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{{Short description|Royal Air Force officer}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
|name= Kenneth Gilbert Hubbard
|name = Kenneth Gilbert Hubbard
|image= File:Kenneth Hubbard.jpg
|image = Kenneth Hubbard.jpg
|birth_date= {{birth date|1920|02|26|df=yes}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1920|02|26|df=yes}}
|death_date= {{death date and age|2004|01|21|1920|02|26|df=yes}}
|death_date = {{death date and age|2004|01|21|1920|02|26|df=yes}}
|birth_place= [[Norwich]], [[Norfolk]], England
|birth_place = [[Norwich, Norfolk]], England
|death_place= [[Blythburgh]], [[Suffolk]], England
|death_place = [[Blythburgh, Suffolk]], England
|country= {{flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom
|allegiance = United Kingdom
|branch= [[Royal Air Force]]
|branch = [[Royal Air Force]]
|serviceyears= 1940–1966
|serviceyears = 1940–1966
|rank= [[Group Captain]]
|rank = [[Group Captain]]
|commands=[[RAF Scampton]]<br/>[[RAF El Adem]]<br/>[[No. 49 Squadron RAF]]<br/>[[RAF Shaibah]]<br/>[[No. 104 Squadron RAF]]
|commands = [[RAF Scampton]]<br/>[[RAF El Adem]]<br/>[[No. 49 Squadron RAF]]<br/>[[RAF Shaibah]]<br/>[[No. 104 Squadron RAF]]
|battles= [[World War II]]:
|battles = [[World War II]]:
* [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]]
* [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]]
* [[Combined Bomber Offensive]]
* [[Combined Bomber Offensive]]
|awards= [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]<br/>[[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]]
|awards = [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]<br/>[[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]]
}}
}}


[[Group Captain]] '''Kenneth Gilbert Hubbard''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|OBE|DFC|AFC}} (26 February 1920 – 21 January 2004) was the pilot of an [[RAF]] [[Vickers Valiant]] [[bomber]] which dropped Britain's first live thermonuclear weapon ([[H-Bomb]]) in [[Operation Grapple]] in the Central [[Pacific Ocean]] in May 1957.
[[Group Captain]] '''Kenneth Gilbert Hubbard''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|OBE|DFC|AFC}} (26 February 1920 – 21 January 2004) was the pilot of an [[RAF]] [[Vickers Valiant]] [[bomber]] which dropped Britain's first live thermonuclear weapon ([[H-Bomb]]) in [[Operation Grapple]] in the Central [[Pacific Ocean]] in May 1957.


==Biography==
==Early life==
Kenneth Gilbert Hubbard was born in [[Norwich]] in [[Norfolk]] on 26 February 1920,<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1452654/Group-Captain-Kenneth-Hubbard.html |title=Group Captain Kenneth Hubbard |date=27 Jan 2004 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] }}</ref> the son of Gilbert Claud Hubbard, a [[mechanical engineer]] and professional [[Association football]] [[footballer|player]] who played for [[Norwich City]], and his wife Florence {{née}} Dack He was educated at Norwich Technical College from 1932 to 1935, where he trained as a [[draughtsman]]. He then worked as a draughtsman for Stevensons of Norwich.<ref name="odnb">{{cite odnb |id=93132 |first=Humphrey |last=Wynn |title=Hubbard, Kenneth Gilbert }}</ref>
Kenneth Gilbert Hubbard was born in [[Norwich]] in [[Norfolk]] on 26 February 1920,<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1452654/Group-Captain-Kenneth-Hubbard.html |title=Group Captain Kenneth Hubbard |date=27 January 2004 |access-date=1 September 2017 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] }}</ref> the son of Gilbert Claud Hubbard, a [[mechanical engineer]] and professional [[association football]] player who played for [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]], and his wife Florence {{née}} Dack. He was educated at Norwich Technical College from 1932 to 1935, where he trained as a [[drafter|draughtsman]]. He then worked as a draughtsman for Stevensons of Norwich.<ref name="odnb">{{cite odnb |id=93132 |first=Humphrey |last=Wynn |title=Hubbard, Kenneth Gilbert }}</ref>


