"Brit Aviation Officers in the Great War" Topic

I was hoping for a little 'British' insight on this subject. Being an American, when I run into issues like this I feel like I am outside looking in.

Selection and promotion of British aviation officers appears to differ a great deal from the Army or Navy practices. That said, there appears to be a considerable 'pull' to try and force the aviation system back into more 'traditional' methods. We are talking about 'British' British officers here -- not officers from other Countries serving in the RFC/RAF.

As I see it, there are at least seven major criteria. In order of importance (from my perspective at the present time) these are:

Seniority
Class/family connections
No longer fit for combat but can run a desk.
Combat achievement/skill as a pilot
Fame – publicized exploits
Dumb Luck / promotion by attrition in the unit
Personal charisma

Of course a combination of factors would improve your chances that much more (or so it seems).

Merit/talent seems to be a middle of the road qualification for command during this period.

I have often wondered if the British policy of playing down the achievements of individual airmen had more to do with keeping the powers that be in control of who's career would be promoted/advanced and preventing the press and public from exerting influence. I know the 'officially stated reasons' but I'm not sure those were the only reasons for the policy.

Am I in the ball park here? or am I way off base?

Let me know what you think.

mjc

From what I've read, seniority, merit and the ability to survive were the main factors leading to promotion in the RFC.

A few comments on your list:
Seniority – Always important.
Class/family connections – Only really significant in getting a commission in the first place. Aircraft were flown by officers and, in common with the rest of the British Army, these came from the public (which means private) schools and, increasingly as the war went on, the grammar schools. Here's a 1917 casualty list from "Flight" magazine which gives some idea of background: link
No longer fit for combat but can run a desk – Relevant for some ex-combat pilots.
Combat achievement/skill as a pilot – I'm sure an MC or better would have helped.
Fame – publicized exploits – My dear boy, that's not very British!
Dumb Luck / promotion by attrition in the unit – Probably the most important factor.
Personal charisma – aka leadership potential, senior officers like this.

Hmmm

Seems that quite often officers were sent home as 'trainers' and a percentage of these were later assigned to new units (that they trained from the ground up in some cases) as commanders or flight leaders.

Quality of these folks varied from superb (not hard to understand why these folks were selected) to hopeless (maybe this was the only way to get rid of him). For the life of me I cannot understand how or why certain individuals were selected for later command roles.

I also find the double standard applied to 'dominion' aviators (definitely handled differently -- which is not to say unfairly – some were quite successful) an interesting twist. I often wonder if who you were rubbing elbows with might have an influence on your career (if you were a Canadian or South African for instance).

mjc

Not all British pilots were officers, heres one Sgt with a lot of experience… you'd think he would have been made an officer with that number of kills, he's an Ace by anyones standards…. obviously from the wrong background….

Sgt. Frank Johnson DCM + Bar, Pilot (16 victories, 3 with 62 Sqn 27 Mar -12 Apr 1918)

theres plenty where he came from…

Cheers

Maj. James Thomas Byford McCudden, V.C., D.S.O. & Bar, M.C. and Bar, M.M., Croix de Guerre…. the Ace…. was refused acceptance in one squadron cos he hadnt been to public school… he was also a sargeant pilot

Cheers

The dominion officers had their own governments occasionally exerting influence on their own behalf as well. The Australians actually established their own semi-independent air force. The Australian Flying Corps had a distinct identity. Bishop et.al. were trying to organize the establishment of an RCAF during the war, but didnt suceed until 1924 or so.