Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes (23 July 1877 – 30 September 1954) was a British military officer and politician. Sykes was a junior officer in the 15th Hussars before becoming interested in military aviation. He was the first Officer Commanding the Military Wing of the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

before the First World War, and later served as the Flying Corps' Chief of Staff in France in 1914 and 1915. Later in the war, he 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 (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

in the Eastern Mediterranean before returning to Great Britain where he worked to organise the

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a Regiment, corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in the World War I, First World War. Th ...

and manpower planning. In late 1917 and early 1918, Sykes was the deputy to General Wilson on the Supreme War Council and from April 1918 to early 1919 he served as the second Chief of the Air Staff. After the war, Sykes was appointed the Controller of Civil Aviation and he continued in this role until 1922 when he entered politics, becoming the Conservative MP for Sheffield Hallam, which he held until 1928 when he resigned. From 1928 to 1931 he was

Governor of Bombay Until the 18th century, Bombay consisted of seven islands separated by shallow sea. These seven islands were part of a larger archipelago in the Arabian sea, off the western coast of India. The date of city's founding is unclear—historians tr ...

, after which time he returned to Great Britain where he involved himself in business and public life. During the

Second World War 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 ...

, Sykes was an MP once more, this time for Central Nottingham. He lost his seat in 1945 and he died nine years later.

Military career

Sykes was the son of Henry Sykes and Margaret Sykes (née Sykes), and nephew of the artist Godfrey Sykes. Following civilian employment as a clerk and after working on a tea plantation in

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, Sykes enlisted as a trooper in the

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but s ...

Scouts regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

at the start of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. Following capture, Sykes was forcibly marched across South Africa but was later abandoned and returned to the British forces. In 1900 he was commissioned into Lord Roberts' Bodyguard but suffered a serious wound to the chest which resulted in his being invalided back to Great Britain. On 2 October 1901 he was granted a regular commission as a second lieutenant in the 15th Hussars. He was posted to the West African Regiment and granted the local rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 7 March 1903. He was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant on 29 July 1903. In 1904, Sykes's interest in aviation was first demonstrated when he obtained a ballooning certificate whilst being attached to the Balloon Section of the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

. He was restored to the establishment of the 15th Hussars on 22 September 1904. He joined the Intelligence Staff at

Simla Shimla, also known as Simla (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summe ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1905 before attending

Staff College, Quetta The Command and Staff College Quetta is a staff college for the Pakistan Armed Forces and military officers from allied countries. Established in 1905 as Staff College, Deolali, it was later shifted to its present location in 1907 and has been a ...

in Autumn 1908. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 1 October 1908. In 1910 Sykes commenced flying lessons at

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

which led to him being 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 ...

certificate No. 96 in June 1911. On 25 February 1911 Sykes was posted as a staff officer to the Directorate of Military Operations at the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

. As a firm believer in the importance of wartime aerial reconnaissance, he was chosen to join the sub-committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence which was given the task of investigating the use of aircraft.Probert, p. 5 First flying and administrative officers of the Royal Flying Corps RAE-O790

First flying and administrative officers of the Royal Flying Corps RAE-O790

On 13 May 1912 Sykes was appointed Officer Commanding the Military Wing of the Royal Flying Corps with the temporary rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. His duties included the recruitment and training of pilots. While in command, Sykes solicited suggestions for a new motto for the Corps: Sykes approved J S Yule's suggestion, '' Per Ardua ad Astra'', and it was this phrase which was subsequently adopted by 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 ...

as its motto. On 9 July 1913 his role was restyled as Commandant of the Military Wing of the Royal Flying Corps and he was granted the temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel. With the outbreak of the

First World War 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 ...

, Royal Flying Corps squadrons were deployed to France in August 1914. Although the configuration and effectiveness of the deployed forces owed much to Sykes, as a middle-ranking officer he lacked the seniority thought necessary for command in the field. General Henderson became the

general officer commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

the Royal Flying Corps in the Field and Sykes acted as his

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

from 5 August 1914. On 22 November 1914, Henderson was appointed General Officer Commanding the 1st Division and Sykes took up command of the Royal Flying Corps in the Field. However, Sykes did not spend long in command. The decision to post Henderson and replace him with Sykes was not to Lord Kitchener's liking and he ordered a reversal of the posting. On 21 December 1914, Henderson resumed command of the Royal Flying Corps in the Field and Sykes was granted the temporary rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and once again made his chief of staff. He was promoted to the

brevet rank In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...

of lieutenant colonel on 18 February 1915. With the rapid expansion of the corps, there was a growing debate between those who believed that the corps should remain under central control and those who hoped that its units could be placed under the control of the corps or divisional commanders. Unsurprisingly as chief of staff, Sykes took the former view and following increasing arguments, Sykes was posted on 26 May 1915 being placed at the disposal of the Admiralty. Sykes visited the

Dardanelles The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...

to investigate the confused air situation and after writing a report he was appointed as the Officer Commanding the