==Military service==
⚫
After the outbreak of the [[Second World War]], Hubbard joined the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) on 21 June 1940. He earned his [[Aviator badge|wings]] at [[No. 2 Flying Training School RAF]] at [[RAF Brize Norton]], and was commissioned as a [[pilot officer]] in May 1941. He was posted to No. 2 Central Flying Training School at [[RAF Cranwell]] in June 1941, and then to [[No. 12 Flying Training School RAF]] at [[RAF Grantham]] in July 1942 as an instructor. In December 1942 he was posted to [[311 Ferry Training Unit]] at [[Moreton in Marsh]], where he did a conversion course on the [[Vickers Wellington]] [[medium bomber]]. He flew one out to [[Foggia Airfield Complex]] in Italy in January 1944, and joined [[No. 70 Squadron RAF]], which operated the Wellington.<ref name="odnb" /> He was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] on 20 April 1945.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=17 April 1945 |supp=1 |issue=37043 |page=2102 }}</ref> His citation noted that he had "taken part in many attacks in close support of the Fifth and Eighth armies and against marshalling yards in the Po valley. One night in May 1944 he participated in a special low-level attack on an important railway bridge in north Italy."<ref name="odnb" /> From January to May 1945 he was a pilot instructor at [[RAF Qastina]] in [[Palestine]]. He then returned to No. 70 Squadron RAF in Italy, which was now flying [[B24 Liberator]] bombers from [[Tortorella]].<ref name="odnb" />
===Second World War===
⚫
After the outbreak of the [[Second World War]], Hubbard joined the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) on 21 June 1940. He earned his [[Aviator badge|wings]] at [[No. 2 Flying Training School RAF]] at [[RAF Brize Norton]], and was commissioned as a [[pilot officer]] in May 1941. He was posted to No. 2 Central Flying Training School at [[RAF Cranwell]] in June 1941, and then to [[No. 12 Flying Training School RAF]] at [[RAF Grantham]] in July 1942 as an instructor. In December 1942 he was posted to [[No. 311 Ferry Training Unit RAF]] at [[RAF Moreton-in-Marsh]], where he did a conversion course on the [[Vickers Wellington]] [[medium bomber]]. He flew one out to [[Foggia Airfield Complex]] in Italy in January 1944, and joined [[No. 70 Squadron RAF]], which operated the Wellington.<ref name="odnb" /> He was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] on 20 April 1945.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=17 April 1945 |supp=1 |issue=37043 |page=2102 }}</ref> His citation noted that he had "taken part in many attacks in close support of the Fifth and Eighth armies and against marshalling yards in the Po valley. One night in May 1944 he participated in a special low-level attack on an important railway bridge in north Italy."<ref name="odnb" /> From January to May 1945 he was a pilot instructor at [[RAF Qastina]] in [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]]. He then returned to No. 70 Squadron RAF in Italy, which was now flying [[B24 Liberator]] bombers from [[Tortorella]].<ref name="odnb" />


