Arthur Button
Encyclopedia
Air Vice-Marshal
Arthur Daniel Button, CB
, OBE
(26 May 1916 - 27 May 1991) was a British
Royal Air Force
officer.
He was educated at Ilford County High School
and University College, Southampton
(later the University of Southampton
; BSc Hons (Lond.)).
He joined the RAF Educational Service in 1938. He married Eira Waterhouse in 1944. He was on general duties, 1941-6; his pilot experience during this time was mainly for instructional purposes. In 1946 he received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, and returned to the RAF Education Branch. He was a senior maths instructor until 1949, followed by other varied duties such as armament staff officer at HQ Bomber Command
. He rose to become Director of the RAF Educational Services 1972-6.
After his retirement, he was director of the Association of Recognised English Language Schools (ARELS) Examinations Trust, 1976-86. He was a member of the council of the RAF Benevolent Fund
and the RAF Association, 1980-9 and the Lord Kitchener
National Memorial Fund, 1983-1991. He was Honorary President, ARELS-FELCO (Federation of English Language Course Organisations), from 1990 and a governor of the Duke of Kent
School, 1981-6.
He was awarded the OBE
in 1959 and CB
in 1976.
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
Arthur Daniel Button, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(26 May 1916 - 27 May 1991) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
officer.
He was educated at Ilford County High School
Ilford County High School
Ilford County High School is a selective boys' secondary grammar school and a specialist science college in the Barkingside area of the London Borough of Redbridge.ICHS is a four-form entry school, each form comprising up to 30 pupils...
and University College, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
(later the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
; BSc Hons (Lond.)).
He joined the RAF Educational Service in 1938. He married Eira Waterhouse in 1944. He was on general duties, 1941-6; his pilot experience during this time was mainly for instructional purposes. In 1946 he received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, and returned to the RAF Education Branch. He was a senior maths instructor until 1949, followed by other varied duties such as armament staff officer at HQ Bomber Command
Bomber Command
Bomber Command is an organizational military unit, generally subordinate to the air force of a country. Many countries have a "Bomber Command", although the most famous ones were in Britain and the United States. A Bomber Command is generally used for Strategic bombing , and is composed of bombers...
. He rose to become Director of the RAF Educational Services 1972-6.
After his retirement, he was director of the Association of Recognised English Language Schools (ARELS) Examinations Trust, 1976-86. He was a member of the council of the RAF Benevolent Fund
RAF Benevolent Fund
The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is the Royal Air Force's leading welfare charity, providing financial, practical and emotional support to serving and former members of the RAF - regardless of rank - as well as their partners and dependents.They help members of the RAF family deal with a wide...
and the RAF Association, 1980-9 and the Lord Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
National Memorial Fund, 1983-1991. He was Honorary President, ARELS-FELCO (Federation of English Language Course Organisations), from 1990 and a governor of the Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck, and younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI...
School, 1981-6.
He was awarded the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1959 and CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1976.