Hull, Allan Chester

Lieutenant-General Allan Chester Hull, DFC, CD, was born in April 1919 in Edinburgh, Scotland and educated in Vancouver, Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario. He served in the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa from 1932 to 1936, and then enrolled at the Military College of Canada, from which he graduated with honours. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in October 1939. Lt-Gen Hull served as a pilot at various training stations in Canada until 1943 when he went overseas to the UK. He flew Halifax bombers with 420 Squadron and later assumed command of 428 Squadron. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for these services. In April 1945, Lt-Gen Hull took command of RCAF Station Leeming, England, and was subsequently awarded the Croix de Guerre with Silver Star. In June he became senior air staff officer at Eastern Command Headquarters in Halifax. The following year, he attended the RCAF Staff College, Toronto, after which he joined the air plans division of Air Force Headquarters in Ottawa. In December 1947, A.C. Hull was appointed commanding officer of RCAF Station Clinton, Ontario. In January 1950, he returned to Air Force Headquarters in Ottawa to work in air plans and, three years later, became commanding officer of the RCAF's newly-formed 3 Fighter Wing in Zwiebrucken, Germany. He returned to Canada in 1956 and became senior air staff officer at Air Defence Command Headquarters, St. Hubert, Quebec. Another appointment to Ottawa followed in September 1958, when he became director of air programs. Appointment as chief staff officer at Air Defence Command Headquarters followed in August 1962. Lt-Gen Hull was appointed commander of Air Transport Command in 1967 and was promoted to Lieutenant-General, Vice Chief of Defence Staff in 1972.