GB 0099 KCLMA Oulton - OULTON, AVM Wilfred Ewart Oulton (1911-1997)

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0099 KCLMA Oulton

Title

OULTON, AVM Wilfred Ewart Oulton (1911-1997)

Date(s)

  • Created 1956-1996 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

1 box or 0.01 cubic metres

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Born, 1911; educated University College, Cardiff (engineering) and RAF College Cranwell, 1927-1931; commissioned, 1931; served in flying boat squadron, Malta; studied and taught at School of Navigation, Manston; flying boat squadron at Pembroke Dock and in charge of research on navigational equipment, Ministry of Aircraft Production, 1939-1941; wartime service, 1941-1945, including training of British air crews and combined services liaison team, US, commanded 58 Squadron, set up RAF base on the Azores, in charge of the flying boat station, RAF Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland, Deputy Director Flying Control responsible for setting up air traffic control systems in post-war Britain; Director, Joint Anti-Submarine School, Londonderry, 1946-1948; Joint Services Staff College, 1948-1950; Air Attache, Argentina, Uraguay, Paraguay, 1950-1953; Director of Operations, Air Ministry, 1954-1956; commanded Joint Task Force GRAPPLE for first British thermonuclear weapons tests in the Pacific, 1956-1958; Senior Air Staff Officer, RAF Coastal Command HQ, 1958-1960; retired, 1960; upon retirement became Director of Defence Projects, EMI Electronics and established business consultancy, Medsales Executive; died, 1997.
Publications: Christmas Island cracker (London, 1987)

Archival history

GB 0099 KCLMA Oulton Created 1956-1996 Collection (fonds) 1 box or 0.01 cubic metres Oulton , Wilfred Ewart , 1911-1997 , Air Vice Marshal
Born, 1911; educated University College, Cardiff (engineering) and RAF College Cranwell, 1927-1931; commissioned, 1931; served in flying boat squadron, Malta; studied and taught at School of Navigation, Manston; flying boat squadron at Pembroke Dock and in charge of research on navigational equipment, Ministry of Aircraft Production, 1939-1941; wartime service, 1941-1945, including training of British air crews and combined services liaison team, US, commanded 58 Squadron, set up RAF base on the Azores, in charge of the flying boat station, RAF Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland, Deputy Director Flying Control responsible for setting up air traffic control systems in post-war Britain; Director, Joint Anti-Submarine School, Londonderry, 1946-1948; Joint Services Staff College, 1948-1950; Air Attache, Argentina, Uraguay, Paraguay, 1950-1953; Director of Operations, Air Ministry, 1954-1956; commanded Joint Task Force GRAPPLE for first British thermonuclear weapons tests in the Pacific, 1956-1958; Senior Air Staff Officer, RAF Coastal Command HQ, 1958-1960; retired, 1960; upon retirement became Director of Defence Projects, EMI Electronics and established business consultancy, Medsales Executive; died, 1997.
Publications: Christmas Island cracker (London, 1987)

Papers presented as a gift to the Centre by his son, Air Commodore Peter D Oulton, in 2002

Correspondence, a television script, press cuttings and photographs relating to signals during World War Two, the Battle of the Atlantic and Operation GRAPPLE, 1956-1996; including correspondence and script for Westward Television documentary on the Battle of the Atlantic and Coastal Command during World War Two, 1969-1971; personal accounts, press cuttings and correspondence relating to the Battle of the Atlantic, 1990-1996; photographs of Operation GRAPPLE, British H-Bomb tests on Christmas Island, for which Oulton was Task Force Commander, 1956-1958; account of the role of Signals in the RAF Coastal Command expedition to the Azores, 1943-1944, written by Wg Cdr F J Mowbray, 1996.

The collection comprises a single box arranged into sections as outlined above.

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be provided forresearch use only. Requests to publish original material should besubmitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.
English

Summary guide available online and in hardcopy in the Centre's Reading Room.

Decorations: CB, CBE, DSO, DFC
Source: Who's who. Entry compiled by Geoff Browell as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project. Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997. April 2003 Wars (events) Atlantic Ocean Azores Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945) Christmas Island Communication process Disasters Group communication International conflicts Kiribati Kiritimati Line Group Manmade disasters Military communications Military engineering Military equipment Military operations Mowbray , F J , fl 1943-1996 , Wing Commander Nuclear explosions Nuclear weapons Oceania Operation Grapple (1957-1958) Oulton , Wilfred Ewart , 1911-1997 , Air Vice Marshal War Weapons World wars (events) World War Two (1939-1945) Equipment Explosions Accidents Oceans

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Papers presented as a gift to the Centre by his son, Air Commodore Peter D Oulton, in 2002

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Correspondence, a television script, press cuttings and photographs relating to signals during World War Two, the Battle of the Atlantic and Operation GRAPPLE, 1956-1996; including correspondence and script for Westward Television documentary on the Battle of the Atlantic and Coastal Command during World War Two, 1969-1971; personal accounts, press cuttings and correspondence relating to the Battle of the Atlantic, 1990-1996; photographs of Operation GRAPPLE, British H-Bomb tests on Christmas Island, for which Oulton was Task Force Commander, 1956-1958; account of the role of Signals in the RAF Coastal Command expedition to the Azores, 1943-1944, written by Wg Cdr F J Mowbray, 1996.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

The collection comprises a single box arranged into sections as outlined above.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be provided forresearch use only. Requests to publish original material should besubmitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Summary guide available online and in hardcopy in the Centre's Reading Room.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Publication note

Decorations: CB, CBE, DSO, DFC

Notes area

Note

Decorations: CB, CBE, DSO, DFC

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area