Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside

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William Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside , GCB , MC , DFC (born December 23, 1893 in Headington , Oxfordshire ( England ), † October 29, 1969 in Royal Tunbridge Wells , Kent (England)) was a British officer of the Royal Air Force , most recently Marshal of the Royal Air Force . Sholto Douglas served as military governor in the British zone of occupation in post-war Germany from 1946 to 1947 .

Sir William Sholto Douglas (1943)

Life

Douglas was born the son of professor and art critic Robert Langton Douglas. He was educated at private schools in London and Tonbridge and Lincoln College, Oxford University.

When the First World War broke out , he reported to the Royal Field Artillery and was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1915 , where he was initially employed as an observer. After training as a pilot, he served as a fighter pilot and commanded several squadrons until the end of the war and finally the No. 22 wing . For his service in the First World War he received the Military Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross and was Mentioned three times in Despatches .

After the war he attended the first course at the new RAF Staff College and graduated from Imperial Defense College in 1927 . He then served on staff assignments in Sudan and as a teacher at Imperial Defense College . In 1938 he became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff and Deputy in April 1940 Chief of Air Staff ( Deputy Chief of the Air Staff ) .

During the Second World War , Douglas was appointed by Charles Portal to succeed Hugh Dowding as Commander in Chief of the RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and as a result of the Big Wing controversy in November 1940 .

In January 1943, Douglas replaced Arthur Tedder as Air Officer Commanding in Chief at Middle East Command . After a year in this position, he became Commander in Chief of the RAF Coastal Command . After the end of the war, he became first Commander in Chief of the British Air Forces of Occupation in July 1945 and on May 1, 1946 Commander in Chief of all British occupation forces and military governor of the British zone of occupation in Germany . His promotion to Marshal of the Royal Air Force took place on January 1, 1946. He was next to Arthur Harris the only British officer in this rank who was not at the same time or before also Chief of the Air Staff .

In November 1947 he was replaced by Brian Robertson and on February 17, 1948 as Baron Douglas of Kirtleside , of Dornock in the County of Dumfries , made a peer, making him a member of the House of Lords . In the following years Douglas worked in the private sector, including on the Board of Directors of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and as CEO of British European Airways (BEA) and Horizon Travel Associates Ltd. From 1956 to 1957 he was also President of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Douglas had three marriages, the last of which resulted in a daughter. The title Baron Douglas of Kirtleside thus expired at Douglas' death.

Web links

Commons : Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Walter J. Boyne: Air Warfare: An International Encyclopedia , Volume 1, p. 179 ( limited preview on Google Book Search ).
  2. ↑ The London Gazette : No. 38210, p. 1127 , February 17, 1948.
predecessor Office successor
Sir Bernard Montgomery Military Governor in the British Zone of Occupation
1946–1947 		Sir Brian Robertson, 1st Baronet
personal data
SURNAME Douglas, Sholto, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Douglas, William Sholto, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside; Douglas, Sir Sholto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British officer, most recently Marshal of the Royal Air Force
DATE OF BIRTH December 23, 1893
PLACE OF BIRTH Headington, Oxfordshire , England
DATE OF DEATH 29th October 1969
Place of death Royal Tunbridge Wells , England