British Army general and Marshal of the Royal Air Force (1877–1967)
This article is about the British RAF officer. For the British hydraulic engineer, see Edward B. Ellington. For the American jazz musician, see Duke Ellington.
Marshal of the Royal Air ForceSir Edward Leonard Ellington, GCB, CMG, CBE (30 December 1877 – 13 June 1967) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force.[1] He served in the First World War as a staff officer and then as director-general of military aeronautics and subsequently as controller-general of equipment. In the inter-war years he held command positions in the Middle East, in India and then in Iraq. He served as Chief of the Air Staff in the mid-1930s and in that role he implemented a plan, known as 'Scheme F'. This scheme implemented an increase in the size of the Royal Air Force to 187 squadrons (five bomber squadrons for every two fighter squadrons, reflecting the dominance of the bomber strategy at the time) within three years to counter the threat from Hitler's Germany. He also broke up the command known as "Air Defence of Great Britain" to create RAF Fighter Command, RAF Bomber Command, RAF Coastal Command and RAF Training Command. He then served as Inspector-General of the RAF until his retirement in 1940.
Ellington then served as a staff officer, from 22 July 1915 with the 2nd Army,[15] then, from 5 February 1916 with the department of the Chief of the Imperial General Staff,[12] and finally from 14 January 1917 with the General Staff of the VIII Corps.[16] On 20 November 1917 he was made the deputy director-general of military aeronautics under Major General John Salmond at the War Office.[17] Ellington succeeded John Salmond as director-general on 18 January 1918,[18] holding the post until it was disestablished with the creation of the Royal Air Force in April 1918. He was promoted to the temporary rank of major general and appointed acting Controller-General of Equipment in April 1918,[12] becoming substantive in that post in August 1918.[12]
Ellington was appointed Chief of the Air Staff on 22 May 1933.[30] He succeeded Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Salmond, who was acting in the role following the sudden death of his brother Air Chief Marshal Sir Geoffrey Salmond, who had only become Chief of the Air Staff in April.[12] In that role he implemented a plan, known as 'Scheme F', to increase the size of the Royal Air Force to 187 squadrons (five bomber squadrons for every two fighter squadrons reflecting the dominance of the bomber strategy at the time) within three years to counter the threat from Hitler's Germany.[31] To facilitate expansion, he reorganized the Home RAF commands forming RAF Fighter Command, RAF Bomber Command and RAF Training Command from Air Defence of Great Britain, Inland Command, RAF Cranwell (RAF Cadet College), and RAF Halton (No 1 School of Technical Training (Apprentices)) and renaming Coastal Area as RAF Coastal Command.[32] He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1935 Birthday Honours.[33] He attended the funeral of King George V in January 1936[34] and, having been promoted to marshal of the Royal Air Force on 1 January 1937,[35] he attended the coronation of George VI in May 1937.[36]
Following completion of his term as Chief of the Air Staff, Ellington became Inspector-General of the RAF on 1 September 1937.[37] It was in his capacity as inspector-general that in 1938 Ellington visited Australia to investigate standards in the Royal Australian Air Force. His report strongly criticised the RAAF's operational capability and safety standards.[38] Following the publication of the report in July 1938, the Australian Government dismissed Air Vice Marshal Richard Williams from his post as RAAF Chief of the Air Staff.[39] In July 1939 Ellington was augmented in his post as inspector-general by Air Marshal Sir Charles Burnett, who would become the RAAF's Chief of the Air Staff in 1940.[39][40]
RAF Controller-General of Equipment Acting Controller-General of Equipment from 10 April 1918 Post renamed Director-General of Aircraft Production and Research in February 1919 Post renamed Director-General of Supply and Research on 1 April 1919 22 August 1918 – 23 February 1922