{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} {{Infobox military person |name= Amyas Eden Borton |image= A E Borton.jpg |caption= Brigadier General Amyas Borton, {{circa}} 1917–1918 |nickname= Biffy |birth_date= {{birth date|1886|09|20|df=yes}} |death_date= {{death date and age|1969|08|15|1886|09|20|df=yes}} |birth_place= [[Tanfield, Durham]], England |death_place= Maidstone, Kent, England |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= [[British Army]] (1904–1918)<br />[[Royal Air Force]] (1918–33) |service_years= 1904–1933 |rank= [[Air vice marshal]] |commands= [[RAF Inland Area|Inland Area]] (1929–1933)<br />[[Royal Air Force College Cranwell]] (1923–1926)<br />[[Mesopotamian Group RAF|Mesopotamian Group]] (1921–1922)<br />[[Palestine Brigade RAF|Palestine Brigade]] (1917–1918)<br />[[No. 40 Wing RAF|40th (Army) Wing]] (1917)<br />[[No. 5 Wing RAF|Fifth Wing, RFC]] (1917)<br />[[No. 27 Squadron RAF|No. 27 Squadron RFC]] (1915–1916)<br />[[No. 10 Squadron RAF|No. 10 Squadron RFC]] (1915) |battles= [[World War I]] |awards= [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br />[[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]]<br />[[Distinguished Service Order]]<br />[[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]]<br />[[Mentioned in Despatches]]<br />[[Order of Saint Stanislaus|Order of Saint Stanislaus, 3rd Class with Swords]] (Russia)<br />[[Order of the Nile|Commander of the Order of the Nile]] (Egypt)<br />[[Order of Al Nahda|Order of Al Nahda, 3rd Class]] (Kingdom of Hijaz) |relations= Lieutenant Colonel [[Arthur Drummond Borton]] (brother) |other_work= }} [[Air Vice Marshal]] '''Amyas Eden Borton''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|CB|CMG|DSO|AFC}} (20 September 1886 – 15 August 1969) was a pilot and commander in the [[Royal Flying Corps]] during the [[First World War]] and a senior commander in the [[Royal Air Force]] during the 1920s. He saw active service on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and in [[Iraq]]. In the latter part of his career, Borton was the second Commandant of the [[RAF College Cranwell|RAF College at Cranwell]] before becoming the [[Air Officer Commanding]] [[RAF Inland Area]].
==Early life and infantry service== Amyas Borton was born on 20 September 1886 in [[Tanfield, Durham]], the younger son of Irish-born Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Borton, a soldier and barrister. His elder brother, named [[Arthur Borton (VC)|Arthur Borton]] like their father, was known as "Bosky" whereas Amyas was known as "Biffy".<ref>[http://www.crossandcockade.com/pdf/Borton.pdf Cross and Cockade] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320021311/http://www.crossandcockade.com/pdf/Borton.pdf |date=20 March 2009 }}</ref>
He was commissioned into the [[Black Watch]] Militia in January 1904.<ref name=air>[http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Borton.htm Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Vice-Marshal A E Borton]</ref> In 1906, while remaining in the Black Watch, Borton transferred to the Regular Army.<ref name=air/> He learned to fly whilst on leave from his regiment in 1911, gaining [[Royal Aero Club]] [[List of pilots awarded an Aviator's Certificate by the Royal Aero Club in 1912|certificate no. 170]] on 9 January 1912.<ref name=air/>
==First World War== ===England and the Western Front=== Two months prior to the outbreak of the [[First World War]], Borton was seconded to the Military Wing of the [[Royal Flying Corps]] (RFC), serving as a pilot on [[No. 5 Squadron RAF|No. 5 Squadron]] at [[RAF Netheravon]].<ref name=air/> Following the start of the war in June, Borton flew with his squadron to France. It is recognised that while serving on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], Borton invented the slang term "archie" for [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft fire]]. The usage came about because Borton was probably the first pilot to shout the words "Archibald, certainly not" (from a popular [[music-hall]] song written by [[George Robey]]) as he flew between the exploding German shells.<ref name=air/> Lieutenant [[Maurice Baring]] who was attached to RFC headquarters during the war, noted in his diary that the term was already popular among the pilots of 5 Squadron by 15 September 1914, and that there seemed to be only a single gun which gave them trouble.<ref>{{cite book |last=Baring |first=Maurice |author-link=Maurice Baring |title=Flying Corps Headquarters, 1914–1918 |place=London |publisher=William Heinemann |orig-date=1920 |year=1930 |page=43 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015051387192&view=1up&seq=57}}</ref>
In November Borton was promoted to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] and made a flight commander and posted to a different squadron which resulted in his return to England to take up duties at [[Brooklands]]. Amyas was joined at Brooklands by his brother, who was an RFC observer at that time. In April 1915 Borton returned to France as a flight commander on [[No. 8 Squadron RAF|No. 8 Squadron]]. On 7 June, while engaged in aerial combat, Borton received a bullet wound to the head and neck. Although the injury was severe, he and his observer Captain Anthony Marshall managed to bandage the wound. Despite severe loss of blood, Borton kept control of his aircraft, completing the reconnaissance sortie and landing safely. He was later awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] for his actions.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=29215 |date=2 July 1915 |page=6533 |supp=y}}</ref>
Borton's recovery was prolonged. In early July, he was still judged to be "not yet out of danger" and it was not until late October 1915 that he returned to duty, being promoted to [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] and made the officer commanding of [[No. 10 Squadron RAF|No. 10 (Training) Squadron]] which was in England at that time.<ref name=air/> Just over two months later he was given a new squadron, being appointed officer commanding [[No. 27 Squadron RAF|No. 27 Squadron]] on 27 December.<ref name=air/> Initially based at [[Hounslow Heath Aerodrome]], [[Middlesex]] and later on the Western Front, Borton remained in command until the end of July 1916. During this time members of Borton's squadron flew missions delivering secret agents behind enemy lines.
