# Tom Webb-Bowen

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Royal Air Force Air Vice-Marshal (1879-1956)

Not to be confused with other people called [Thomas Bowen](/source/Thomas_Bowen_(disambiguation)).

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Sir Tom Webb-Bowen Born Tom Ince Webb-Bowen (1879-01-17)17 January 1879 Died 29 October 1956(1956-10-29) (aged 77) Allegiance United Kingdom Branch British Army (1899–1918) Royal Air Force (1918–1941) Service years 1899–1933 1939–1941 Rank Air Vice-Marshal Commands Wessex Bombing Area (1931–1933) Air Member for Personnel (1930–1931) RAF Middle East (1926–1929) Inland Area (1924–1926) No. 3 Group (1923–1924) RAF India (1920–22) South Eastern Area (1919) II Brigade RFC (1916–1917, 1918–1919) VII Brigade RFC (1917–1918) No. 3 Wing RFC (1915–1916) No. 2 Squadron (1915) Conflicts First World War Second World War Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Mentioned in Despatches (3) Order of Saint Anna, 3rd Class with Swords (Russia) Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Croix de guerre (France) Officer of the Military Order of Savoy (Italy)

[Air Vice-Marshal](/source/Air_Vice-Marshal) **Sir Tom Ince Webb-Bowen**, [KCB](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath), [CMG](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George), [DL](/source/Deputy_Lieutenant) (17 January 1879 – 29 October 1956) was a senior commander in the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) during the first half of the 20th century.

## Early life

Tom Ince Webb-Bowen was born on 17 January 1879, the son of Thomas Ince Webb-Bowen (senior) who served as the Chief Constable of [Pembrokeshire Police](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pembrokeshire_Police&action=edit&redlink=1) from 1 January 1879 to 1 December 1906.

## RAF career

Webb-Bowen was initially commissioned into a militia battalion of the [Middlesex Regiment](/source/Middlesex_Regiment), later got a regular army commission into the [Bedfordshire Regiment](/source/Bedfordshire_Regiment) and was appointed the Adjutant of the Madras Volunteer Corps while serving in India.[1] Finding himself unsuited to regimental life, Webb-Bowen learnt to fly in 1912.[1] After several weeks as a [Royal Flying Corps](/source/Royal_Flying_Corps) flight commander, he was posted to the [Central Flying School](/source/Central_Flying_School) as an instructor where he later served as the Assistant Commandant.[1]

In March 1915 Major Webb-Bowen took over command of [No. 2 Squadron](/source/No._2_Squadron_RAF)[1] while the squadron was located at Merville, France. During his short tenure there were two significant events. Firstly, because of the difficulty suffered by ground troops in communicating their advance to higher command, a technique was developed whereby troops on the ground could convey their position by laying strips of white cloth on the ground. (These strips are referred to as "Popham strips" in a novel,[2] and Webb-Bowen's predecessor was [Robert Brooke-Popham](/source/Robert_Brooke-Popham).) Aircraft from No. 2 Squadron would then relay by WT the co-ordinates noted. The second and more historically significant event was the award of the first [Victoria Cross](/source/Victoria_Cross) awarded for bravery in the air, to Lieutenant [William Rhodes-Moorhouse](/source/William_Rhodes-Moorhouse). Major Webb-Bowen handed over command to Major Becke in June 1915 following his posting to Home Establishment. He continued his war service commanding No. 3 Wing RFC from May 1915, and then as Brigadier-General Commanding first II Brigade RFC, then VII Brigade RFC and then II Brigade RFC again.[1] He commanded these brigades in France and Italy.[3]

After the war he was appointed Air Officer Commanding South Eastern Area and then Air Officer Commanding [RAF India](/source/RAF_India).[1] He was appointed Air Officer Commanding [No. 3 Group](/source/No._3_Group_RAF) in 1923, Air Officer Commanding Inland Area in 1924[4] and Air Officer Commanding [Middle East Command](/source/RAF_Middle_East_Command) in 1925.[1] He then went on to be [Air Member for Personnel](/source/Air_Member_for_Personnel) in 1930 and Air Officer Commanding Wessex Bombing Area in 1931 before retiring on 26 September 1933.[1]

