Henrietta Barnett (WRAF officer)
| Dame Henrietta Barnett | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mary Henrietta Barnett |
| Born |
16 February 1905 Winchester, Hampshire, England |
| Died |
11 September 1985 (aged 80) Oxfordshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
Auxiliary Territorial Service (1938–1939) Women's Auxiliary Air Force (1939–1949) Women's Royal Air Force (1949–1960) |
| Years of service | 1938–1960 |
| Rank | Air Commandant |
| Battles/wars |
Second World War Cold War |
Air Commandant Dame Mary Henrietta Barnett, DBE (1905–1985), known as Henrietta Barnett, was a senior member of the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF). From 1956 to 1960, she served as Director of the WRAF.[1]
Military career
In 1938, Barnett joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a volunteer (IE private), and was assigned to No. 45 County of Oxford Company.[2] She transferred to the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) when it was established on 28 June 1939.[2][3] She was commissioned into the WAAF as a company assistant (equivalent to a pilot officer in the Royal Air Force), with seniority from 5 December 1938.[4] During World War II, she served at RAF Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire, at RAF Feltwell in Norfolk, and at the Air Ministry in London.[2]
After the end of the war, in the summer of 1945, Barnett was posted to RAF Mediterranean Command in Caserta, Italy.[1] There, she served as the "staff officer responsible for all WAAF personnel working in the RAF Mediterranean and Middle East command".[2] In October 1947, she returned to the United Kingdom and was appointed as an WAAF staff officer at Flying Training Command headquarters.[2] On 13 November 1947, she was appointed to an extended service commission as a flight officer (equivalent to flight lieutenant) with seniority in that rank from 3 March 1943.[5] In October 1948, she appointed the WAAF Inspector; this job required her to travel extensively, inspecting all the bases within RAF Home Command that had WAAF personnel.[1][2]
In 1949, the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was created. On 1 February 1949, Barnett was made a group officer (equivalent in rank to a group captain in the RAF) in the Secretary Branch of the WRAF.[6] From 1949 to 1952, she served as one of two Deputy-Directors of the WRAF:[1] in that role, she had responsibility for the "selection, promotion, and career and personal problems of WRAF officers".[2] On 1 November 1952, she was appointed Commanding Officer of RAF Hawkinge; as such, she became the only female station commander in the RAF.[1][2] From 1 August 1956 to March 1960, she served as Director of the Women's Royal Air Force, holding the rank of air commandant (equivalent to air commodore).[2]
Honours
In the 1956 New Year Honours, Barnett was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).[7] In the 1958 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), and therefore granted the title Dame.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "BARNETT, Air Commandant Dame (Mary) Henrietta (1905-1985)". Liddell Hart Military Archives. King's College London. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Barnett, Dame (Mary) Henrietta (1905–1985)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. May 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "BARNETT, Dame (Mary) Henrietta". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34687. pp. 6357–6358. 19 September 1939. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38194. p. 795. 30 January 1948. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38653. p. 3224. 1 July 1949. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40669. p. 9. 30 December 1955. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41404. p. 3519. 3 June 1958. Retrieved 29 November 2016.