Eric Betts Air Vice Marshal Eric Bourne Coulter Betts ( 1897 - 1971 ) began his career in the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War . He became flying ace credited with six aerial victories , although acedom was incidental to his more important mission of long range photographic reconnaissance , for which he was decorated . He remained in military service postwar , rising through the officer ' s ranks of the Royal Air Force to the rank of group captain just before the Second World War began . As that war started , he was a very influential participant in the United Kingdom ' s effort to gear up for the conflict ; his 16 early forecasts of needed personnel and logistic requirements for the Royal Air Force were accurate within a five percent margin . Later in the war , having been promoted to air vice - marshal , he was in charge of administration for Middle East Command . He retired in that rank postwar , on 10 March 1946 . He died on 30 March 1971 . Early life . Eric Bourne Coulter Betts was born in Dalkey , Dublin , Ireland on 24 January 1897 . First World War service . Betts began his military service as a signalman in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve . He was commissioned as a temporary Sub - Lieutenant in the RNVR in January 1915 . He was seconded for duty in the Royal Naval Air Service . Betts was assigned to No . 2 Naval Squadron as an aerial observer on a long range reconnaissance mission when he scored his first confirmed aerial victory on 1 February 1917 , he was manning the guns in the rear seat of a Sopwith 1 1 / 2 Strutter . He received the Distinguished Service Cross and the French " Croix de guerre " with Palm for this sortie . On 28 February , he was promoted to temporary lieutenant . By June , he was assigned to Hendon NAS ; the Admiralty planned long range photographic reconnaissance of German naval bases to the west of the Kiel Canal , and Betts was selected to fly in the Airco DH . 4 modified for this mission . Although the mission was cancelled , and the aircraft and air crews were reassigned to Great Yarmouth in August 1917 , Betts ' award citation for the Distinguished Flying Cross credited him with more than 20 successful long range photo missions . Betts was promoted to the rank of temporary captain and remained with 2 Naval when it became No . 202 Squadron of the newly formed Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918 . Teamed with Noel Keeble , he scored five more aerial victories between 5 June and 16 September 1918 . List of aerial victories . See also Aerial victory standards of World War I While Betts ' DFC citation , as rather an afterthought , noted aerial eight victories , only six accredited victories are known . Between the World Wars . On 5 December 1919 Betts was posted to observer duty on " HMS Pegasus " . He then became a supernumerary from 28 February 1922 until 3 April , when he began attendance at the RAF Staff College , Andover . On 4 April 1923 , he began pilot ' s training at No . 1 Flying Training School . On 17 September 1923 , he began staff duty at Headquarters , Inland Area . From there , he moved on to become a Qualified Flying Instructor at No . 3 Flying Training School on 20 March 1928 . While there , he was promoted to squadron leader on 29 May 1929 . Betts went upon foreign service next , being assigned to the Air Staff at Headquarters , British Forces Aden . He would remain there until being returned to Britain and deemed supernumerary on 5 March 1932 . After a spell on half pay status , he again pulled staff duty , this time in the Wessex Bombing Area , starting on 8 August 1932 . After that , he was given command of No . 101 Squadron RAF on 21 December 1933 . On 1 January 1936 , he was promoted to wing commander . On 14 January , he returned to staff work , at the RAF ' s War Organization ; in 1939 , he rose to become Deputy Director of the organization . Second World War and beyond . In 1939 , as war began , he was one of the committee tasked with planning supplies of British aircraft , including Fairey Battle s , Hawker Hurricane s , and Supermarine Spitfire s , to beleaguered Poland ; however , that nation was conquered by the Germans before the aircraft could be supplied . Beginning in September 1939 , and running through May 1940 , he was then required to make 16 war planning forecasts for logistics and personnel requirements for the RAF to fight the Second World War . These forecasts were exceptionally accurate , with only two having so much as a five percent error . On 1 January 1941 , Betts was gazetted " for valuable services rendered in connection with the war . " A promotion to temporary Air Commodore followed , on 1 April 1941 . Later in 1941 , before the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into the war , he was involved in high level negotiations for ferrying Lend Lease aircraft from the U . S . to British control . He was then assigned to foreign duty with Middle East Command , becoming the Air Officer in Charge of Administration on 26 March 1943 . He had been promoted to acting air vice - marshal just 12 days prior . Betts was retained as an air vice - marshal on 1 December 1944 . He was Mentioned in Despatches on 1 January 1945 . He retired in that rank postwar , on 10 March 1946 , having been awarded the Order of the British Empire . He died on 30 March 1971