Arthur William Tedder (1890-1967) may have been born into the elite of English society, but his was not a pampered life. He served his country as a hero, seeing action in two world wars and accepting the full responsibility of command over Allied air forces during World War II.

Arthur Tedder was born on July11, 1890 in the Scottish town of Glenguin. He began his military career in 1913 when he joined the British Army. In 1916, he transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF), serving during World War I in France from 1915 until 1917 and Egypt from 1918 to 1919. He received his permanent commission in the RAF in 1919 and remained there after the war, serving as a director of training from 1934 to 1936. In 1936, Tedder was promoted to RAF commander in the Far East where he remained until 1938, when he became director general of research in the Air Ministry.

The Middle East

Tedder's...