Allegiance United Kingdom Name Frederick Hards Rank Air Vice Marshal | Years of service 1914 – 1943 | |
Born 17 March 1889Cookham, Berkshire, England ( 1889-03-17 ) Commands held No. 230 SquadronRAF MaltaBritish Forces Aden | ||
Air Vice Marshal Frederick George Darby Hards, (17 April 1889 – 10 July 1963) was a Royal Air Force officer who served as Air Officer Commanding British Forces Aden from 1941 until his retirement in 1943.
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Military career
Hards joined Royal Fusiliers in 1914 and then served in the First World War as a pilot with the Royal Naval Air Service. He received his aviator's certificate in 1915. After the war he became Officer Commanding No. 230 Squadron and then, after various staff positions, he was appointed Officer Commanding RAF Malta in 1930. He went on to be Fleet Aviation Officer to Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet in 1933 and Senior Engineering Staff Officer at Fighter Command in 1936.
He served in the Second World War as Senior Air Staff Officer and then Air Officer Administration at Coastal Command before becoming Air Officer Administration and then Air Officer Commanding British Forces Aden; he retired in 1943.
Honours and awards
In recognition of their services on the morning of the 25th April, 1916, when they pursued a Zeppelin 65 miles out to sea, dived to within a few hundred feet of it, and attacked it with bombs and darts.