===Service 1946 to 1957===
While on leave in the United Kingdom, Hubbard married Beatrice Daphne Taylor on 19 January 1946. He went back to the Middle East in May 1946, where he flew [[Avro Lancaster]] bombers with [[No. 104 Squadron RAF]] from [[RAF Abu Sueir]] RAF Shallufa in Egypt. In October he was posted to Empire Air Armament School at [[RAF Manby]] as a flying instructor. He became a flight commander at the RAF Flying College there in July 1949. He returned to the Middle East in April 1951, as commander of [[RAF Shaibah]] during the [[Abadan Crisis]],<ref name="odnb"/> for which he was made an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] in the [[1953 New Year Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |date=30 December 1952 |supp=1 |issue=39732 |page=9 }}</ref> His wife divorced him on 28 July 1953. In September he reported to [[RAF Swinderby]] for a refresher course on the Wellington and [[Vickers Varsity]] at No. 201 Advanced Flying School RAF, and then one at [[No. 242 Operational Conversion Unit RAF]] at [[RAF Dishforth]] on the [[Handley Page Hastings]] and [[Vickers Valetta]].<ref name="odnb"/>
While on leave in the United Kingdom, Hubbard married Beatrice Daphne Taylor on 19 January 1946. He went back to the Middle East in May 1946, where he flew [[Avro Lancaster]] bombers with [[No. 104 Squadron RAF]] from [[RAF Abu Sueir]] RAF Shallufa in Egypt. In October he was posted to Empire Air Armament School at [[RAF Manby]] as a flying instructor. He became a flight commander at the RAF Flying College there in July 1949. He returned to the Middle East in April 1951, as commander of [[RAF Shaibah]] during the [[Abadan Crisis]],<ref name="odnb"/> for which he was made an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] in the [[1953 New Year Honours]].<ref name="The Independent">{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/gp-capt-kenneth-hubbard-38133.html |access-date=1 September 2017 |title=Gp Capt Kenneth Hubbard - Pilot who carried Britain's first H-bomb |date=8 March 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |date=30 December 1952 |supp=1 |issue=39732 |page=9 }}</ref> His wife divorced him on 28 July 1953. In September he reported to [[RAF Swinderby]] for a refresher course on the Wellington and [[Vickers Varsity]] at No. 201 Advanced Flying School RAF, and then one at [[No. 242 Operational Conversion Unit RAF]] at [[RAF Dishforth]] on the [[Handley Page Hastings]] and [[Vickers Valetta]].<ref name="odnb"/>


After an appointment as Personal Staff Officer to the [[Air Member for Personnel]],{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=viii}} Hubbard completed the course at the [[RAF Staff College, Bracknell]], in January 1956. The graduates were allowed to express three preferences for their next assignment, and as he had just completed a staff posting, Hubbard asked to be posted to the new [[V bomber]] force for flying duties. His request was granted,{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|pp=1-3}} but he was first sent to [[RAF Strubby]] for an all-weather jet refresher course, flying the [[Gloster Meteor]],{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=5}} then to [[No. 231 Operational Conversion Unit RAF]] at [[RAF Bassingbourn]] for training on the [[English Electric Canberra]], and finally to [[No. 232 Operational Conversion Unit RAF]] at [[RAF Gaydon]] for training on the [[Vickers Valiant]], the first of the RAF's new generation of V-bombers.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=20}} In September 1956, he assumed command of the newly-reformed [[No. 49 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Wittering]], flying the Valiant.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|pp=40-41}}
After an appointment as Personal Staff Officer to the [[Air Member for Personnel]],{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=viii}} Hubbard completed the course at the [[RAF Staff College, Bracknell]], in January 1956. The graduates were allowed to express three preferences for their next assignment, and as he had just completed a staff posting, Hubbard asked to be posted to the new [[V bomber]] force for flying duties. His request was granted,{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|pp=1-3}} but he was first sent to [[RAF Strubby]] for an all-weather jet refresher course, flying the [[Gloster Meteor]],{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=5}} then to [[No. 231 Operational Conversion Unit RAF]] at [[RAF Bassingbourn]] for training on the [[English Electric Canberra]], and finally to [[No. 232 Operational Conversion Unit RAF]] at [[RAF Gaydon]] for training on the [[Vickers Valiant]], the first of the RAF's new generation of V-bombers.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=20}} In September 1956, he assumed command of the newly reformed [[No. 49 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Wittering]], flying the Valiant.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|pp=40-41}}


