Military Service 1930-1939
In 1930 Dowding was appointed Air Member (Air Ministry) for Supply and Research. Noting “Britain’s backwardness in comparison with the very great progress which has been made recently by some other nations” Dowding advocated a specific Air Member focused exclusively on Research and Development and was appointed to the role in 1935. From here he pressed for the urgent development of new fighter aircraft, initiatives that resulted in the Hurricane and Spitfire. He encouraged research being undertaken by Robert Watson-Watt developing RDF (Radio Direction Finding) and later RADAR (Radio Direction and Ranging). These developments revolutionised fighter tactics. Previously patrols & sweeps had been the only means of seeking and finding enemy aircraft; radar promised unprecedented early warning.
Promoted to Air Marshall in 1933 Dowding was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) the same year.
In July 1936,following an organisational review , Bomber, Fighter, Coastal and Training Commands were formed and Dowding was appointed as the first head of Fighter Command, based at Bentley Priory, Stanmore (north of London).
Shortly before the war began there was not a single aerodrome in Fighter Command with all-weather runways. Runways had been opposed by Air Ministry officials on the grounds that they would be difficult to camouflage! Dowding had to convince the Ministry that safe, speedy take-off and landing areas were essential and built quickly. He also had to argue for the use of bullet-proof glass in the windscreens of aircraft and for much other essential equipment.
Dowding devised, developed and implemented what became known as the “Dowding System”, recognised as the world’s first integrated air defence network. This incorporated Radar, Royal Observer Corps observers, Balloon Command, Anti- Aircraft Guns, Searchlights, radio control of Fighter Aircraft and a Central Control at Bentley Priory to plot raids as they developed. All these elements were connected together by a network of phone links with a clearly defined chain of command, enabling control of both the flow of intelligence on incoming raids and the communication of orders.
