Air Commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

Graham Clarke Bladon (13 September 1899 – 11 October 1967) was a British

air officer An air officer is an air force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force, air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth of Natio ...

of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, who initially joined the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

during the First World War, becoming an RAF officer in 1918. He went on to hold various commands up to and throughout the Second World War, and served as the first Commander of the Royal Ceylon Air Force from 1951 until 1958.

Early life and WWI flying career

Bladon was born in

Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...

, Staffordshire, the son of John James Clarke Bladon (1876–1942) and his wife Annie Elizabeth (née Daniels) (1880–1921). Bladon joined the

in late 1917, soon after his 18th birthday, as a temporary probationary flight officer, and began his training at RNAS Cranwell. He was appointed a temporary flight sub-lieutenant on 29 January 1918, and was awarded

Royal Aero Club The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910. History The Aero Club was foun ...

Aviator's Certificate No. 6700 on 3 March 1918. On 1 April 1918, the Royal Naval Air Service and the Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) merged to form the Royal Air Force, and Bladon joined the new service with the rank of lieutenant.

Inter-war career

Bladon stayed with the RAF after the end of the war. He was transferred to the RAF's unemployed list on 22 November 1919, but on 12 December was awarded a short service commission with the rank of

flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

. In early 1920 Bladon was sent to

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

to serve in No. 30 Squadron, subsequently receiving

mentions in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

from Lieutenant-General Sir

Aylmer Haldane General Sir James Aylmer Lowthorpe Haldane, (17 November 1862 – 19 April 1950) was a Scottish soldier who rose to high rank in the British Army. Early life Born to physician Daniel Rutherford Haldane and his wife Charlotte Elizabeth née ...

, the commander the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, in September 1920 and October 1921. On 24 March 1922 he was transferred to No. 47 Squadron based in Egypt, and on 26 September was transferred again to No. 208 Squadron when it was sent to Turkey during the Chanak Crisis. On 10 July 1923 Bladon was seriously injured when his Bristol F.2b, ''H1678'', overturned on landing. On 1 November 1923 Bladon returned to England, and on 1 April 1924 was posted to No. 420 (Fleet Spotter) Flight of the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

. On 1 July 1925 he was promoted to flight lieutenant, and on 1 January 1926 was granted a permanent commission. On 31 May 1926 he was transferred to No. 443 Flight, based at

RAF Leuchars Royal Air Force Leuchars or more simply RAF Leuchars is a former Royal Air Force station located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. Throughout the Cold War and beyond, the station was home to fighter aircraft which policed northe ...

. On 26 January 1927 Bladon was appointed Officer-in-Charge of No. 421 (Fleet Spotter) Flight, serving in the Mediterranean. Later his previous unit No. 443 Flight was temporarily split into two, with No. 443A Flight remaining at Leuchars while No. 443B Flight was attached to the

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China, was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 1 ...

. Bladon commanded No. 443B Flight, until the Flight was reunited, then returned to No. 421 Flight. From 31 August 1928 he served of the Staff at

RAF Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a population of 81,952. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the west ...

. Bladon was posted to RAF Base at

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

on 22 September 1933. On 1 October 1935 he was promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

. On 9 April 1937 Bladon was appointed Officer Commanding of No. 42 Squadron, flying

Vickers Vildebeest The Vickers Vildebeest and the similar Vickers Vincent are single-engined British biplanes designed and built by Vickers and used as light bombers, torpedo bombers and in army cooperation roles. First flown in 1928, they remained in service at ...

Mk.IV torpedo bombers from RAF Donibristle,

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

, Scotland. He was promoted to

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

on 1 November 1938, and on 29 December was posted to the Air Staff at the Deputy Directorate of Operations (Naval Co-operation).

World War II

Bladon served as a staff officer during the Second World War, being posted to the Directorate of War Training and Tactics on 3 January 1940, then to the Directorate of Operational Training in July. He was promoted to the

temporary rank Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of La ...

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

on 1 March 1941, and was posted to the headquarters of

Flying Training Command Flying Training Command was an organization of the Royal Air Force; it controlled flight training units. The command's headquarters were at RAF Shinfield Park, Reading in Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal Count ...

on 15 April 1942. His rank of group captain was made substantive on 1 December 1944.

Post-war and Ceylon

In 1946 Bladon was appointed Commander of the RAF Base at Singapore, and later served as Staff Officer (Administration) at the Air Headquarters Malaya. On 1 September 1948 Bladon was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer of No. 62 (Southern Reserve) Group in Reserve Command. The

Royal Ceylon Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; ; ) is the air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The SLAF played a major role throu ...

was officially founded in 1949, but work on its creation did not begin until Bladon was appointed Air Adviser to the Government of Ceylon on 16 May 1950. He was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

1951 New Year Honours The 1951 New Years Honours were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1951 for the Brit ...

. Bladon became the first Commander of the Royal Ceylon Air Force on 2 March 1951, setting up his headquarters initially at the

Galle Face Hotel The Galle Face Hotel, founded in 1864, is one of the oldest hotels east of Suez. It is located on Galle Road, Colombo. The Ceylon Hotels Corporation is now part of the Galle Face Hotel Group. . The current chairman of the hotel is Sanjeev Gardin ...

. In creating a military organisation from scratch, he relied on a core of seconded RAF officers and NCOs, and Ceylonese personnel who had served with the RAF during the war. In 1952 the RCyAF consisted of eight officers and 100 airmen, but by 1955 had its Headquarters and Maintenance Unit at

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

, and flying units based at

Katunayake Katunayake (, ), is a suburb of Negombo in Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is the site of Bandaranaike International Airport, the primary international air gateway to Sri Lanka. With the change of government in 1977 and the introduction of the op ...

and

Diyatalawa Diyatalawa (), (), meaning ) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destination for local holiday makers. It is home ...

operating

Chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of subtribe Tamiina. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks are classified as four genera: '' ...

, Balliol and

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

aircraft, used both for training and also army co-operation operations and illicit immigration patrols. Later, it formed a composite squadron of

Auster Auster may refer to: Places * Auster Glacier, located in East Antarctica * Auster Islands, East Antarctica * Auster Pass, located in East Antarctica * Auster Point, located in West Antarctica Other uses * Auster Aircraft, a former British air ...

s and helicopters for army co-operation and air/sea rescue, a transport squadron of

Doves Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

and

Herons Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus '' Botaurus'' are referred to as ...

, and two fighter squadrons with jet aircraft. Bladon was promoted to the acting rank of

air commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

on 1 October 1956. He relinquished command of the RCyAF on 8 October 1958. Bladon retired from the RAF, retaining the rank of air commodore, on 22 February 1959. On 13 June he was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

in the

1959 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1959 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

. Bladon died in the Forbes Fraser Hospital, Bath, Somerset, on 11 October 1967.

Personal life

Bladon married Muriel Clibbens (1908–1977) in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

in 1937, and they had one son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bladon, Graham 1899 births 1967 deaths People from Burton upon Trent Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Naval Air Service aviators Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force air commodores Sri Lanka Air Force air commodores Commanders of the Sri Lanka Air Force Companions of the Order of the Bath Military personnel from Staffordshire Commanders of the Order of the British Empire