He was recalled during the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War) to be Duty Air Commodore in the Operations Room at Headquarters [Fighter Command](/source/RAF_Fighter_Command).[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-air_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-air_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-air_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-air_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-air_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-air_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-air_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-air_1-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-air_1-8) [Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Vice-Marshal Sir Tom Webb-Bowen](https://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Webb-Bowen.htm)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "C", Tom McCarthy

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [A Reunion Dinner](http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1934/1934%20-%200443.html) Flight International, 3 May 1934

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Battle of Britain – 1940](http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/document-16.html)

Military offices Preceded by Hugh Trenchard Assistant Commandant of the Central Flying School 7 August 1914 – 8 March 1915 Succeeded by Duncan Pitcher Preceded by George Dawes Officer Commanding No. 2 Squadron 8 March – 27 May 1915 Succeeded by John Becke Preceded by Robert Brooke-Popham Officer Commanding No. 3 Wing 27 May – 2 June 1915 Succeeded by John Higgins Preceded by John Salmond Brigadier-General Commanding II Brigade RFC 1916–1917 Succeeded by John Becke New title Brigade established Brigadier-General Commanding VII Brigade RFC 1917–1918 Brigade disbanded Title next held by Charles Lambe in 1918 Preceded by John Becke Brigadier-General Commanding II Brigade RFC 1918 Brigade disbanded New title Formed from Indian Group Air Officer Commanding RAF India 1920–1922 Succeeded by Philip Game Vacant Title last held by Arthur Longmore Air Officer Commanding No. 3 Group 1923–1924 Succeeded by Lionel Charlton Preceded by Oliver Swann Air Officer Commanding RAF Middle East 1926–1929 Succeeded by Francis Scarlett Preceded by Sir John Salmond Air Member for Personnel 1930–1931 Succeeded by Sir Edward Ellington

v t e Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force Air Marshal Commanding, Royal Indian Air Force (1947–1948) Sir Thomas Elmhirst** Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Air Force (1948–1950) Sir Thomas Elmhirst** Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Air Force (1950–1955) Sir Thomas Elmhirst** Sir Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman** Gerald Gibbs** Subroto Mukerjee Chief of the Air Staff (1955–present) Subroto Mukerjee Aspy Engineer Arjan Singh Pratap Chandra Lal Om Prakash Mehra Hrushikesh Moolgavkar Idris Hasan Latif Dilbagh Singh Lakshman Madhav Katre Denis La Fontaine Surinder Mehra Nirmal Chandra Suri Swaroop Kaul Satish Kumar Sareen Anil Tipnis Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy Shashindra Pal Tyagi Fali Homi Major Pradeep Vasant Naik Norman Anil Kumar Browne Arup Raha Birender Singh Dhanoa Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria Vivek Ram Chaudhari Amar Preet Singh (incumbent) (**Seconded from the Royal Air Force)

v t e Royal Air Force generals RAF generals between 1 April 1918 and 31 July 1919 Lieutenant-Generals David Henderson John de Mestre Hutchison Major-Generals Edward Ashmore Sefton Brancker George Cayley Edward Ellington Philip Game Frederick Gordon Frederick Heath-Caldwell John Higgins Mark Kerr Charles Lambe Charles Longcroft Godfrey Paine Geoffrey Salmond John Salmond Frederick Sykes Hugh Trenchard Tom Webb-Bowen Brigadier-Generals William Alexander John Becke Amyas Borton Harold Briggs Robert Brooke-Popham Charles Burnett Walter Caddell Lionel Charlton Christopher Courtney Alfred Critchley Hugh Dowding Francis Leycester Festing Eugene Gerrard Percy Groves Robert Marsland Groves John Hearson Thomas Higgins Cuthbert Hoare Felton Holt Guy Livingston Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt Norman MacEwen Edward Maitland Edward Masterman Cyril Newall Duncan Pitcher Francis Scarlett John Miles Steel Oliver Swann Harry Viener Vyell Vyvyan James George Weir Kenneth Wigram

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tom Webb-Bowen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Webb-Bowen) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Webb-Bowen?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.