On 1 August 1916, Borton was recalled to England and promoted to [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]]. Back in England, he was appointed officer commanding of a new training [[Wing (air force unit)|wing]] at [[Felton, Somerset|Felton]] near [[Bristol]].
===Palestine=== By mid December 1916, Borton had received his orders for [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]], although he was able to spend Christmas and the New Year with his father and other family members at Cheveney. Borton departed [[Plymouth]] on 10 January on the troop ship ''Devon'', arriving in [[Alexandria]], Egypt, 28 January.<ref>{{cite book |title=My Warrior Sons |last=Borton |first=Arthur Close |editor1-first=Guy |editor1-last=Slater |year=1973 |publisher=Military Book Society |pages=86 to 90}}</ref> He took up his new post as officer commanding the [[No. 5 Wing RAF|Fifth Wing RFC]] on 5 February 1917,<ref name=air/> succeeding Lieutenant-Colonel [[Philip Joubert de la Ferté|Joubert de la Ferté]]. His new command comprised two squadrons at the time and had a total of 42 aircraft. The Fifth Wing played an important role in the [[First Battle of Gaza (1917)|First]] and [[Second Battle of Gaza]] while Borton was in command.
In October 1917, Borton was moved sideways to head the newly created [[No. 40 Wing RAF|Fortieth Wing]]<ref name=air/> which was based in the Middle East. Having set up the Fortieth Wing, on 14 December he was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the [[Palestine Brigade RAF|Palestine Brigade]]<ref name=air/> which consisted of the Fifth and Fortieth wings. As Officer Commanding the Palestine Brigade, Borton was [[Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby|General Allenby's]] air commander although he also reported to the general officer commanding the Royal Flying Corps in the Middle East, Major-General [[Geoffrey Salmond|Salmond]]. Borton played an important role in the [[Sinai and Palestine campaign|Palestine campaign]] during his time in command. In late July and early August 1918, Borton along with Major Archibald McLaren flew a [[Handley Page 0/400]] biplane bomber from [[RAF Manston|Manston]], England to Alexandria.<ref>[http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200102/flying.the.furrow.htm Flying the Furrow] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720101632/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200102/flying.the.furrow.htm |date=20 July 2008 }} Saudi Aramco World, March/April 2001</ref> The aircraft later played a key role in the [[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Battle of Megiddo]] when it was used to bomb the Turkish Headquarters and telephone exchange in Al-Fuleh. Later in the Battle, the aircraft of Borton's Palestine Brigade destroyed the [[Seventh Army (Ottoman Empire)|Turkish Seventh Army]] which marked the end of any Turkish power west of the Jordan.