===Operation Grapple===
No. 49 Squadron was assigned to [[Air Vice Marshal]] [[Wilfrid Oulton]]'s [[Operation Grapple]] Task Force to conduct [[nuclear test]]s at [[Kiritimati|Christmas Island]] in the Pacific Ocean as part of the [[British hydrogen bomb programme]].{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=43}} No 49 Squadron squadron had eight Valiants, but only four deployed: XD818, piloted by Hubbard, now a [[wing commander]]; XD822, piloted by [[Squadron Leader]] L. D. (Dave) Roberts; XD823, piloted by Squadron Leader Arthur Steele; and XD824, piloted by Squadron Leader Barney Millett. The other four Valiants remained at [[RAF Wittering]], where they were used as courier aircraft for bomb components.{{sfn|Oulton|1987|p=223}}{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=120}} The first mission was flown by Hubbard in XD818, with Millett and XD824 as the "grandstand" observation aircraft.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=120}}{{sfn|Oulton|1987|pp=308–309}} The bomb was dropped from {{convert|45000|ft}} off the shore of Malden Island at 10:38 local time on 15 May 1957.<ref name="RAF">{{cite web |url=http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/1994-1352-A-Valiant-XD818.pdf|title=Individual History Vickers Valiant B (K) Mk.I XD818/7894M Museum Accession Number 1994/1352/A |publisher=Royal Air Force Museum |accessdate=20 November 2015}}</ref> Hubbard missed the target by just {{convert|418|yd}}. He became the first British pilot to drop a live [[hydrogen bomb]].<ref name="Telegraph" /> The bomb was a failure; its yield was estimated at {{convert|300|ktTNT}}, far below its designed capability.{{sfn|Arnold|Pyne|2001|pp=145–146}} Hubbard and his four crew members were awarded the [[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]] in the [[1957 Birthday Honours]].<ref name="odnb"/><ref>{{London Gazette |date=4 June 1957 |supp=1 |issue=41089 |page=3402}}</ref> His aircraft, Vickers Valiant XD818 is now on display in the [[Royal Air Force Museum]] at [[RAF Cosford]].<ref name="RAF" />
[[File:Operation Grapple May 1957.jpg |thumb|A [[mushroom cloud]] rising over [[Malden Island]] after the first British [[hydrogen bomb]] test on 15 May 1957]]
[[File:Wikivaliant.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|Vickers Valiant B1 XD818, flown by Hubbard during [[Operation Grapple]], now at [[RAF Museum Cosford]]]]
[[File:Vickers Valiant B1 (3873562557).jpg|thumb|The crewmen's entry door on the side of the forward fuselage of Vickers Valiant B1 XD818, with the names of Hubbard and his crew]]
No. 49 Squadron was assigned to [[Air Vice Marshal]] [[Wilfrid Oulton]]'s [[Operation Grapple]] Task Force to conduct [[nuclear test]]s at [[Kiritimati|Christmas Island]] in the Pacific Ocean as part of the [[British hydrogen bomb programme]].{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=43}}


No 49 Squadron had eight Valiants, but only four deployed: XD818, piloted by Hubbard, now a [[Wing commander (rank)|Wing Commander]]; XD822, piloted by [[Squadron Leader]] L. D. (Dave) Roberts; XD823, piloted by Squadron Leader Arthur Steele; and XD824, piloted by Squadron Leader Barney Millett. The other four Valiants remained at [[RAF Wittering]], where they were used as courier aircraft for bomb components.{{sfn|Oulton|1987|p=223}}{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=120}} The first mission was flown by Hubbard in XD818, with Millett and XD824 as the "grandstand" observation aircraft.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=120}}{{sfn|Oulton|1987|pp=308–309}}
⚫
After the Grapple tests Ken Hubbard served at HQ Bomber Command and later was promoted to Group Captain and commanded RAF El Adem and RAF Scampton. The later station was the base for the Vulcan B2s bombers of 27,83,and 617 squadrons equipped with the Blue Steel stand off missile. His final appointment was Group Captain Training at HQ Transport Command. He retired from the RAF in 1966.
⚫
Members of 49 Squadron serving during the nuclear test series formed a Megaton Club and Group Captain Hubbard was the President.


