Air Marshal Sir John Henry D'Albiac, (28 January 1894 – 20 August 1963) 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 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 ...

. Notably he was the British air commander for the Battle of Greece.

Biography

D'Albiac was educated at the Seabrook Lodge School in Kent,

Framlingham College Framlingham College is a public school (independent day and boarding school) in the town of Framlingham, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. Together with its preparatory school and nursery at Brandeston Hall, it serves pupils from 3 to 18 ye ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

. He was commissioned into the

Royal Marine Artillery The history of the Royal Marines began on 28 October 1664 with the formation of the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot soon becoming known as the Admiral's Regiment. During the War of the Spanish Succession the most historic achi ...

in 1914 but seconded to the Royal Naval Air Service during the following year.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir John D'Albiac
/ref> In 1916, whilst serving in France as an aeroplane observer, D'Albiac was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

. After serving as Station Commander at RAF Scopwick he transferred to the RAF on its establishment in 1918 and served on the Staff at Headquarters RAF Trans-Jordania from 1922 and as a Flight Commander in No. 99 Squadron from 1926. During the Second World War D'Albiac served as Air Officer Commanding RAF Palestine and Transjordan from August 1939, Air Officer Commanding British Forces in Greece from November 1940 before returning to be Air Officer Commanding RAF Palestine and Transjordan from May 1941 again. He continued his war service as Air Officer Commanding British Forces in Iraq from June 1941,Lyman, p. 19 Air Officer Commanding No. 222 Group in Ceylon from March 1942 and Air Officer Commanding

No. 2 Group No. 2 Group is a Group (military aviation unit)#United Kingdom, group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was react ...

in the UK from December 1942. He was then made Air Officer Commanding

Second Tactical Air Force The RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces ...

in June 1943, Deputy Commander of the Mediterranean Tactical Air Force in February 1944 and the Director-General of Personnel in November 1944. He retired in 1947. In later life D'Albiac was the Aerodrome Commandant at

London Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...

and the Deputy Chairman of the Air Transport Advisory Council. He died in Beaconsfield on 20 August 1963.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Royal Air Force – Bomber Command Commanders of World War II
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalbiac, John Henry 1894 births 1963 deaths Commanders of the Legion of Merit Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Grand Commanders of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Framlingham College Royal Air Force air marshals of World War II Royal Marines officers Royal Naval Air Service aviators Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Marines personnel of World War I