39-522: Air Marshal Sir Robert Henry Magnus Spencer Saundby , KCB , KBE , MC , DFC , AFC , FRAeS , DL (26 April 1896 – 26 September 1971) was a senior Royal Air Force officer whose career spanned both the First and Second World Wars . He distinguished himself by gaining five victories during the First World War, and was present during
78-465: A platoon -size element, usually consisting of 16 to 44 soldiers or marines. A rifle platoon is composed of several squads with each squad led by a non-commissioned officer as squad leader . The second lieutenant is usually assisted by a platoon sergeant who advises and supports the platoon's commanding officer in leading the unit. In the Army, until December 1917, the rank bore no insignia other than
117-498: A sous-officer (NCO). Until World War I sous-lieutenants were distinguished by a single gold fringed epaulette worn on the right shoulder (silver for cavalry). Modern rank insignia is reduced to a single braid stripe on each shoulder strap and (when worn) kepi . In Indonesia , "second lieutenant" is known as letnan dua ( letda ) which is the most junior ranked officer in the Indonesian Military . Officers in
156-549: A brown sleeve braid on blouses and an officer's cap device and hat cord . In December 1917, a gold-colored bar similar to the silver-colored bar of a first lieutenant was introduced. In U.S. military slang , the rank is sometimes called "butterbar" or "brown bar" in reference to the insignia. The rank of second lieutenant has existed in the Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy since the Liberation War . It
195-418: A fly-fishing trip. Together they had a son and two daughters. Kurt Vonnegut quotes his foreword to David Irving 's The Destruction of Dresden in his novel Slaughterhouse-Five . Saundby appears in the wartime propaganda file Target for Tonight . Saundby was portrayed in the 1989 television drama Bomber Harris by Bernard Kay . Air Marshal Too Many Requests If you report this error to
234-569: A qualified pilot and joined Britain's first single-seater fighter squadron, No. 24 Squadron RFC , in its original complement under famous Major Lanoe Hawker , flying the Airco DH2 on the Western Front . His initial successes began on 31 July 1916; he drove down a Fokker Eindekker out of control, and was slightly wounded in the process. On 17 November 1916 Saundby's brother, Second Lieutenant William Spencer Fitz-Robert Saundby, also of
273-558: A rank of second lieutenant and the Royal New Zealand Air Force has its exact equivalent, pilot officer . However, the Royal New Zealand Navy breaks with British tradition and uses the name ensign for its most junior commissioned officer rank (rather than the usual equivalents, such as acting sub-lieutenant or second lieutenant). The rank of second lieutenant (2Lt) was introduced throughout
312-647: A second lieutenant named, for example, Smith is addressed and referred to as Mr Smith , with the exception that the alternative titles ensign ( Foot Guards ) and cornet (in the Blues and Royals and Queen's Royal Hussars ) are still used. In the Royal Air Force , the comparable rank is pilot officer . The equivalent in the Royal Navy is midshipman . In the United States , second lieutenant
351-633: Is a pip and the Royal Canadian Air Force insignia for lieutenant is one thick braid. The equivalent rank for the Royal Canadian Navy is acting sub-lieutenant . Also known as an Ensign in the Foot Guards units ( Canadian Grenadier Guards & Governor General's Foot Guards ). Sous-lieutenant is the most junior commissioned rank in the modern French Army, Airforce and Gendarmerie . It dates historically from
390-517: Is also used by the Royal Marines . New British Army officers are normally commissioned as second lieutenants at the end of their commissioning course at RMA Sandhurst , and continue with specific training with their units. Progression to lieutenant rank usually occurs after about a year. In the British armed forces, second lieutenant is a rank which is not used as a form of address. Instead
429-517: Is the normal entry-level rank for most commissioned officers in the Army , Marine Corps , Air Force , and Space Force . It is equivalent to the rank of ensign in the Navy , Coast Guard , Public Health Service Commissioned Corps , and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps . In the Army and Marine Corps, a second lieutenant typically is a platoon leader who leads
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#1732791696740468-590: The British Army in 1877 to replace the short-lived rank of sub-lieutenant , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery , Royal Engineers , Fusilier and Rifle regiments . At first the rank bore no distinct insignia. The rank was abolished in 1881 but reintroduced in 1887. In 1902, a single Bath star was introduced; the ranks of lieutenant and captain had their number of stars increased by one to (respectively) two and three. The rank
507-666: The Central Flying School (CFS) at Upavon . He saw further service with No. 40 Squadron at Gosport . Of his experiences in this period, Saundby wrote - I have never found it necessary to modify the opinion which I formed at the time that, with the exception of the C.F.S. and one or two individuals, the standard of flying training was on the whole extremely bad. The instructor felt no responsibility for his pupils' flying and invariably explained away their crashes by reporting that they were hopeless idiots, better dead, of whom nothing could reasonably be expected. Saundby became
546-735: The Officer Cadet School, Portsea which closed in 1985. (Graduates of the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and the Royal Military College, Duntroon (RMC-D) are commissioned as lieutenants .). The rank of second lieutenant is only appointed to officers in special appointments such as training institutions, university regiments and while under probation during training. Trainees undertaking Special Service Officer (SSO) training are appointed at their officer rank prior to undertaking
