William Anderson (RAAF officer)

William Anderson
Air Vice-Marshal Anderson, c. 1940
Nickname(s)	"Andy"; "Mucker"[1]
Born	(1891-12-30)30 December 1891 Kew, Victoria
Died	30 December 1975(1975-12-30) (aged 84) East Melbourne, Victoria
Allegiance	Australia
Service / branch	Australian Flying Corps (1916–19) Australian Air Corps (1920–21) Royal Australian Air Force (1921–46)
Service years	1910–1946
Rank	Air Vice-Marshal
Unit	No. 1 Squadron AFC (1916)
Commands	No. 7 Squadron AFC (1918) No. 3 Squadron AFC (1918–19) Australian Air Corps (1920–21) No. 1 Flying Training School (1921, 1925–26) Central Area Command (1940–41) Eastern Area Command (1942–43) RAAF Staff School (1943, 1944–46)
Battles / wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross Mention in Despatches Croix de guerre (Belgium)

Air Vice-Marshal William Hopton Anderson, CBE, DFC (30 December 1891 – 30 December 1975) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He flew with the Australian Flying Corps in World War I, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Belgian Croix de guerre for his combat service with No. 3 Squadron on the Western Front in 1917. The following year he took command of No. 7 (Training) Squadron and, later, No.  3 Squadron. Anderson led the Australian Air Corps during its brief existence in 1920–21, before joining the fledgling RAAF. The service's third most-senior officer, he primarily held posts on the Australian Air Board in the inter-war years. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1934, and promoted to air commodore in 1938.

At the outbreak of World War II, Anderson was Air Member for Supply. In 1940 he acted as Chief of the Air Staff between the resignation of Air Vice-Marshal Stanley Goble in January and the arrival of Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett, RAF, the next month. He led the newly formed Central and Eastern Area Commands between December 1940 and July 1943, returning to the Air Board as Air Member for Organisation and Equipment from September 1941 to May 1942. Anderson was founding commandant of the RAAF Staff School from July to November 1943, after which he was appointed Air Member for Personnel. He again served as Staff School commandant from October 1944 until his retirement in April 1946. Known to his colleagues as "Andy" or "Mucker", Anderson died on his birthday in 1975.