[2] On 24 August 1936, Dutton was commissioned into the Royal Air Force as an acting pilot officer (on probation).
The following day, on 19 May, he shot down an additional Heinkel He 111 while flying west of Arras, northern France.
On 1 September 1945, he was granted a permanent commission and the rank of squadron leader in the post-war RAF.
[18] On 8 June 1945, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) "in recognition of gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations".
[19] In the 1966 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
[22] Acting Flight Lieutenant Roy Gilbert DUTTON (39072) In May, 1940, whilst leading a section of a squadron on patrol over Brussels.
The next day, when leading a section of a squadron, seven Messerschmitt fighters were sighted escorting from fifty to seventy enemy bombers.