The bomb was dropped from {{convert|45000|ft}} off the shore of [[Malden Island]] at 10:38 local time on 15 May 1957.<ref name="RAF">{{cite web |url=http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/1994-1352-A-Valiant-XD818.pdf|title=Individual History Vickers Valiant B (K) Mk.I XD818/7894M Museum Accession Number 1994/1352/A |publisher=Royal Air Force Museum |access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref> Hubbard missed the target by just {{convert|418|yd}}. He became the first British pilot to drop a live [[hydrogen bomb]].<ref name="Telegraph" /> From the bomb developers' view, the device turned out to be a failure; its yield was estimated at {{convert|300|ktTNT}}, far below its designed capability.{{sfn|Arnold|Pyne|2001|pp=145–146}}
Kenneth Hubbard retired from the RAF in 1966 and tried farming in the West Country. It was not to his liking, but he did meet Margaret Grubb and they married and he moved to Margaret's home The Priory at Blythburgh in Suffolk. He became a Director of one of his cousin's (Geoff Hubbard) refrigeration engineering companies and his last role was with a General Aviation Company, still within his cousin's group based at Norwich Airport. Ken Hubbard gave many years service to the Air Training Corps and the RAF benevolent Fund in the county. In retirement, Hubbard kept an aviary, had a brood of chickens and built a duck pond; but his particular love was dogs, and his faithful spaniel, Crusty, had been known to all his officers and airmen. He inaugurated an annual service for animals at [Holy Trinity] church. He enjoyed a drink at the local White Hart and started writing with his co-author Michael Simmons about his experience as the OC of 49 Squadron in Operation Grapple. The book was published by [[Ian Allan Publishing|Ian Allan]] in 1985 under the title of Operation Grapple. A new edition with a different title of Dropping Britain's First H-Bomb was published by Pen and Sword in September 2008.

Hubbard and his four crew members were awarded the [[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]] in the [[1957 Birthday Honours]].<ref name="odnb"/><ref>{{London Gazette |date=4 June 1957 |supp=1 |issue=41089 |page=3402}}</ref> His aircraft, Vickers Valiant XD818, is now on display in the [[Royal Air Force Museum]] at [[RAF Cosford]].<ref name="RAF" />

===Service 1957 to 1966===
⚫
After the Grapple tests Hubbard served at HQ [[RAF Bomber Command]] from 1959 to 1961. He was promoted to [[group captain]], and commanded [[RAF El Adem]] in Libya. In 1963, he assumed command of [[RAF Scampton]], the base of the [[Avro Vulcan]] bombers of Nos [[No. 27 Squadron RAF|27]], [[No. 83 Squadron RAF|83]] and [[No. 617 Squadron RAF|617 Squadrons RAF]] equipped with the [[Blue Steel (missile)|Blue Steel]] [[standoff missile]]. His final appointment was Group Captain Training at HQ [[RAF Transport Command]]. He retired from the RAF in 1966.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=viii}}

==Later life==
After leaving the RAF in 1966, Hubbard tried his hand at farming in the [[West Country]]. The venture was unsuccessful, but he did meet Margaret Grubb, whom he married at the register office in Blyth, [[Suffolk]], on 14 March 1975, and he moved to Margaret's home at [[Blythburgh]] in Suffolk.<ref name="odnb"/>

⚫
Members of 49 Squadron serving during the Grapple nuclear test series formed a Megaton Club and with Hubbard as its president, and they met annually at the [[Royal Air Force Club]] at 128 [[Piccadilly]] in [[London]].

In 1974, Hubbard became Director of Sales and Marketing of the Vehicle Air Conditioning Division of his cousin Geoffrey Hubbard's Hubbard–Reader Group of refrigeration engineering companies.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=ix}} He retired from this position in 1982.

