Arthur John Capel

Arthur John Capel
Arthur John Capel
Born	11 December 1894
Died	18 April 1979 (aged 84)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army (1914–18); Royal Air Force (1918–45)
Years of service	1914–1945
Rank	Air Vice-Marshal
Commands	No. 20 Group RAF (1941); No. 22 Group RAF (1940); School of Army Co-operation (1936–38); No. 5 Squadron RAF (1923–28); No. 43 Squadron RAF (1919); No. 92 Squadron RAF (1919); No. 94 Squadron RAF (1917–19)
Battles / wars	First World War; Pink's War; Second World War
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath; Distinguished Service Order; Distinguished Flying Cross; Mentioned in Despatches (3)

Air Vice-Marshal Arthur John Capel, CB, DSO, DFC, DL, JP (11 December 1894 – 18 April 1979) was a senior Royal Air Force officer.

Military career

Having served in the British Army during the First World War in the Somerset Light Infantry and then Royal Flying Corps, Capel joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) on its creation in 1918. He was involved in Pink's War, the RAF's first independent operation that was an air-to-ground campaign in Waziristan, and for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.^[1] He rose up the ranks, and served as Commandant of the School of Army Co-operation (1936–1938), Air Officer Commanding (AOC) No. 22 (Army Co-operation) Group (1940), and AOC No. 20 (Training) Group (1941). During the Second World War, he served in the United Kingdom, France and the Middle East.^[2]^[3]^[4]

After retiring from the RAF in 1945, Capel served as a magistrate and councillor in Somerset, and was High Sheriff of Somerset for 1952.^[2]^[3]^[4]

^ "No. 33104". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 November 1925. p. 7601. The KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the undermentioned rewards in recognition of gallant and distinguished service in connection with the operations carried out by the Royal Air Force in Waziristan, 9th March, 1925, to 1st May, 1925 :— Awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Squadron Leader Arthur John CAPEL, D.F.C.
^ ^a ^b "Capel, Arthur John (Oral history)". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Air Vice-Marshal A J Capel". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. 3 May 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Capel, Air Vice-Marshal Arthur John, (1894–18 April 1979), JP; DL". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U152970. ISBN 978-0-19-954089-1.

v t e Pink's War
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Commanding Officers	Wing Commander Richard Pink Air Vice-Marshal Sir Edward Ellington
Squadrons	No. 5 Squadron No. 27 Squadron No. 60 Squadron
Equipment	Bristol F.2 Fighter Airco DH.9A
Key locations	Waziristan: Tank Miranshah Jandola
Awards and commendations	Distinguished Service Order: Squadron Leader Arthur John Capel Distinguished Flying Cross: Flight Lieutenant John Baker Flight Lieutenant William Cumming Flying Officer Reginald Pyne Distinguished Flying Medal: Sergeant Pilot George Campbell Sergeant Pilot Ralph Hawkins Sergeant Arthur Rutherford Corporal Reginald Robins Leading Aircraftman Alfred Walmsley Mentioned in Despatches: Wing Commander Richard Pink Flying Officer Edward Dashwood Flying Officer Noel Hayter-Hames