585-508: The military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1986. In the colonial forces, which closely followed the practices of the British military, the rank of second lieutenant began to replace ranks such as ensign and cornet from 1871. New appointments to the rank of second lieutenant ceased in the regular army in 1986. Immediately prior to this change, the rank had been effectively reserved for new graduates from
624-743: The Bomber and the Missile Brought the Third Dimension to Warfare ) and Steam Engines ( Early British Steam 1825–1925: The First 100 Years ). Saundby died on 26 September 1971 at Edgecombe Nursing Home, Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire. His ashes were scattered by the River Avon at Netheravon . On 10 January 1931, Saundby married Joyce Mary Rees-Webbe. They met when she came with her father, Major Marmaduke Oswald Norman Rees-Webbe, on
663-646: The Indonesian National Armed Forces are commissioned through one of four major commissioning programs. Upon graduation the candidates are promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, thus becoming commissioned officers . The four programs are: Like many other Commonwealth countries, the rank structures of the New Zealand Defence Force usually follow British traditions. Hence the New Zealand Army maintains
702-716: The Royal Flying Corp, was killed in action at 19 years of age. It was initially hoped he had been made a prisoner of war following a forced landing but it turned out not to be the case. He is remembered on the Arras Flying Services Memorial . Saundby transferred from No. 24 Squadron to No. 41 Squadron on 26 January 1917. On 4 March, while flying FE.8 Serial No. 6431, he shared a victory over an Albatros. Following this win, he transferred to Home Defence in Britain. He had shot down 9 aircraft over
741-626: The Western Front by this point. On 13 April 1917 Saundby was at Orford Ness RFC Experimental Station, England. On 17 June 1917 he was flying one of three aircraft, one of 37 Squadron RFC and two others from the Experimental Station that intercepted the Zeppelin L48 (Imperial German Navy Designation LZ 95 ) after she got lost trying to bomb London. As a result of their attacks, L48 crashed near Theberton . The victory
780-582: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 260378125 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 11:01:36 GMT Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces . The lowest officer rank, it is usually placed below lieutenant or first lieutenant . The rank of second lieutenant existed in
819-603: The air battle when Lanoe Hawker was shot down and killed by Manfred von Richthofen , the "Red Baron". He is chiefly remembered for his role as Deputy Air Officer Commanding -on-Chief Bomber Command under Sir Arthur Harris during the latter part of the Second World War. Robert Henry Magnus Spencer Saundby was born on 26 April 1896 at 83A Edmund Street in Birmingham . He was the son of Robert Saundby (1849-1918), FRCP , and Edith Mary, née Spencer. His father
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#1732791696740858-798: The digestive system, old age, and medical ethics, amongst other subjects. Educated at King Edward VI School, Saundby left in 1913 and joined the Traffic Department of the London and North Western Railway . Saundby began the First World War serving in the British Army . On 15 June 1914 he was commissioned into the Royal Warwickshire Regiment , Territorial Force . An attack of cerebrospinal meningitis in February 1915 saw Saundby out of action for 8 months. It
897-570: The late XVIth Century in the reign of Henry II of France . In 1674 this designation replaced that of ensign in the French infantry. By 1791 there were two sous-lieutenants in each company. After 1781 entry to this rank and beyond required four quartering of nobility - that is for all four grandparents to be recognised members of the aristocracy. The French Revolution substituted election by popular vote and later, under Napoleon, by graduation from officers' military schools or after four years of service as
936-583: The liberation of Belgium. Saundby devoted much of his retirement to his role as Vice-Chairman, Council of Territorial and Auxiliary Forces Association , for which he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath . Saundby was the chair of the council of Royal Air Forces Association (as well as life vice-president), president of the Royal British Legion (metropolitan area) and in 1960
975-804: The rank of wing commander , Saundby attended the Imperial Defence College in 1933. He also worked for two years at the RAF Staff College, Andover as an instructor. In 1937, Saundby was appointed Deputy Director of Operations. From there he became Deputy Director (and subsequently Director) of Operational Requirements and Assistant Chief of Staff (Operational Requirements and Tactics). He held these posts between 1938 and 1940, also rising to Air Vice-Marshall in this period. By 1940, Saundby had become Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO), HQ Bomber Command . He served under Air Marshal Richard Peirse , and continued in this position when Peirse
1014-584: The rank with insignia of a single gold ring around the service dress uniform cuff for both army and air personnel upon unification in 1968 until the late 2000s. For a time, naval personnel used this rank but reverted to the Royal Canadian Navy rank of acting sub-lieutenant , though the CF green uniform was retained until the mid-1980s. Currently, the Canadian Army insignia for second lieutenant
