Vyell Vyvyan

Who was Vyell Vyvyan?

Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur Vyell Vyvyan KCB DSO, usually given as Sir Vyell Vyvyan, was an officer in the Royal Navy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1916, while holding the rank of captain, Vyvyan became involved in naval aviation, serving as the Assistant to the Superintendent of Aircraft Construction before being appointed the Assistant to the Director of the Air Service.

With the impending establishment of the Royal Air Force, Vyvyan was employed at the Air Ministry and was promoted to brigadier-general in the RAF. Departing London in just after the 1 April 1918 when the RAF was formally created, Vyvyan briefly returned to operational service as the senior RAF officer in Mediterranean. In late April he was recalled to Great Britain and appointed General Officer Commanding the RAF's Northern Area. The following year he became Air Officer Commanding Coastal Area, receiving a promotion to air vice-marshal shortly after taking up post. He retired from the RAF in 1925.