Albert Durston
Encyclopedia
Air Marshal
Sir Albert Durston KBE
CB
AFC
(19 June 1894 - 24 January 1959) was a senior Royal Air Force
officer who became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
.
during World War I
. He was mentioned in despatches for services in home waters in 1917 and appointed Officer Commanding No. 253 Squadron
in June 1918. In 1936 he was appointed Fleet Aviation Officer to the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet. He served in World War II
as Director of Naval Co-operation and then as Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group
. He continued his war service as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Coastal Command
and then as Air Officer Commanding No. 222 Group
. His last appointment was as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
from September 1945 until retiring in August 1946.
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Albert Durston KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
AFC
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(19 June 1894 - 24 January 1959) was a senior Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
officer who became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff was a senior appointment in the Royal Air Force. The incumbent was the deputy to the Chief of the Air Staff. The post existed from 1918 to 1968 or 1969...
.
RAF career
Durston joined the Royal Navy in 1913 and served in the Royal Naval Air ServiceRoyal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was mentioned in despatches for services in home waters in 1917 and appointed Officer Commanding No. 253 Squadron
No. 253 Squadron RAF
RAF 253 Squadron was based at RAF Waterbeach in the two years 1955 to 1957. It flew Vampire and Venom fighter aircraft.253 squadron Nighthawks.Squadron commander wing commander FinlaysonOne Vampire T Mk 11...
in June 1918. In 1936 he was appointed Fleet Aviation Officer to the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet. He served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as Director of Naval Co-operation and then as Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group
No. 18 Group RAF
No. 18 Group of the Royal Air Force was a group active from 1918 to 1919, and from 1938 to 1996.- 1918 - 1919 :The Group was initially formed on 1 April 1918 in No 4 Area. It was transferred to North-Eastern Area, 8 May 1918...
. He continued his war service as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
and then as Air Officer Commanding No. 222 Group
No. 222 Group RAF
No. 222 Group was a group of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Formed on 1 September 1941, based at Ceylon, however squadrons were based around the Indian Ocean. The group undertook long-range bombing and mine-laying operations that took them as far afield as Sumatra and Singapore...
. His last appointment was as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff was a senior appointment in the Royal Air Force. The incumbent was the deputy to the Chief of the Air Staff. The post existed from 1918 to 1968 or 1969...
from September 1945 until retiring in August 1946.