The Papers of Air Vice-Marshall Sydney Osborne Bufton

Sydney Osborne's biographical history is set out in the following curriculum vitae:

12 January 1908 - Born at Llandrindod Wells, son of J O Bufton.

Educated at Dean Close School and London University

Spell at Vickers as an engineering pupil

1928 - Commissioned into the R.A.F.

Learnt to fly at No 4 Flying Training School in Egypt

1929 - Posted to 100 Squadron at Bicester

1939 - Was on staff duties at the Air Ministry, when posted to the R.A.F.'s Advanced Air Striking Component supporting the British Expeditionary Force in France.

17 June 1940 - Returned to Britain

July 1940 - Posted to No 10 Squadron at R.A.F. Leeming (Whiteley Bombers)

1940 - Awarded the DFC

April 1941 - Posted to No 76 Squadron (Halifax Bombers)

June 1941 - Commander of R.A.F. Station Pocklington

November 1941 - Deputy Director of Bombing Operation at the Air Ministry

March 1943 - Director of Bombing Operations at the Air Ministry

1943 - Married Susan Browne

July 1945 - Posted to command the R.A.F. in Egypt

1945 - Appointed CB

1946 - Took the Imperial Defence College course

December 1946 - Took charge of the tactics wing of the Central Bomber Establishment

November 1948 - Appointed Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations/Plans) Air Forces Western Europe

January 1951 - Became Director of weapons at the Air Ministry

1952 - Responsible for administration at Bomber Command

1953 - Appointed to command all British forces in the Aden Protectorate

1955 - Became Senior Air Staff Officer at Bomber Command

1958 - Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Intelligence)

1961 - Retired from the R.A.F. Became managing director of Radionic Products

1967 - Served as High Sheriff of Radnorshire

1970 - Elected a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society

The papers are almost entirely concerned with his service career, particularly his time as Director of Bomber Operations at the Air Ministry, 1943-45. After the War, Bufton planned a book on the Combined Bomber Offensive, and a draft is preserved at BUFT 5/4. There is also a good deal of reference and research material.

The Papers of Air Vice-Marshal Sydney Bufton were given to the Churchill Archives Centre by his widow, Mrs Susan Bufton in July 1993.

The papers have been arranged in six series: educational papers; log books; wartime papers; post-war papers; personal correspondence, diaries and memoirs, and photographs.

The collection is owned by Churchill College.

The collection is open for consultation by researchers using Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge. Churchill Archives Centre is open from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. A prior appointment and two forms of identification are required.

Researchers wishing to publish excerpts from the papers must obtain prior permission from the copyright holders and should seek advice from Archives Centre staff.

Please cite as Churchill Archives Centre, The Papers of Air Vice-Marshall Sydney Osborne Bufton, BUFT

Bufton also recorded an oral history interview, at GBR/0014/CHOH 3.

The collection has been catalogued and paper copies of the catalogue are available for consultation at Churchill Archives Centre and at the National Register of Archives.

This catalogue was compiled by Jonathan Draper, September 1995 and converted by Natalie Adams of Churchill Archives Centre in October 2002.