I'm researching the Old Boys of my school who fell in WW2. One of them, the bi-plane ace Patric 'Paddy' Coote was gazetted Temp. Wing Commander at the age of 30. How does this compare? I suppose it's not unique but were there many younger Wing Commanders in the RAF? Thanks in advance. Clive.
Hi Clive, This is a list of Australian Wing Commanders who were killed during WW2 and their ages at death so at what age they were made Wing Commander I do not have at hand. DOUGLAS, JOHN KEITH (DFC) (AFC) Wing Commander 403564 467sq 8/02/1945 23 Royal Australian Air Force HAVYATT, HARRY GEOFFREY Wing Commander 391 20sq 21/05/1944 24 Royal Australian Air Force FORBES, WILLIAM ALEXANDER (DSO) (DFC) Wing Commander 414219 463sq 21/02/1945 25 Royal Australian Air Force McDONALD, JOSHUA ROGER GRAY Wing Commander 86 13sq 10/12/1941 26 Royal Australian Air Force TINDAL, ARCHIBALD ROBERT Wing Commander 76 HQ NWA 19/02/1942 26 Royal Australian Air Force RIDING, DOUGLAS CARSON Wing Commander 177 31sq 17/11/1942 26 Royal Australian Air Force DANIELL, JOHN WILLIAM Wing Commander 140 11sq Port Moresby 28/02/1943 26 Royal Australian Air Force LEARMONTH, CHARLES CUTHBERTSON DFC & BAR) Wing Commander 385 14sq 6/01/1944 26 Royal Australian Air Force EMERTON, JAMES GIBSON Wing Commander 250283 22sq 30/01/1944 26 Royal Australian Air Force SISLEY, ALAN FRANCIS MOIR Wing Commander 39008 550sq RAF 31/08/1944 27 Royal Air Force KINGSLEY-STRACK, PETER Wing Commander 260290 1 O T U EAST SALE 7/02/1945 27 Royal Australian Air Force SCOTT, ERNEST DALLAS (AFC) Wing Commander 250101 Stn HQ Darwin 6/02/1942 28 Royal Australian Air Force STEVENSON, JAMES CECIL Wing Commander 305 1 AD Laverton 1/12/1942 28 Royal Australian Air Force MACPHERSON, DONALD JAMES Wing Commander 110 RAAF (OHQ) UK London 2/04/1943 28 Royal Australian Air Force GIBBES, AUGUSTUS RODNEY (DFC) Wing Commander 267505 142sq 16/08/1943 28 Royal Australian Air Force PANITZ, GORDON (DFC) Wing Commander 404891 464sq 22/08/1944 28 Royal Australian Air Force LANDER, JOHN MERVYN (DFC) Wing Commander 89078 22sq RAF 20/01/1945 28 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve RYAN, JAMES PATRICK Wing Commander 290621 52 OBU 11/09/1945 28 Royal Australian Air Force HOLMWOOD, RAYMOND ARTHUR Wing Commander 1086 615sq RAF 26/02/1941 29 Royal Australian Air Force WOOD, VERNON CHARLES (AFC) Wing Commander 37309 604sq RAF 17/04/1943 29 Royal Air Force HAMMOND, WALTER LAWRENCE Wing Commander 1075 10 OPS G NADZAB 30/01/1944 29 Royal Australian Air Force GIBSON, PHILIP LESLIE BOYCE Wing Commander 260190 30sq 11/06/1944 29 Royal Australian Air Force HOWARD, BASIL (DFC) Wing Commander 404787 456sq 29/05/1945 29 Royal Australian Air Force BOWMAN, ALAN MCDONALD (DFC & Bar) Wing Commander 32138 39sq RAF 30/11/1941 30 Royal Air Force ATKINSON, RICHARD ASHLEY (DSO) (DFC & Bar) Wing Commander 70030 235sq RAF 13/12/1944 30 Royal Air Force CAMERON, IVAN MCLEOD Wing Commander 24225 110sq RAF 28/09/1939 31 Royal Air Force CHAPMAN, FRANCIS BLOMFIELD (DFC) Wing Commander 271349 20sq 8/03/1943 31 Royal Australian Air Force GLASSCOCK, CLARENCE PARSONS (DFC) Wing Commander 260092 30sq 19/09/1943 31 Royal Australian Air Force STILLING, STANLEY GORDON (DFC) Wing Commander 39579 20sq RAF 1/10/1943 31 Royal Air Force BARKER, NIGEL WILLIAM Wing Commander 260411 7sq 28/01/1945 31 Royal Australian Air Force LANGLOIS, ERIC LE PAGE (DFC) Wing Commander 416685 467sq 3/03/1945 31 Royal Australian Air Force KING, ROBERT HENRY SWAN Wing Commander 37191 21sq RAF 22/06/1943 32 Royal Air Force PAUL, ERIC Wing Commander 402079 117sq RAF 3/06/1943 33 Royal Australian Air Force MULHOLLAND, NORMAN GEORGE Wing Commander 34098 458sq RAAF 16/02/1942 34 Royal Air Force RATTEN, JOHN RICHARD (DFC) Wing Commander 405111 11 P&D RAF 27/02/1945 35 Royal Australian Air Force DALY, HILSON CHRISTOPHER NEWTON Wing Commander 260354 4sq 17/11/1944 36 Royal Australian Air Force
In the first couple of years that would have been an appropriate age, and they could have been older - before the war RAF regulars' promotions were slower. However, as the war progress, the attrition rate and the increase in the size of the RAf meant that most frontline Wing Commanders were in their mid to late-20s. Even Group Captains and higher could be in the their 20s. Leonard Cheshire was Group Captain at, I think, 26 or 27. Gibson would probably have attained the same wartime rank at a similar age if he hadn't been killed. However, after the war, those who decided to remain in the RAF so a dramatic drop in rank - cases of Group Captains and Wing Commanders dropping to the peacetime rank of Pilot Officer etc
I believe the youngest Wing Commander was Brendan "Paddy" Finucane who was just 22 at the time. Clive, have you seen this link: Commonwealth biplane fighter aces – Patric ’Paddy’ Coote