Eastern Mediterranean Station on 24 July 1915 with the rank of colonel second commandant in the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

as well as the rank of Wing Captain in the

. This made Sykes the air commander for the Gallipoli campaign. During this time he acted on the recommendations of his report, building up air forces that sunk several Turkish ships. He was honoured as

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

on 14 March 1916 and

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 ...

on 16 March 1916. Sykes was made assistant adjutant and quartermaster-general of the 4th Mounted Division in March 1916 and, having been awarded the Russian Order of St Vladimir, 4th Class on 12 April 1916, he was appointed assistant adjutant-general at the

with responsibility for organising the

and manpower planning on 9 June 1916. He was made Deputy Director of Organisation at the War Office and granted the temporary rank of brigadier general on 8 February 1917. On 27 November 1917 he became Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster-General at the War Office in which role he served on the British section of the Allied War Council in the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

under General

Sir Henry Wilson Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, 1st Baronet, (5 May 1864 – 22 June 1922) was one of the most senior British Army staff officers of the First World War and was briefly an Unionism in Ireland, Irish unio ...

. Sykes's military career culminated in his appointment as Chief of the Air Staff on 13 April 1918 and, in that role, he did much to establish the new service. He was promoted to brevet colonel in June 1918. However, in January 1919, two months after the war ended,

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

was appointed

Secretary of State for War The secretary of state for war, commonly called the war secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The secretary of state for war headed the War Offic ...

and

Secretary of State for Air The Secretary of State for Air was a secretary of state position in the British government that existed from 1919 to 1964. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. The Secretary of State for Air was supported by ...

. While Churchill was preoccupied with implementing post-War defence cuts and the demobilization of the Army, Sykes submitted a paper with what were at the time unrealistic proposals for a large air force of the future. Being dissatisfied with Sykes's performance, Churchill decided to reinstate Sir Hugh Trenchard, the previous Chief of the Air Staff. Accordingly, on 1 January 1919 Sykes was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

and allowed to take early retirement with the rank of major general with effect from 31 March 1919. Sykes was appointed a Commander of the Belgian Order of Leopold on 15 July 1919 and awarded the American Distinguished Service Medal on the same date. He was also granted the rank of

air vice marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) 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 Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

when the RAF introduced its own rank structure on 1 August 1919, appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire on 26 August 1919 and appointed an officer of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on 18 November 1919. British Air Section at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference

From 1919 to 1922, Sykes was the Controller of Civil Aviation. He was awarded the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd Class on 4 January 1921 and in 1922 he published ''Aviation in War and Peace'', a history of aviation in three chapters which covered pre-War flight, aviation during World War I and both military and civil aviation in peace time.

Political career

Sykes entered political life at the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

in November 1922 when he was elected the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam. Sykes retained the seat at the 1923 election and the 1924 election. He resigned the seat on 26 June 1928 to become

on 17 October 1928. He was appointed a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire on 3 November 1928 and a member of the Privy Council on 20 November 1928 and served in Bombay until 8 November 1933. Sykes returned to Great Britain in 1933 and for the next six years he held various directorships and official committee posts including with the Miners' Welfare Commission and the British Sailors' Society. He was appointed a

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

on 2 February 1934 and a Knight of Justice of the Order of St John on 19 June 1936. With the outbreak of war in 1939 Sykes offered his services to the British Government but he was not required, and so he stood for Parliament once more. After the death in May 1940 of Terence O'Connor, the

Solicitor General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

and MP for Nottingham Central, Sykes was returned unopposed in the resulting by-election. He sat as Nottingham Central MP until defeated at the 1945 general election.

Personal life

In 1920 Sykes married Isabel Harrington Law, the elder daughter of

Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law (; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadi ...

, the Conservative Party leader who two years later became prime minister. Frederick and Isabel Sykes had one son, Bonar Sykes. Sykes bought the 18th-century Conock Manor, near Devizes in Wiltshire, in 1945 and the associated Manor Farm in 1948. Lord Blake, who knew Sykes personally, stayed at Conock while writing his biography of Bonar Law. Frederick Sykes died at Beaumont Street, London on 30 September 1954, and was cremated at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £136,000 in 2021), ...

Geoffrey de Havilland Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, (27 July 1882 – 21 May 1965) was an English aviation pioneer and aerospace engineer. De Havilland, The aircraft company he founded produced the de Havilland Mosquit ...

wrote to Isabel after the cremation: "I was deeply touched by your husband's wish that I should scatter the ashes over

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...

. I will, of course, do so... I always had admiration and affection for your husband and will always remember his kindness and help in the early days at Farnborough." Isabel died in 1969.

References

Sources

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External links

* * * , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, Frederick 1877 births 1954 deaths People from Addiscombe Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knights of Justice of the Order of St John Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class Commanders of the Legion of Honour British recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Imperial Yeomanry soldiers Royal Flying Corps officers 15th The King's Hussars officers British Army cavalry generals of World War I Royal Air Force generals of World War I Chiefs of the Air Staff (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force air marshals Military theorists Politics of Sheffield Politics of Nottingham Governors of Bombay UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1935–1945 Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Military personnel from the London Borough of Croydon British Army major generals Graduates of the Staff College, Quetta Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)