| Sir Frederick William Bowhill | |
|---|---|
Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill |
|
| Born | 1880 Morar, Gwalior, India |
| Died | 1960 (aged 79) Fulham, London, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1896-1945 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order & Bar Mention in Despatches (7) |
Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick William Bowhill, GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO & Bar (1 September 1880 – 12 March 1960) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force before and during World War II.
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Bowhill started his career as a midshipman in the merchant navy in 1896.[1] In 1912 he attended the Central Flying School and in 1914 he was gived command of the seaplane carrier HMS Empress.[1] He became Officer Commanding No. 8 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service in 1915 and Station Commander at RNAS Felixstowe in 1918.[1] Later that year he commanded RNAS Killingholme.[1] He went on to be Officer Commanding the RAF Depot in Egypt in 1925, Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Iraq Command in 1928 and Director of Organisation and Staff Duties at the Air Ministry in 1929.[1] In 1931 he was appointed Air Officer Commanding the Fighting Area of the Air Defence of Great Britain and in 1933 he became Air Member for Personnel.[1]
He served in World War II initially as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Coastal Command, then as Air Officer Commanding RAF Ferry Command, in which capacity using his knowledge of the sea he properly identified the likely position of the German battleship Bismarck using a Catalina flying boat allowing it to be sunk.[2] His last appointment was as Air Officer Commanding RAF Transport Command in 1943 before retiring in 1945.[1]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Edward Ellington |
Air Member for Personnel 1933 – 1937 |
Succeeded by W G S Mitchell |
| Preceded by Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferté |
Commander-in-Chief Coastal Command 1937 – 1941 |
Succeeded by Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferté |
| New title Command established from the Atlantic Ferry Service
|
Air Officer Commanding Ferry Command 1941 – 1943 |
Command renamed Transport Command |
| New title Command established by renaming Ferry Command
|
Commander-in-Chief Transport Command 1943 – 1945 |
Succeeded by Sir Ralph Cochrane |