Hubbard chaired the local review committee for parole at [[HM Prison Blundeston]], and was involved with the local [[Air Training Corps]] and the [[RAF Benevolent Fund]].<ref name="The Independent"/> His wife Margaret died in 1997. He had no children from either of his marriages.<ref name="odnb"/> With Michael Simmons, a director at Hubbard engineering,{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=ix}} Hubbard wrote a book about his experience as the commander of No. 49 Squadron in Operation Grapple. The book was published by [[Ian Allan Publishing|Ian Allan]] in 1985 under the title of ''Operation Grapple''. A new edition with a different title of ''Dropping Britain's First H-Bomb'' was published by Pen and Sword in 2008.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=iv}} Hubbard died in Blythburgh on 22 January 2004.<ref name="The Independent"/>

==See also==
* [[Edwin Flavell (Royal Air Force officer)|Ted Flavell]] (1922–2014), pilot of the RAF bomber which dropped Britain's first live [[atomic bomb]] in 1956


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|30em}}


== References ==
== References ==
* {{cite book |last=Arnold |first=Lorna | authorlink=Lorna Arnold |last2=Pyne |first2=Katherine |title=Britain and the H-bomb |location=Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York |publisher=Palgrave |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-230-59977-2 |oclc=753874620 |ref=harv }}
* {{cite book |last1=Arnold |first1=Lorna | authorlink=Lorna Arnold |last2=Pyne |first2=Katherine |author-link2=Kate Pyne |title=Britain and the H-bomb |location=Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York |publisher=Palgrave |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-230-59977-2 |oclc=753874620 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hubbard |first=Kenneth |last2=Simmons |first2=Michael |title=Dropping Britain's first H-bomb : the story of Operation Grapple 1957/58 |location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire |publisher=Pen & Sword Aviation |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84415-747-1 |oclc=436867016 |ref=harv }}
* {{cite book |last1=Hubbard |first1=Kenneth |last2=Simmons |first2=Michael |title=Dropping Britain's first H-bomb : the story of Operation Grapple 1957/58 |location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire |publisher=Pen & Sword Aviation |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84415-747-1 |oclc=436867016 }}
* {{cite book |last=Oulton |first=Wilfrid E. |author-link=Wilfrid Oulton |title=Christmas Island Cracker: an Account of the Planning and Execution of the British Thermonuclear Bomb Tests, 1957 |location=London |publisher=Thomas Harmsworth |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-948807-04-6 |oclc=15593703 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Oulton |first=Wilfrid E. |author-link=Wilfrid Oulton |title=Christmas Island Cracker: an Account of the Planning and Execution of the British Thermonuclear Bomb Tests, 1957 |location=London |publisher=Thomas Harmsworth |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-948807-04-6 |oclc=15593703 }}
{{Portal bar|Biography|United Kingdom|Aviation}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, Ken}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, Ken}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People from Norwich]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Norwich]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force pilots of World War II]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force group captains]]
[[Category:British World War II bomber pilots]]
[[Category:People associated with the nuclear weapons programme of the United Kingdom|Hubbard]]

Latest revision as of 12:52, 2 October 2024

Kenneth Gilbert Hubbard
Born(1920-02-26)26 February 1920
Norwich, Norfolk, England
Died21 January 2004(2004-01-21) (aged 83)
Blythburgh, Suffolk, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1940–1966
RankGroup Captain
CommandsRAF Scampton
RAF El Adem
No. 49 Squadron RAF
RAF Shaibah
No. 104 Squadron RAF
Battles / warsWorld War II:
AwardsOfficer of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Force Cross

Group Captain Kenneth Gilbert Hubbard OBE DFC AFC (26 February 1920 – 21 January 2004) was the pilot of an RAF Vickers Valiant bomber which dropped Britain's first live thermonuclear weapon (H-Bomb) in Operation Grapple in the Central Pacific Ocean in May 1957.

