Wilfrid Rhodes Freeman
Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Rhodes Freeman, 1st Baronet, GCB, DSO, MC, RAF (18 July 1888 – 15 May 1953) was one of the most important influences on the rearmament of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the years up to and including the Second World War.
Having joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1914, he saw active service during the First World War, and continued to serve in the newly formed RAF during the inter-war years.
In 1936 he was given the job of choosing the aircraft with which to rearm the RAF, and in 1938 his remit was expanded to include the controlling of their production, which he did with great distinction until 1940.
In November 1940 he was moved against his will to become Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. His department, now formed into the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP) by the opportunistic Lord Beaverbrook (who took credit for much of Freeman’s work) rapidly stagnated, and after two years Freeman was moved back to MAP which he continued to run with distinction.
More perhaps than any other single figure, Freeman was responsible for the RAF ordering the Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, De Havilland Mosquito, Avro Lancaster, Handley-Page Halifax and Hawker Tempest. He played an equally vital role in the development of the Merlin-engined P-51 Mustang, providing North American with the original specification and then encouraging installation of the Rolls-Royce designed Merlin engines in place of the Allison V-1710 engines.