1053-676: The ranks of the newly formed RAF, while gaining experience of command. Between 1922 and 1925 he served as a Flight Commander in No. 45 Squadron, based at Almaza , Cairo . Flying the Vickers Vernon transport aircraft. He flew as co-pilot for the then Squadron Leader Arthur Harris, when the latter developed a locally improvised bombing capability for the Vernon. April 1922 was Saundby's first flight to Baghdad . In February, March, November and December 1923 he participated in bombing operations. This
1092-629: The time, No. 7, was commanded by Wing Commander Charles Portal , later to become Chief of Air Staff during the Second World War and the direct superior and sometimes opponent of Harris. In 1927–28 Saundby attended the RAF Staff College before being posted to the Wessex bombing area staff. By this period he had logged over 2000 flying hours, however his flying career was drawing to a close as he rose into more staff positions. At
1131-594: The training (usually as lieutenants or captains). This is different to General Service Officer (GSO) trainees who start off at the rank of officer cadet (ADFA/ Australian Army Reserve officer trainees) or staff cadet ( Royal Military College, Duntroon ). Ranks equivalent to second lieutenant are acting sub-lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy and pilot officer in the Royal Australian Air Force . The Canadian Forces adopted
1170-558: The upper command ranks of the RAF was initiated when he joined No. 58 Squadron as a Flight Commander on 15 October 1926. With the squadron he flew the Vickers Virginia and Vickers Victoria aircraft at RAF Worthy Down . His squadron commander was Wing Commander Arthur Harris, and the squadron concentrated on developing night bombing techniques such as target-marking in their 70 mph machines. The other squadron at Worthy Down at
1209-508: The woods of West Berkshire. His work in this field saw him record 44 species of butterfly and 501 larger moths . His collection was described as "a model of good arrangement and documentation", and was presented to the Natural History Museum in London . Saundby had many hobbies, and wrote several books on differing subjects including his role in the RAF during the war ( Air Bombardment, The Story of its Development , How
Robert Saundby - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-571: Was "one of a very gallant band of pilots who fought under the late Major Lanoe Hawker VC DSO during the Somme offensive of 1916." In 1919 Saundby received a permanent commission into the Royal Air Force (RAF). This period also saw him taking the sea plane course at Lee-on-Solent , studying at the RAF and Naval Cooperation School at Calshot and being awarded the Air Force Cross . Between 1919 and 1925, Robert Saundby moved slowly through
1287-558: Was a policy known as 'aerial policing'. He moved on to become an instructor in Egypt with No. 4 Flying Training School at Abu Sueir , Egypt. However, this lasted for only two months when he was given command of the Aden Flight. This was due to a sudden illness affecting the sitting commander. Saudby initially disliked the posting but grew to appreciate the experience. It proved to be the only command of his career. Saundby's move towards
1326-711: Was appointed deputy-lieutenant for Berkshire . Fly-fishing was a great passion and Saundby also became the president of the Piscatorial Society , editing their centenary publication The Book of the Piscatorial Society 1836–1936 . Saundby was also a keen lepidopterist and a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society . In retirement at Oxleas House in Burghclere he made light-trap records in his garden and entomologized
1365-517: Was codenamed Grayling and Berlin was Whitebait . It is thought that he chose this coding because he was a keen fly fisherman . He retired on medical grounds from the RAF on 22 March 1946. The medical grounds for Saundby's retirement were the result of injuries ( osteoarthritic lumbar spine and an osteoarthritic hip) sustained in a crash 30 years previously. Saundby was awarded the Order of Leopold II with Palme and Croix de Guerre for services in
1404-743: Was initially a tea planter in India before becoming a distinguished physician (having been elected senior president of the Edinburgh Royal Medical Society as a student, and later president of the British Medical Association ) and professor of medicine at Mason University College and Birmingham University ; his 'compendious knowledge of medicine, administrative ability and great energy' (which unfortunately came with irritability and lack of patience that detracted from his teaching) produced books on diseases of
1443-624: Was not until 11 October that he was passed fit and on 23 October he applied to the Royal Flying Corps . It was January 1916 when Saundby was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps. Saundby's flying career began at Thetford in Norfolk as part of No. 12 Reserve Squadron on 28 February 1916. He flew solo just over a month later on 31 March and gained further experience flying with the squadron at Dover . Saundby then attended
1482-595: Was replaced with Arthur Harris in February 1942. February 1943 saw Saundby appointed to the post of deputy air officer commanding-in-chief. He was an advocate for the strategy of attacking German military industries and the morale of the German population by bombing German industrial areas and cities. He was a key deputy for Harris throughout the remainder of the war. On behalf of Harris he selected 94 German towns which were "fitted" for carpet bombing and gave codenames to each of them known as 'Fish code'; for example Nuremberg
1521-517: Was shared among the three air crews. Saundby not only became an ace with this win, he was awarded the Military Cross . One of only two German survivors of the engagement, Otto Mieth, died in Iringa , Tanganyika in 1956. He had lived there since 1928 and had his own construction company. In the preface to Saundby's book Flying Colours (1919), Major General E. B. Ashmore wrote that Saundby
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