Summary

The following digital book is an interesting history of how Iville Porteous, a junior officer in the Royal Navy, with the help of a small team of people, was able to modify an ineffective anti-aircraft control system called the High Angle Control System (HACS) to become at least marginally effective, an effort for which he and his team received an inventor's award post-war. He and his team then went on to develop the Flyplane Anti-Aircraft control system, which became the first really effective AA system in the Royal Navy.

This book was brought to my attention by a NavWeaps Forum member, who had purchased a copy and recommended it highly to me. I tried to contact the author, Cmdr. Porteous, to purchase my own copy, but unfortunately found that he had very recently died (June 2021). His widow, Elizabeth Porteous, informed me that she was out of print copies, but very generously offered to send me a digital version. After reading the book, I contacted her again and discussed the possibility of having the book hosted on NavWeaps as a purchased item. Again, she very generously agreed to allow NavWeaps to offer the book free of charge.

This book is primarily based upon the papers and documents of Iville Porteous. These have now been deposited at Churchill Archive Centre of Churchill College, Cambridge.

Important Note!

This book is copyrighted © Elizabeth Porteous 2020.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing by the copyright owner.

From Fellside to Flyplane
How a very junior officer changed the whole course of RN Anti-Aircraft fire control despite strong Admiralty opposition.

by Commander Roger Porteous RN

Page History

22 October 2021 - New datapage