Early life

[edit]

Kenneth Gilbert Hubbard was born in Norwich in Norfolk on 26 February 1920,[1] the son of Gilbert Claud Hubbard, a mechanical engineer and professional association football player who played for Norwich City, and his wife Florence née Dack. He was educated at Norwich Technical College from 1932 to 1935, where he trained as a draughtsman. He then worked as a draughtsman for Stevensons of Norwich.[2]

Military service

[edit]

Second World War

[edit]

After the outbreak of the Second World War, Hubbard joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 21 June 1940. He earned his wings at No. 2 Flying Training School RAF at RAF Brize Norton, and was commissioned as a pilot officer in May 1941. He was posted to No. 2 Central Flying Training School at RAF Cranwell in June 1941, and then to No. 12 Flying Training School RAF at RAF Grantham in July 1942 as an instructor. In December 1942 he was posted to No. 311 Ferry Training Unit RAF at RAF Moreton-in-Marsh, where he did a conversion course on the Vickers Wellington medium bomber. He flew one out to Foggia Airfield Complex in Italy in January 1944, and joined No. 70 Squadron RAF, which operated the Wellington.[2] He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 20 April 1945.[3] His citation noted that he had "taken part in many attacks in close support of the Fifth and Eighth armies and against marshalling yards in the Po valley. One night in May 1944 he participated in a special low-level attack on an important railway bridge in north Italy."[2] From January to May 1945 he was a pilot instructor at RAF Qastina in Palestine. He then returned to No. 70 Squadron RAF in Italy, which was now flying B24 Liberator bombers from Tortorella.[2]

Service 1946 to 1957

[edit]

While on leave in the United Kingdom, Hubbard married Beatrice Daphne Taylor on 19 January 1946. He went back to the Middle East in May 1946, where he flew Avro Lancaster bombers with No. 104 Squadron RAF from RAF Abu Sueir RAF Shallufa in Egypt. In October he was posted to Empire Air Armament School at RAF Manby as a flying instructor. He became a flight commander at the RAF Flying College there in July 1949. He returned to the Middle East in April 1951, as commander of RAF Shaibah during the Abadan Crisis,[2] for which he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1953 New Year Honours.[4][5] His wife divorced him on 28 July 1953. In September he reported to RAF Swinderby for a refresher course on the Wellington and Vickers Varsity at No. 201 Advanced Flying School RAF, and then one at No. 242 Operational Conversion Unit RAF at RAF Dishforth on the Handley Page Hastings and Vickers Valetta.[2]

After an appointment as Personal Staff Officer to the Air Member for Personnel,[6] Hubbard completed the course at the RAF Staff College, Bracknell, in January 1956. The graduates were allowed to express three preferences for their next assignment, and as he had just completed a staff posting, Hubbard asked to be posted to the new V bomber force for flying duties. His request was granted,[7] but he was first sent to RAF Strubby for an all-weather jet refresher course, flying the Gloster Meteor,[8] then to No. 231 Operational Conversion Unit RAF at RAF Bassingbourn for training on the English Electric Canberra, and finally to No. 232 Operational Conversion Unit RAF at RAF Gaydon for training on the Vickers Valiant, the first of the RAF's new generation of V-bombers.[9] In September 1956, he assumed command of the newly reformed No. 49 Squadron RAF at RAF Wittering, flying the Valiant.[10]

Operation Grapple

[edit]
A mushroom cloud rising over Malden Island after the first British hydrogen bomb test on 15 May 1957
Vickers Valiant B1 XD818, flown by Hubbard during Operation Grapple, now at RAF Museum Cosford
The crewmen's entry door on the side of the forward fuselage of Vickers Valiant B1 XD818, with the names of Hubbard and his crew

No. 49 Squadron was assigned to Air Vice Marshal Wilfrid Oulton's Operation Grapple Task Force to conduct nuclear tests at Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean as part of the British hydrogen bomb programme.[11]

No 49 Squadron had eight Valiants, but only four deployed: XD818, piloted by Hubbard, now a Wing Commander; XD822, piloted by Squadron Leader L. D. (Dave) Roberts; XD823, piloted by Squadron Leader Arthur Steele; and XD824, piloted by Squadron Leader Barney Millett. The other four Valiants remained at RAF Wittering, where they were used as courier aircraft for bomb components.[12][13] The first mission was flown by Hubbard in XD818, with Millett and XD824 as the "grandstand" observation aircraft.[13][14]