==Inter-war years== After the war, Borton remained in the newly established RAF and was granted a permanent commission as a lieutenant-colonel.<ref name=air/> When the RAF introduced its own rank titles in 1919, he was regraded as a [[Wing Commander (rank)|wing commander]] (the equivalent rank to his substantive former rank of lieutenant-colonel). However, he was rapidly promoted to [[group captain]] and by the end of 1919 he was the officer in charge of administration at the RAF's command headquarters at [[RAF Halton|Halton]].<ref name=air/>
At the start of 1921, Borton returned to the Middle East, this time as the Officer Commanding the newly established Mesopotamian Group which was the air element of the [[British Army|Army]]-led British forces in the [[British Mandate of Mesopotamia]].<ref name=air/> Borton instigated [[Air supremacy|air control]] measures as a means of pacifying the region.<ref name="Laffin">{{cite book |title=Swifter than Eagles. A biography of Marshal of the RAF Sir John Salmond |last=Laffin |first=John |authorlink=John Laffin |year=1964 |publisher=William Blackwood & Sons Ltd |pages=175 to 176}}</ref> After the [[Kingdom of Iraq]] was established under British oversight, Borton's command was renamed the Iraq Group in October 1921.<ref name=air/> In October 1922, the British Armed Forces in Iraq were reorganized as [[RAF Iraq Command|Iraq Command]] under Air Vice Marshal [[John Salmond]]. Borton remained in Iraq into 1923, working for Salmond.<ref name="Laffin"/>
From 1923 to 1926, Borton was the second officer to hold the appointment of commandant of the [[RAF College]] and the air officer commanding RAF Cranwell.<ref name=air/> Several months after becoming commandant, he married Muriel Agnes Slater at the [[Savoy Chapel]] in London.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1923/1923%20-%200756.html Married] Flight International, 13 December 1923</ref> Prior to his marriage, Borton had met and dated Agatha Miller (later the famous author, [[Agatha Christie]]), who rejected him.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/where-agatha-christie-dreamed-up-murder-158908115/| title = Where Agatha Christie Dreamed Up Murder {{!}} Travel {{!}} Smithsonian Magazine}} </ref>
On 1 November 1926, Borton was appointed director of personnel services at the [[Air Ministry]] in succession to [[Charles Longcroft|Air Vice-Marshal Longcroft]].<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1926/1926%20-%200847.html Appointments] Flight International, 18 November 1926</ref> Borton remained Director until 1 July 1929 when he was succeeded by Air Commodore [[Peregrine Fellowes]].<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1929/1929-1%20-%200614.html Appointments] Flight International, 18 July 1929</ref><ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1929/1929-1%20-%200684.html Appointments] Flight International, 1 August 1929</ref> Borton took up his final appointment as [[Air Officer Commanding]] [[Inland Area RAF|Inland Area]] on 1 November 1929, continuing in post until he retired from the RAF on 23 August 1933 in the rank of [[air vice-marshal]].<ref name=air/>
In 1935, he persuaded [[Harold Snagge|Sir Harold Snagge]], chairman of the [[D. Napier & Son|Napier]] engineering company, to make special arrangements to enable [[Dorothy Spicer]] to be the first woman to study and qualify for a 'D' licence, enabling her to inspect, pass out, and repair both engines and airframes, being qualified to build all aspects of an aircraft, airframe, and engine from scratch, and to approve the materials required for the work.{{Citation needed|date=March 2018}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== *Borton, Arthur Close, ed Slater, Guy. ''My Warrior Sons. The Borton Family Diary 1914–1918'' *[http://yaldinghistory.webplus.net/page251.html A history of Yalding – Biffy Borton]
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} |- {{s-bef|before=S Smith}} {{s-ttl|title=Officer Commanding [[No. 27 Squadron RAF|No. 27 Squadron RFC]]|years=1915–1916}} {{s-aft|after=S Smith}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Philip Joubert de la Ferté]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Officer Commanding [[Fifth Wing, RFC]]|years=February–October 1917}} {{s-aft|after=[[Charles Burnett (RAF officer)|Charles Burnett]]}} |- {{s-new|before=Wing established}} {{s-ttl|title=Officer Commanding [[No. 40 Wing RAF|40th (Army) Wing]]|years=October–November 1917}} {{s-aft|after=A Shekleton}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Sefton Brancker]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Officer Commanding [[RAF Palestine Brigade|Palestine Brigade]]|years=1917–1918}} {{s-aft|after=[[Charles Burnett (RAF officer)|C S Burnett]]}} |- {{s-new|reason=Group established}} {{s-ttl|title=Officer Commanding Mesopotamian Group<br /><small>Officer Commanding Iraq Group from 13 October 1921</small>|years=1921–1922}} {{s-aft|after=[[John Salmond]]<br /><small>As AOC [[RAF Iraq Command|Iraq Command]]</small>}} |- {{s-bef|rows=3|before=[[Charles Longcroft]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[RAF College Cranwell|RAF College]] Commandant|years=1923–1926}} {{s-aft|after=[[Frederick Halahan]]}} |- {{s-ttl|title=Director of Personal Services|years=1926–1929}} {{s-aft|after=[[Peregrine Fellowes]]}} |- {{s-ttl|title=[[Air Officer Commanding]] [[RAF Inland Area|Inland Area]] |years=1929–1933}} {{s-aft|after=[[Arthur Longmore]]}} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Borton, Amyas}} [[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]] [[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War I]] [[Category:Royal Air Force air vice-marshals]] [[Category:Royal Flying Corps officers]] [[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]] [[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]] [[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]] [[Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)]] [[Category:1886 births]] [[Category:1969 deaths]] [[Category:Black Watch officers]] [[Category:British World War I pilots]] [[Category:Commandants of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell]] [[Category:People from Tanfield, County Durham]] [[Category:Military personnel from County Durham]]