Kenneth Porter

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Sir Melvin Kenneth Drowley Porter KCB CBE FRAeS FIEE ( November 12, 1912 - March 28, 2003 ) was a British Air Force officer in the Royal Air Force , who was last in the rank of Lieutenant General ( Air Marshal ) between 1966 and 1970 Commanding General of the Air Force Maintenance Command ( RAF Maintenance Command ) as well as head of the RAF's engineering department from 1968 to 1970. Because of his military service in World War II , he was mentioned three times in the war report ( Mentioned in dispatches ).

Life

Military training and World War II

After attending school in January 1928, Porter began training as an aircraft mechanic at the Technical Training School 1 ( No. 1 School of Technical Training RAF ), where he was part of the 17th training course ( 17th Entry ). After graduating, he began his aviation training in 1931 as a flight cadet in the B-Squadron of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell , the officers' school of the British Air Force, and was a member of the college football and boxing team . After completing his training, he was accepted into the RAF as a professional soldier ( Permanent Commission ) on December 17, 1932 and, after his simultaneous promotion to Lieutenant ( Pilot Officer ), a pilot at No. 2 Squadron RAF . On June 17, 1934, he was promoted to first lieutenant ( Flying Officer ) there. Due to illness, he was employed from 8 November 1934 as planned in the Air Force depot, before the Electrical and Radio School (since 29 April 1936 Electrical and Wireless School visited), where on 1 October 1936, was promoted to Captain ( Flight Lieutenant ) received.

After completing his training at the electrical engineering and radio school, Porter became a telecommunications officer at No. 2 Squadron RAF . After his promotion to Major ( Squadron Leader ) on April 1, 1939, on May 1, 1939, he became Chief Telecommunications Officer in the RAF Balloon Command , the RAF's command of the RAF's blocking balloon units . On April 24, 1940, he switched to the technical service of the RAF and was initially deputy chief telecommunications officer and, from January 24, 1941, chief telecommunications officer at the headquarters of No. 11 Group RAF . On September 24, 1941 and June 11, 1942, he was mentioned in the war report because of his military service ( Mentioned in dispatches ). On January 1, 1943, he was also awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

After Porter was chief communications officer of No. 83 Group RAF , he became chief communications officer at the headquarters of the Tactical Air Force TAF ( RAF Tactical Air Force ) or, from November 15, 1943, of the resulting RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF). He remained in this post until the end of the Second World War. On June 8, 1944, he was also Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Staff officer in the post-war period

After the end of the war, Porter, who was mentioned for the third time in the war report on January 1, 1946, became an officer in the Air Force Staff in the subdivision for Allied Air Force Cooperation and Foreign Relations in 1946. On March 15, 1946, he was honored with the Officer's Cross of the US Legion of Merit . After his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel ( Wing Commander ) on July 1, 1947, he was an officer in the command staff of the RAF Staff College, Andover , where he was promoted to Colonel ( Group Captain ) on January 1, 1949 . On February 4, 1950, he moved to the headquarters of No. 1 as Chief Technical Officer STSO ( Senior Technical Staff Officer ) . 205 Group RAF and then took over the post of commander of Air Force Telecommunications School 2 ( No. 2 Air Signalers School RAF ) in 1952 . In February 1953 he was appointed commander of the Air Force Base RAF Swanton Morley and in personal union commander of the Air Force Telecommunications School 1 ( No. 1 Air Signalers School RAF ) and on June 14, 1954, the command communications officer of the RAF Second Tactical Air Force.

Then Porter took over on December 19, 1955 the post of command telecommunications officer of the attack command ( RAF Fighter Command ) and from 1958 attended the Imperial Defense College (IDC) in London . There he was promoted to Brigadier General ( Air Commodore ) on July 1, 1958 and on January 1, 1959, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). In June 1960 he became Commander ( Air Officer Commanding ) of the Air Force Base RAF St Athan and in personal union commander of the School for Technical Training 4 ( No. 4 School of Technical Training RAF ).

Ascent to the Air Marshal

On September 12, 1961, Porter moved to the Ministry of Defense , where he took on the role of head of the basic training. As such, he was promoted to Major General ( Air Vice Marshal ) on July 1, 1962 . He then acted as the successor to Air Vice Marshal Colin Stewart between April 6, 1964 and July 2, 1966 as director of the telecommunications department in the Air Force Staff ( Director General of Signals ).

Most recently, Porter succeeded Air Marshal Norman Coslett as Commanding General ( Air Officer Commanding in Chief ) of the Air Force Maintenance Command on July 2, 1966 and remained in that position until his replacement by Air Vice Marshal John Rowlands on April 13, 1970 On January 1, 1967, he was beaten Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) and has since had the suffix "Sir". On July 1, 1967, he was also promoted to Lieutenant General ( Air Marshal ). At the same time, he was head of the RAF's engineering department between 1968 and 1970. On June 8, 1970, he retired from active military service.

After his retirement, Porter, who was also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS) and the Institution of Electrical Engineers (FIEE), became Head of Technical Education Projects at University College Cardiff in 1970 and held this position until 1974.

Web links

  • Biography on Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organization

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ London Gazette . No. 33905, HMSO, London, January 24, 1933, p. 526 ( PDF , accessed February 23, 2016, English).
  2. ↑ London Gazette . No. 34068, HMSO, London, July 10, 1934, p. 4437 ( PDF , accessed February 23, 2016, English).
  3. ↑ London Gazette . No. 34331, HMSO, London, October 13, 1936, p. 6540 ( PDF , accessed February 23, 2016, English).
  4. ↑ London Gazette . No. 34613, HMSO, London, April 4, 1939, p. 2263 ( PDF , accessed February 23, 2016, English).
  5. ↑ London Gazette . No. 34945, HMSO, London, September 13, 1940, p. 5490 ( PDF , accessed February 23, 2016, English).
  6. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 37501, HMSO, London, March 12, 1946, p. 1380 ( PDF , accessed February 23, 2016, English).
  7. ↑ SERVICE AVIATION. Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News. Air Commodore Appointments . In: Flight International of January 27, 1956
  8. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 41589, HMSO, London, January 1, 1959, p. 3 ( PDF , accessed February 23, 2016, English).
personal data
SURNAME Porter, Kenneth
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Porter, Sir Melvyn Kenneth Drowley (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Air Force officer in the United Kingdom
DATE OF BIRTH November 12, 1912
DATE OF DEATH March 28, 2003