17.4.44. No. 25

AIR MINISTRY NEWS SERVICE AIR MINISTRY BULLETIN No. 13602

ROYAL APPOINTMENTS,

The following appointments have been made -

Air Vice- Alan Lees, C.8., C.8.E., D.5.0., A.F.C., to be Air

Officer in of Administration Air South East and to be Charge 9 Command, Asia,

Air Marshal.

Air Vice-Marshal William Forster Dickson,D.S. 0., 0.8.E., A.F.C., to be Air

Officer Commanding, Desert .Air force.

Air Vice-Marshal Robert Peel Hillock, C.B. to be Deputy Head of R.A.F.

Delegation, Washington.

Air Vice-Marshal .Albert DursTon, C.D., A.F.C., to be Commanding a group in South East aSIAN Mr' Command.

Air- Alexander Paul Davidson, C.8.E., to be ,

ira.g and Persia and to be Air Vice-Marshal.

NOTES ON CAREERS

Air Marshal Lees.has been air officer commanding a group in India since

December 1942. He was previously A.O.C. of a Bomber Group in this Country.

He enlisted in the -loyal West Kent Regiment in 1914 and was seconded to the

Royal Flying in 1915* He served in France and was a prisoner of war in

Germany from March 1917 to December 1918.

In 1922 he qualified as a flying instructor and in the following year was posted to No, 4-5 Squadron, Iraq, on flying duties. He commanded No. 56 Squadron,

(Air Defence of Great Britain) for three years from 1928, and after a short period as a flying instructor went to India to command No, 1 (Indian Wing)

Station, where he remained until 1938, He was awarded the D.S.O* during this

period.

Air Marshal Lees was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer at Bomber

and Command in September 1939, two years later become Air Officer commanding a

group in Bomber Command,

He was born on May 23, 1895, at Fairbottom, Kotts Lane, Lancashire, and was

educated at Wellington College and Sandhurst.

/Air 2

Air Vice-Marshal Dickson has, since March 194-3, been air Officer

of commanding 0 group now in 2nd Tactical Air Force. Pie was previously A.O.C. a Fighter Command group.

He enlisted in the Royal Naval Air Service in 1916 and served in a number of worships, including H.ll.S.Furious. He transferred to the in April, 1918, and was awarded the D.S.O. later in the same year. He was

commended in 1.9 22 by the joint Committee on Aviation in H. 11. Ships, for excellent work as an experimental pilot.

.Air Vice-Marshal Dickson served at the Marine and Armament Experimental

Establishment, and on. flying duties at the Royal Aircraft Establishment,

- in Farnborough (1921 1923). Following courses at the R.A.F.Staff College

1926 and 1927 he served on Air Staff duties in India.

In 1939 he was posted- 'to the Directorate of Plans at the Air Ministry, becoming Director in 194-1, afterwards being appointed Air Officer Commanding

a Fighter’Command group in June 1942.

He was born at Uxbridge, Middlesex, on September 24, 1898, and was

educated at Haileybury.

Air Vice-Marshal Hillock has been .Air Officer Commanding Iraq and Persia since September 1943. For three years preceding he was Air Officer Commanding

a Flying Training group.

He was commissioned in the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry in 1914,

transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in 1910. He served both at home and

overseas, being mentioned in despatches while in Egypt in 1913.

He was posted to command No. 4 .Armoured Car Company in Iraq in 1922, .being

-2* mentioned in despatches in connection with the operations in Kurdistan in the

following year.

In 1928 he was appointed to command the Royal Air Force station, Kenley,

and in 1931 was posted to headquarters, Fighting Area, for Air Staff duties.

Tow years later, he became Air .Attache, Shanghai.

Air Vice-Marshal Hillock "became Director of Staff Duties at the Air

Ministry in 1938, and in 194-0 served as Director of Wireless and Technical

training.

/He was 3

and Ho was born at Pendleton, Manchester, on December 17, 1893, was

educated at Marlborough College. He received a, C.B. in January, 1943.

Air Vice-Marshal Durston has been Senior Air Staff Officer, Coastal

Command, since January 1943. He was previously Air Officer Commanding a

Coastal Command group.

He joined the Royal Naval Reserve as in 1913, being called out

for to service at the outbreak of war in 1914, and transferring the Royal Naval

Air Service the following year. He was mentioned in despatches in 1917 end

1918. In 1918 he transferred to the Royal Air Force, and in 19^9 was awarded

the Air Force Cross in recognition of his distinguished services during the war.

Air Vice-Marshal Durston served in the Mediterranean from 1920 to 1924, end

was appointed to command the School of Naval Co-operation in 1927. He was at

Cranwell during 1929, and the next year was attached to H.M.S "Courageous" for

flying duties.

He was at Headquarters, Coastal Area, for Air Staff duties in 1934 and the

following year, and in 1936 was appointed Fleet Aviation Officer to the -

in-Chief, Home Fleet, At the outbreak of the present war he was Director of Naval

Co-operation at the Air Ministry*

Air Vice-Marshal Durston was 'born at Brixton on June 19, 1894, and was

educated at Blackheath School.

Air Vice-Marshal Davidson was appointed .Air Officer i/c Administration,

Mediterranean Air in had Command, October, 1943* He previously held a similar

at position H.o. Malta, and before then was on organisation duties at H. Q. Royal

Air Force. Middle East, and Senior Air Staff Officer, Air H.Q. Levant*

He was commissioned in the Highland Light Infantry in 1916, and was seconded

to the Royal Plying Corps in the same year. He became a Instructor in

Gunnery in 1917* He returned to Army duty in 1919, transferring to the Royal Air

Force in 1922.

nxr Vice-Marshal Davidson served on flying duties in Iraq in 1923, .and two

years later become ..D.C. to the Governor- of .* He returned to

Great Britain in 1928 for flying duties with No.lll Squadron. (A.D.G.8.)

In 1934- he was posted to Palestine and Transjordan for air staff duties, and in

in 1938 served in the the Department of Inspectorate (general in a similar capacity.

In 1939 be became lir and in .Attache, Warsaw, 194-0 commanded an operational training unit.

He was born on July 6, 1894, end educated at the City of London School and Manchester University.