Under-Secretary of State for Air
# Under-Secretary of State for Air

The Under-Secretary of State for Air was a junior ministerial post in the United Kingdom Government, supporting the Secretary of State for Air in his role of managing the Royal Air Force. It was established on 10 January 1919, replacing the previous short-lived posts of Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Board and Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Council.

## Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Board, 1916–1917

| Name | Entered office | Left office |
| - | - | - |
| John Baird | 1916 | 1917 |

## Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Council, 1917–1919

| Name | Entered office | Left office |
| - | - | - |
| John Baird | 1917 | 1919 |

## Under-Secretary of State for Air, 1919–1964

| Name | Entered office | Left office |
| - | - | - |
| J. E. B. Seely | 1919 | 1919 |
| George Tryon | 1919 | 1920 |
| The Marquess of Londonderry | 1920 | 1921 |
| The Lord Gorell | 1921 | 1922 |
| The Duke of Sutherland | 1922 | 1924 |
| William Leach | 1924 | 1924 |
| Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt | 1924 | 1929 |
| Frederick Montague | 1929 | 1931 |
| Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt | 1931 | 1937 |
| Anthony Muirhead | 1937 | 1938 |
| Harold Balfour | 1938 | 1941 |
| Harold Balfour and The Lord Sherwood | 20 July 1941 | 21 November 1944 |
| The Lord Sherwood and Rupert Brabner | 21 November 1944 | 27 March 1945 |
| The Lord Sherwood | 27 March | 12 April 1945 |
| The Lord Sherwood and Hon. Quintin Hogg | 12 April 1945 | 23 May 1945 |
| Hon. Quintin Hogg and The Earl Beatty | 26 May 1945 | 4 August 1945 |
| John Strachey | 1945 | 1946 |
| Geoffrey de Freitas | 1946 | 1950 |
| Aidan Crawley | 1950 | 1951 |
| Nigel Birch | 1951 | 1952 |
| Hon. George Ward | 1952 | 1955 |
| Christopher Soames | 1955 | 1957 |
| Ian Orr-Ewing | 1957 | 1959 |
| Airey Neave | 1959 | 1959 |
| William Taylor | 1959 | 1962 |
| Julian Ridsdale | 1962 | 1964 |

## Minister of State for the Air Force, 1964–1967

| Name | Entered office | Left office |
| - | - | - |
| Hon. Hugh Fraser | 1964 | 1964 |
| The Lord Shackleton | 1964 | 7 January 1967 |

## Under-Secretary of State for the Air Force, 1964–1981

| Name | Entered office | Left office |
| - | - | - |
| Julian Ridsdale | 1964 | 1964 |
| Bruce Millan | 1964 | 1966 |
| Merlyn-Rees | 1966 | 1968 |
| The Lord Winterbottom | 1968 | 24 June 1970 |
| Antony Lambton | 24 June 1970 | 5 June 1973 |
| Anthony Kershaw | 5 June 1973 | 8 January 1974 |
| The Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal | 8 January 1974 | 8 March 1974 |
| Brynmor John | 8 March 1974 | 14 April 1976 |
| James Wellbeloved | 14 April 1976 | 6 May 1979 |
| Geoffrey Pattie | 6 May 1979 | 29 May 1981 |

## Sources

* D. Butler and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000
