Air Commodore Edward Alexander Dimsdale Masterman, (15 April 1880 – 26 August 1957) was a senior officer in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

in the first half of the 20th century. After retiring from the RAF, he served as the first ever Commandant of the Observer Corps.

Service career

Masterman started his service career in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

, attending the

Britannia Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, ...

around 1894. He served on in the late 1890s and early 1900s, and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in January 1900. After attending Torpedo Specialist Course he in 1907 worked as a Russia interpreter on . By 1911 Masterman had become involved in the Navy's efforts to build an experimental

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

and the following year he was appointed Officer Commanding the Naval Airship Section. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

, Masterman served in 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's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

, commanding the Farnborough Airship Station and working in several technical posts; during this time he invented and patented the airship

mooring mast A mooring mast, or mooring tower, is a structure designed to allow for the docking of an airship outside of an airship hangar or similar structure. More specifically, a mooring mast is a mast or tower that contains a fitting on its top that allo ...

with

Barnes Wallis Sir Barnes Neville Wallis (26 September 1887 – 30 October 1979) was an English engineer and inventor. He is best known for inventing the bouncing bomb used by the Royal Air Force in Operation Chastise (the "Dambusters" raid) to attac ...

. With the establishment of the

on 1 April 1918, Masterman transferred to the new service. Just before the end of the war, he was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

and appointed General Officer Commanding No. 22 Group. When separate RAF ranks were introduced on 1 August 1919 he became an Air Commodore. In 1922 Masterman was appointed as Commandant of the RAF's

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...

Observer Corps

Between 1 March 1929 when he retired from the RAF and 1 April 1936, Masterman was the Commandant of the Observer Corps and was the first former RAF officer to hold this appointment. Headquarters Royal Observer Corps was located at

Hillingdon House Hillingdon House is a Grade II listed mansion in Hillingdon, Greater London. The original house was built in 1717 as a hunting lodge for the Duke of Schomberg. It was destroyed by fire and the present house was built in its place in 1844. The B ...

RAF Uxbridge RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Uxbridge, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, occupying a site that originally belonged to the Hillingdon House estate. The British Government purchased the estate in 1915, three year ...

, only relocating to

RAF Bentley Priory RAF Bentley Priory was a non-flying Royal Air Force station near Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow. It was the headquarters of Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain and throughout the Second World War. During the war, two enemy bombs ...

after Masterman retired. He was succeeded as Commandant Observer Corps by Air Commodore

Alfred Warrington-Morris Air Commodore Alfred Drummond Warrington-Morris, (18 December 1883 – 24 March 1962) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the 20th century. Following his regular military service he became the second Commandan ...

. Following his retirement as Commandant, Air Commodore Masterman immediately rejoined the Royal Observer Corps as a civilian part-time volunteer with the rank of Observer Captain (the equivalent of the RAF Group Captain) and served as the ROC's Western Area Commandant between 1937 and 1942, although by special permission of Warrington-Morris, he was permitted to wear his RAF Air Commodore's uniform and rank braid after April 1941 when the Observer Corps became the Royal Observer Corps and part of

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...

References

External links

Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Commodore Edward MastermanObituary in the Hampshire Field Club Magazine
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Masterman, Edward Alexander Dimsdale 1880 births 1953 deaths Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Royal Air Force generals of World War I Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Navy officers Royal Naval Air Service aviators People of the Royal Observer Corps