Air Vice Marshal Sidney Norman Webster, (19 March 1900 – 5 April 1984) was a senior officer 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 ...

and an aviator who flew the winning aircraft in the 1927

Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flyin ...

seaplane race.

Early life

Sidney Norman Webster was born in Walsall on 9 March 1900. He joined the

in September 1918 and trained as a pilot. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1921. In 1927 he was selected as part of the British team to contest the 1929 Schneider Trophy. From 1925 to 1930, Webster was posted to RAF Martlesham in Suffolk. An accomplished soccer player, who represented Walsall schools, Webster was picked up by Ipswich Town – then in the southern amateur League – and went on to play 69 times for them, mostly at left-back, including as club captain for one season.

Schneider Trophy

After training Webster and the British team moved to Venice, Italy to prepare for the race against Italy, and the United States. The race was held on 26 September 1927 and was won by Webster flying his Supermarine S.5 single-engined seaplane at an average speed of . After winning the trophy Webster was awarded a Bar to his Air Force Cross. The citation for the award read: Webster left the High Speed Flight and after a tour as a flight commander in 1933 he was seconded to the Egyptian Government until 1939.

Second World War

Webster used his experience of high speed flight as he acted as a liaison officer between the Air Ministry and various aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom. In 1944 he moved to the

Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment The Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) was a British military research and test organisation. It was originally formed as the Marine Aircraft Experimental Station in October 1918 at RAF Isle of Grain, a former Royal Naval Air Serv ...

as commanding officer. He was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginni ...

Post-war

After the war Webster had two tours of duty with Coastal Command in between he was Air Officer Commanding RAF Hong Kong, he retired in 1950.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Vice Marshal S N Webster (08182)
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Sidney 1900 births 1984 deaths Royal Air Force air marshals British air racers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English aviators People from Walsall Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Schneider Trophy pilots