

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Walmsley, Hugh Sidney Porter 1898 births 1985 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Flying Corps officers Loyal Regiment officers Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Dover College Recipients of the Military Cross Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)