Benjamin Ball

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Benjamin "Ben" Ball , KBE , CB (born September 6, 1912 ; † January 24, 1977 ) was a British officer in the Royal Air Force , who last served as major general (Air Vice Marshal) between 1966 and 1969 as the last commanding general of the AOC- in-C ( Air Officer Commanding in Chief ) of the Air Force Telecommunications Command ( RAF Signals Command ) was.

Life

Officer training, World War II and staff officer

Benjamin Ball attended the De Havilland Aircraft Company 's pilot school between 1933 and 1934 and then joined the Permanent Commission on March 29, 1934, with the rank of Lieutenant (Pilot Officer) , which was awarded to him retroactively to March 29, 1933. into the Royal Air Force (RAF). From March 2, 1935, he attended a course for flying boat pilots at the RAF Calshot military airport , where he was promoted to first lieutenant (Flying Officer) on March 29, 1935 . After completing the course, he became a pilot on December 30, 1935 for No. 209 Squadron RAF and received there on March 29, 1937 his promotion to captain (flight lieutenant) . He then attended a telecommunications troop training course at the Electrical and Wireless School from April 26, 1937, and on July 23, 1938, became a telecommunications officer at the RAF Bircham Newton Air Force Base.

After his promotion to Major (Squadron Leader) on April 1, 1939, Ben Ball was on April 24, 1939 communications officer in the headquarters of the reserve command. During the Second World War between 1940 and 1942 he was chief communications officer of No. 1 Training Command of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the air forces of Canada , and from 1942 to July 6, 1943 Senior Telecommunications Officer of No. 2 Training Command of the RCAF. During this time he was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on January 1, 1943 , and on July 6, 1943 as a staff officer for operations (Group Captain Operations) to No. 26 Group RAF transferred. For his services in World War II, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) on January 1, 1946 and was also mentioned in the war report ( Mentioned in dispatches ) .

Ball attended the Royal Air Force Staff College Bracknell in 1946 and was transferred to the RAF Bomber Command ( RAF Bomber Command ) in High Wycombe on October 28, 1946 , where he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (Wing Commander) on July 1, 1947 . On June 14, 1948 he became head of the communications department in the Air Force Staff of the Joint Military Mission BJSM (British Joint Services Mission) in Washington, DC , where on January 1, 1949 his promotion to Colonel (Group Captain) took place. After his return he was first in 1951 Commanding Officer ( Commanding Officer ) of the military airport RAF Debden and in 1953 deputy head of the department for operational requirements in the Air Ministry ( Air Ministry ) .

Promotion to Air Vice Marshal and Commander of RAF Signals Command

Then Benjamin Ball took over on December 10, 1956 the post of commander of the telecommunications troops (Command Signals Officer) of the RAF Bomber Command and was promoted to Brigadier General ( Air Commodore ) on January 1, 1959 . In 1960 he moved to the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Forces of NATO in Europe SHAPE ( Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ) and became as such on January 1, 1963 Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).

Then Ben Ball was on July 27, 1963 Senior Air Staff Officer SASO (Senior Air Staff Officer) at the headquarters of the Tactical Training Command ( RAF Technical Training Command ) . Most recently he was Major General ( Air Vice Marshal ) on May 7, 1966, successor to Air Vice Marshal Thomas Shirley Commanding General AOC-in-C ( Air Officer Commanding in Chief ) of the Air Force Telecommunications Command ( RAF Signals Command ). He was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of British Empire (KBE) on January 1, 1969 and has since had the addition of "Sir". On January 1, 1969, the independent RAF Signals Command, operating as No. 90 (signal) Group the air raid command ( RAF Strike Command ) was inferior. Ball then retired from active military service on January 29, 1969.

Web link

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ RAF Debden Commanding Officers (rafweb.org)
  2. ↑ RAF Signals Command (rafweb.org)
  3. ↑ KNIGHTS AND DAMES (leighrayment.com)
personal data
SURNAME Ball, Benjamin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ball, ben
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Air Force officer in the United Kingdom
DATE OF BIRTH September 6, 1912
DATE OF DEATH January 24, 1977