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 ...

Frank William Foster DFC, DSM (10 April 1887,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

— 5 March 1963,

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

). Although born in West London, he was brought up and educated in the

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

of Stockcross in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

. He joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

in 1903 at the age of 16, and saw action in many theatres of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, including the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland () was a naval battle between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, durin ...

, in which he gained the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation, state or country. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in act ...

. He transferred to the RAF in the latter part of the War, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry and devotion to duty in North Russia. At the cessation of activities he joined the little group of pioneers who were struggling to develop an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

deck landing technique on an old converted

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

— . During this period, he was in No. 205 Squadron RAF (Coastal Area, No.9 Group), based out of

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 ...

. In 1927, trouble flared up on the North-West Frontiers of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, and

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 ...

Foster was drafted with a squadron of old Bristol Fighters to police the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

and keep order. This involved active duty for five years. As a form of relaxation, on one of his leaves he made a trek accompanied by an Indian guide to

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

, visiting the district of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

. Returning from India in 1932, a short spell as radio and communications instructor followed, prior to a return to the sea in the ill-fated HMS ''Courageous''. F/O Foster was transferred to a

Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, a comparatively short time before HMS ''Courageous'' was sunk by enemy action. Coastal Command service led to promotion to the rank of Wing Commander, involving transfer to

Western Approaches Command Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches was the commander of a major operational command of the Royal Navy during World War II. The admiral commanding, and his forces, sometimes informally known as 'Western Approaches Command,' were responsibl ...

, Derby House,

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, one of a number of vital communication centres for the three services. It figured in the tracking and final annihilation of the Bismarck. For his service he was

mentioned 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 ...

three times, on 17 March 1941, 11 June 1942 and 14 January 1944. Wing Commander Foster's service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

carried him beyond the normal retiring age, but the day had to come, of course, when he had to take leave of the services, in November 1945. Not for him however was the sedentary life of retirement. In January 1946, he joined the

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA, pronounced ) was an international relief agency founded in November 1943 on the joint initiative of the United States, United Kingdom, USSR, and the Republic of China. Its purpose ...

(UNRRA) as a Communications Officer, serving until the administration closed down in June 1948. The

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed on 1 August 1939 by the Ministry of Supply Act 1939 ( 2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 38) to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Ministe ...

knew the Wing Commander next, and he became an experimental officer acting as a liaison between the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...

and aircraft manufacturers. In December 1955 he had finally to retire from the active scene. Wing Commander Foster had a wife, Edith, and two children, Harold and Betty - his home remained at Stockcross until the end of his life, when he was taken to the Battle Hospital in

after a long fight against

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

. He died there on 5 March 1963, aged 75.

Navy career

Source: * 22 June 1903 - Volunteered * 23 June 1903 - Boy 2nd Class, HMS ''Impregnable'' * 21 January 1904 - Boy 1st Class * 1 September 1904 - Signal Boy, HMS ''Hercules'' * 22 November 1904 - HMS ''Sutlej'' * 25 January 1905 - HMS ''Iphigenia'' * 27 April 1905 - Signalman (signed up for 12 years service) * 20 August 1905 - HMS ''Hogue'' * 9 November 1905 - Qual. Sig. * 13 February 1906 - HMS ''Tamar'' * 13 March 1907 - HMS ''Spartiate'' * 14 May 1907 - HMS ''Victory'' * 1 October 1907 - Signalman * 15 December 1907 - HMS ''Grafton'' * 1 April 1908 - Leading Signalman * 27 September 1908 - HMS ''Victory'' * 7 January 1909 - HMS ''Hawke'' * 1 March 1909 - HMS Tamar (Otter) * 1 April 1909 - HMS King Alfred * 1 October 1909 - HMS ''Tamar'' (Otter) * 1 April 1910 - HMS Minotaur * 16 August 1910 - HMS ''Tamar'' (Otter) * 1 April 1911 - HMS ''Crescent'' * 22 June 1911 - HMS ''Victory'' * 28 January 1912 - HMS ''Arrogant'' * 30 April 1912 - HMS ''Crescent'' * 14 May 1912 - HMS ''Orontes'' (Albatross) * 1 July 1912 - HMS ''Egmont'' * 15 November 1913 - HMS ''Victory'' * 1 October 1914 - Yeoman of Signals * 23 October 1914 - HMS ''Emperor of India'' * 19 June 1916 - Acting Signal Boatswain * 19 October 1916 - HMS ''Superb'' (

1st Battle Squadron The 1st Battle Squadron was a Squadron (naval), naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 1st Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After World War I the Grand Fleet was reverted to i ...

) * 11 August 1917 - Signal Boatswain ''(Available naval records stop here)''

RAF career

* 27 July 1918 - Appointed Second Lieutenant

Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Fiction * ''Observer'' (novel), a 2023 science fiction novel by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress * ''Observer'' (video game), a cyberpunk horr ...

* 22 December 1918 -

Pilot Officer Pilot officer (Plt Off or P/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. Pilot officer is the lowest ran ...

* 6 May 1920 - Air Ministry * 27 January 1920 - Promoted Observer Officer * 15 July 1926 - Appointed

(on abolition of title of Observer) * 1 Nov 1928 - No.2 (Indian Wing) Station,

Risalpur Risalpur (Pashto/) is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 316 meters abo ...

* 19 June 1931 - Promoted Flight Lieutenant, General Duties Branch * 30 June 1932 - HMS ''Courageous'' * 1 July 1938 - Promoted

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 ...

* 24 April 1940 - Transferred to Technical Branch * 1 December 1940 - Promoted Wing Commander (temporary) - placed on retired list and re-employed with RAF * 11 November 1945 - Reverted to retired list, as Wing Commander

Honours and awards

* Mons Star, Yeoman of Signals 1914/15 * Distinguished Service Medal - 15 September 1916 ''The following awards have been approved in connection with the recommendations of the Commander-in-Chief for services rendered by Petty Officers and men of the Grand Fleet in the action in the North Sea on the 31st May - 1 June 1916 - To receive the Distinguished Service Medal, Yeoman of Signals Frank William Foster, O.N 226416 (now Acting Signal Boatswain)'' * Distinguished Flying Cross - 22 December 1918 "Pilot Officer Frank William Foster DSM (North Russia) In recognition of distinguished services rendered during the War and since the close of hostilities." * General Service Medal, 2nd/Lt RAF 1918 * Victory Service Medal, 2nd/Lt RAF 1918 * India General Service Medal & Bar, F/O RAF 1930/31 (North West Frontier) * Silver Jubilee Medal, 1935 * Coronation Medal, 1937 * War Medal & Mentioned in Despatches clasp, 1939/45 * Defence Medal, 1945

References

External links

* Naval communications history �
Royal Naval Communications Association, Communications History - The First Signal Schools
* Derby House, Liverpool �
Liverpool and the Battle of the Atlantic
an
Western Approaches - History (BBC Liverpool, Local History)
* Large naval history sites �
Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk
an

* Fleet Air Arm Archive — {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Frank William 1887 births 1963 deaths Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom) Royal Navy personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Navy sailors Royal Air Force officers