32 Facts About Douglas Evill

Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Claude Strathern Evill, was an Australian-born British Royal Naval Air Service pilot and squadron commander during the First World War.

Douglas Evill was born on 8 October 1892 in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia to British parents.

Douglas Evill was a cousin of the pioneer aviator Arthur Longmore who encouraged him to take up flying.

Douglas Evill then applied to join the Naval Wing of the Royal Flying Corps but was not accepted and he spent some time serving on destroyers.

Douglas Evill was promoted to full lieutenant on 15 August 1914 and was appointed an acting flight lieutenant on 4 December 1914 on securing a transfer to the Royal Naval Air Service which by 1914 had gained its independence from the Royal Flying Corps.

Douglas Evill spent much of the First World War on operational flying duties over the Western Front, flying out of Dunkirk from February 1915 onwards.

On 22 June 1916 Douglas Evill was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

On 5 November 1916 Douglas Evill was appointed the Officer Commanding No 2 Squadron RNAS which like No 1 Squadron was engaged in flying duties on the Western Front.

Less than two months later, on the last day of 1916, Douglas Evill was promoted to the RNAS rank of squadron commander.

Douglas Evill had to contend with temporary hangarage for his seaplanes and the safe operation of a crane which lowered his aircraft from the top of the cliff on to rails which ran into the sea.

On 1 April 1918, when the RNAS was merged with the Royal Flying Corps, Douglas Evill was regraded from squadron commander to major in the new Royal Air Force.

Douglas Evill remained in the fledgling RAF after the war and in 1919 he was placed in command of flying boat units, granted a permanent commission in the RAF in the rank of squadron leader and awarded the Air Force Cross.

Douglas Evill spent much of 1921 at the British Army's Staff College at Camberley.

On 1 January 1922 Douglas Evill was posted to the headquarters of Coastal Area working on the technical aspects of aircraft carriers.

Douglas Evill was promoted to air commodore on the last day of 1935; this promotion may have coincided with his elevation to Director of War Organization.

Douglas Evill left the Air Ministry in September 1936 for Headquarters Bomber Command where he served as the Senior Air Staff Officer.

In January 1937, whilst on the staff of Bomber Command, Douglas Evill accompanied Air Vice Marshal Christopher Courtney as a member of the RAF mission to Germany on a tour of inspection of the Luftwaffe.

On 1 January 1938 Douglas Evill was promoted to air vice marshal, three months later he was appointed Air Officer in charge of Administration at Bomber Command.

Douglas Evill was in favour of the creation of dummies of all satellite airfields which would be designed to mislead during day and night raids.

Douglas Evill favoured the building of decoy airfields for primary large-scale bases but only to the extent that they would be effective against night operations.

Just before the outbreak of the Second World War, Douglas Evill briefly served as the British air deputy on the Anglo-French Supreme War Council.

In February 1940 Douglas Evill was appointed the Senior Air Staff Officer at the Headquarters of the Royal Air Force in France under Air Marshal Sir Arthur Barratt.

Douglas Evill continued at Fighter Command throughout the Battle of Britain, The Blitz and the fighter operations of 1941.

In February 1942, Douglas Evill departed Great Britain for the United States as the head of the RAF delegation to Washington.

Douglas Evill continued as VCAS throughout the rest of the war, receiving promotion to air marshal at the beginning of 1944.

On 1 February 1945, Douglas Evill sent a memorandum to the Chiefs of Staff Committee outlining the Air Staff's support for the area bombing of eastern German cities.

Douglas Evill noted that the ensuing chaos would hamper Wehrmacht reinforcements which were moving up to meet the Russian advance.

Douglas Evill stepped down as VCAS on 1 June 1946; the following January he officially retired from the RAF, receiving promotion to air chief marshal just a few days before he left the Service.

Douglas Evill was a member of the council for King Edward VII's Hospital for Officers and served as the Director-General of the English Speaking Union from 1947 to 1949.

In late 1960 Douglas Evill was appointed Honorary Air Commodore of No 3617 Fighter Control Unit in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

Douglas Evill was portrayed by Sir Michael Redgrave in the film Battle of Britain.

Towards the end of his life, Douglas Evill suffered with severe arthritis; he died at his home in Winchester on 22 March 1971, aged 78.