Eric Betts

He became a 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.

[1] He remained in military service post-war, rising through the ranks of the Royal Air Force to group captain just before the Second World War began.

As that war started, he was an influential participant in the United Kingdom's effort to gear up for the conflict; his sixteen early forecasts of needed personnel and logistic requirements for the Royal Air Force were accurate within a five percent margin.

He gained his first confirmed aerial victory on 1 February 1917, while manning the guns in the rear seat of a Sopwith 1½ Strutter on a long range reconnaissance mission.

[6] 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.

[8] On 5 December 1919 he was posted to observer duty aboard the carrier HMS Pegasus, receiving promotion to flight lieutenant on 30 June 1921.

The Directing Staff included Air Commodore Robert Clark-Hall, Group Captain Philip Joubert de la Ferté, Wing Commanders Wilfrid Freeman and Charles Edmonds, and Squadron Leader Bertine Sutton, while Betts' fellow students included Wing Commanders Jack Baldwin and Richard Peirse, Squadron Leaders Conway Pulford, Keith Park, Wilfred McClaughry and Charles Portal, and Flight Lieutenants Harold Kerby and John Cole-Hamilton.

[2] After a spell on half pay in May and June 1932,[17][18] he returned to staff duty, this time in the Wessex Bombing Area, starting on 8 August 1932.

[25] 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.

[33] He died on 30 March 1971,[2] and is buried alongside his wife in the churchyard of St Barrahane's Church of Ireland, Castletownshend, County Cork.