Douglas Evill

Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Claude Strathern Evill (8 October 1892 – 22 March 1971) was an Australian-born British Royal Naval Air Service pilot and squadron commander during the First World War. Serving in the Royal Air Force between the wars, he was a senior air commander during the Second World War.

Early life Douglas Evill was born on 8 October 1892 in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia to English parents who had settled in Australia shortly before his birth. After receiving a private education in England, Evill studied as a cadet at the Royal Naval College, Osborne, on the Isle of Wight, before attending the Britannia Royal Naval College in Devon.

Naval service and the First World War Evill was a cousin of the pioneer aviator Arthur Longmore who encouraged him to take up flying. After taking private flying lessons at Hendon, Evill gained his Aero Club Aviator's Certificate (No. 512) on 13 June 1913, only three months after gaining his naval commission as a sub-lieutenant.

On 5 November 1916 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, Evill was promoted to the RNAS rank of squadron commander. On 1 April 1918, when the RNAS was merged with the Royal Flying Corps, Evill was regraded from squadron commander to major in the new Royal Air Force.

Between the wars 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.

After departing Cranwell, Evill was promoted to group captain in the new year. After a period of illness and time as a supernumerary which occupied most of 1932, Evill attended the Imperial Defence College in 1933.

In the five years leading up to the Second World War Evill held a number of air officer staff and administrative appointments. In April 1934, he was sent to the Air Ministry and served as Deputy Director of War Organization. He was promoted to air commodore on the last day of 1935; this promotion may have coincided with his elevation to Director of War Organization.

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

Second World War Following the start of the Second World War, Evill was moved from Bomber to Fighter Command as the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at its Headquarters, When British Air Forces France in France dissolved in defeat in June 1940, Evill returned to Fighter Command, once again serving as SASO. Evill wrote

Less than two weeks later, the Bombing of Dresden began. Evill stepped down as VCAS on 1 June 1946; the following January he retired from the RAF, receiving promotion to air chief marshal just a few days before he left the Service.