The bomb was dropped from 45,000 feet (14,000 m) off the shore of Malden Island at 10:38 local time on 15 May 1957.[15] Hubbard missed the target by just 418 yards (382 m). He became the first British pilot to drop a live hydrogen bomb.[1] From the bomb developers' view, the device turned out to be a failure; its yield was estimated at 300 kilotonnes of TNT (1,300 TJ), far below its designed capability.[16]

Hubbard and his four crew members were awarded the Air Force Cross in the 1957 Birthday Honours.[2][17] His aircraft, Vickers Valiant XD818, is now on display in the Royal Air Force Museum at RAF Cosford.[15]

Service 1957 to 1966

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After the Grapple tests Hubbard served at HQ RAF Bomber Command from 1959 to 1961. He was promoted to group captain, and commanded RAF El Adem in Libya. In 1963, he assumed command of RAF Scampton, the base of the Avro Vulcan bombers of Nos 27, 83 and 617 Squadrons RAF equipped with the Blue Steel standoff missile. His final appointment was Group Captain Training at HQ RAF Transport Command. He retired from the RAF in 1966.[6]

Later life

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After leaving the RAF in 1966, Hubbard tried his hand at farming in the West Country. The venture was unsuccessful, but he did meet Margaret Grubb, whom he married at the register office in Blyth, Suffolk, on 14 March 1975, and he moved to Margaret's home at Blythburgh in Suffolk.[2]

Members of 49 Squadron serving during the Grapple nuclear test series formed a Megaton Club and with Hubbard as its president, and they met annually at the Royal Air Force Club at 128 Piccadilly in London.

In 1974, Hubbard became Director of Sales and Marketing of the Vehicle Air Conditioning Division of his cousin Geoffrey Hubbard's Hubbard–Reader Group of refrigeration engineering companies.[18] He retired from this position in 1982.

Hubbard chaired the local review committee for parole at HM Prison Blundeston, and was involved with the local Air Training Corps and the RAF Benevolent Fund.[4] His wife Margaret died in 1997. He had no children from either of his marriages.[2] With Michael Simmons, a director at Hubbard engineering,[18] Hubbard wrote a book about his experience as the commander of No. 49 Squadron in Operation Grapple. The book was published by Ian Allan in 1985 under the title of Operation Grapple. A new edition with a different title of Dropping Britain's First H-Bomb was published by Pen and Sword in 2008.[19] Hubbard died in Blythburgh on 22 January 2004.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Group Captain Kenneth Hubbard". The Daily Telegraph. 27 January 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wynn, Humphrey. "Hubbard, Kenneth Gilbert". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/93132. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ "No. 37043". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 17 April 1945. p. 2102.
  4. ^ a b c "Gp Capt Kenneth Hubbard - Pilot who carried Britain's first H-bomb". The Independent. 8 March 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  5. ^ "No. 39732". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 30 December 1952. p. 9.
  6. ^ a b Hubbard & Simmons 2008, p. viii.
  7. ^ Hubbard & Simmons 2008, pp. 1–3.
  8. ^ Hubbard & Simmons 2008, p. 5.
  9. ^ Hubbard & Simmons 2008, p. 20.
  10. ^ Hubbard & Simmons 2008, pp. 40–41.
  11. ^ Hubbard & Simmons 2008, p. 43.
  12. ^ Oulton 1987, p. 223.
  13. ^ a b Hubbard & Simmons 2008, p. 120.
  14. ^ Oulton 1987, pp. 308–309.
  15. ^ a b "Individual History Vickers Valiant B (K) Mk.I XD818/7894M Museum Accession Number 1994/1352/A" (PDF). Royal Air Force Museum. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  16. ^ Arnold & Pyne 2001, pp. 145–146.
  17. ^ "No. 41089". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 4 June 1957. p. 3402.
  18. ^ a b Hubbard & Simmons 2008, p. ix.
  19. ^ Hubbard & Simmons 2008, p. iv.

References

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