Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...

Sir William Elliot, (3 June 1896 – 27 June 1971) 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.

RAF career

Elliot and Mills in Italy WWII IWM CNA 3470

Educated at

Tonbridge School (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, Elliot joined the Army Service Corps in 1915 and then transferred to the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

in 1917.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal Sir William Elliott
/ref> On 30 July 1919 Elliot, then a captain, crashed behind enemy lines while fighting the Bolshevik forces during the

North Russia Intervention The North Russia intervention, also known as the Northern Russian expedition, the Archangel campaign, and the Murman deployment, was part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War after the October Revolution. The intervention brought ...

. Another plane crewed by Lt John Mitchell and Captain Walter Anderson landed and picked up Elliot and flew him and his observer back to the base. 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, ...

No. 501 Squadron in 1932 before becoming Assistant Secretary to

Committee of Imperial Defence The Committee of Imperial Defence was an important ''ad hoc'' part of the Government of the United Kingdom and the British Empire from just after the Second Boer War until the start of the Second World War. It was responsible for research, and som ...

in 1937 and being made Assistant Secretary of the War Cabinet Secretariat in 1939. He served 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 ...

as Officer Commanding

RAF Middle Wallop Middle Wallop is a village in the civil parish of Nether Wallop in Hampshire, England, on the A343 road. At the 2011 Census the population was included in the civil parish of Over Wallop. The village has a public house, The George Inn, and a pet ...

and as a member of the Air Staff responsible for Night Defences at Headquarters

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...

in 1941 and then as Director of Plans at 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 ...

in 1942. He continued has war service as Air Officer Commanding

RAF Gibraltar RAF Gibraltar (also formerly known as North Front) is a Royal Air Force station on Gibraltar. No military aircraft are currently stationed there, but RAF, Commonwealth and aircraft of other NATO nations will periodically arrive for transient stop ...

and then as Air Officer Commanding the RAF's

Balkan Air Force The Balkan Air Force (BAF) was an Allied air formation operating in the Balkans during World War II. Composed of units of the Royal Air Force and South African Air Force under the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces command, it was active from 7 June ...

during 1944 until he was made Assistant Chief Executive at the

Ministry of Aircraft Production Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

in March 1945. After the War he served as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Policy) and then became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at

in 1947. He was knighted on 1 January 1946. He went on to be Chief Staff Officer to the Minister of Defence in 1949 and Chairman of the British Joint Services Mission to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and UK Representative on the NATO Standing Group in 1951 before he retired in 1954.

Family

In 1931 he married Rosemary Chancellor, daughter of Sir John Chancellor. Sir William and Lady Elliot had a daughter, Louise, and a son, Simon. In 1970, Louise married Stephen Simmons Halsey, an American corporate executive with American Express; over the course of their lives they have resided in New York City, Paris, Hong Kong, Hawaii, and Oregon. In 1972, Simon married Annabel, the daughter of

Bruce Shand Bruce Middleton Hope Shand (22 January 1917 – 11 June 2006) was an officer in the British Army. He is best known as the father of Queen Camilla. Early life Shand was born in London into an upper class family whose ancestors had moved t ...

and sister of

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the acc ...

.The Peerage.com – Air Chief Marshal Sir William Elliott
/ref>

References

* - Total pages: 224 , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliot, William 1896 births 1971 deaths People educated at Tonbridge School Royal Air Force air marshals of World War II Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Commanders of the Legion of Merit Grand Crosses of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) British air attachés British Army personnel of World War I Royal Army Service Corps officers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of the Russian Civil War