Henrietta Barnett (WRAF officer)

For the English social reformer, educationist and reformer, see Henrietta Barnett.
Dame Henrietta Barnett
Birth name Mary Henrietta Barnett
Born (1905-02-16)16 February 1905
Winchester, Hampshire, England
Died 11 September 1985(1985-09-11) (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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. "BARNETT, Dame (Mary) Henrietta". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  4. The London Gazette: no. 34687. pp. 6357–6358. 19 September 1939. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  5. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38194. p. 795. 30 January 1948. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  6. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38653. p. 3224. 1 July 1949. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  7. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40669. p. 9. 30 December 1955. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  8. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41404. p. 3519. 3 June 1958. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
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