Charles Medhurst
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Sir Charles Edward Hastings Medhurst KCB
OBE
MC
(12 December 1896–18 October 1954) was a First World War Royal Flying Corps
pilot on the Western Front
and later a senior officer in the Royal Air Force
.
pilot certificate No. 1437 on 13 July 1913. He was commissioned into The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
on 16 June 1915 and in a few months was training to be a pilot with the Royal Flying Corps. He was soon operational on the Western Front flying the Nieuport Scout with No. 13 Squadron. In 1917 he became the officer commanding No. 14 Squadron
operating in Palestine. On 1 August 1919 he was awarded a permanent commission as a Captain in the Royal Air Force and by 1925 had attended the RAF Staff College
. He became Officer Commanding No. 4 Squadron in 1930 and he joined the Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College in 1931 before becoming Deputy Director of Intelligence at the Air Ministry
in 1935. He then went to Rome
as Air Attaché
in 1937.
Medhurst held a number of staff appointments during the Second World War
including RAF Secretary of the Supreme War Council from 1940, Director of Allied Air Co-Operation and then Director of Plans all during 1940. He became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Intelligence) in 1941 and after a spell as Temporary Vice-Chief of the Air Staff
later in 1942 he became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Policy) in February 1943. In March 1943 he was appointed commandant of the RAF Staff College later moving on in February 1945 to be Air Officer in Command of RAF Middle East Command
.
After the War he was made Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RAF Mediterranean and Middle East Command
(which had absorbed his previous command when it was disbanded in August 1945). His last appointment before he resigned was as Head of the British Joint Services Mission in Washington D. C. in the rank of Air Chief Marshal
. Medhurst retired on 19 April 1950 and he died a few years later aged 58 on 18 October 1954.
. His son Pilot Officer R. E. H. "Dickie" Medhurst was killed on September 19, 1944 when the Douglas Dakota Mk. III
he was co-piloting exploded after taking AAA
fire during an air drop mission during Operation Market Garden
.
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Charles Edward Hastings Medhurst KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(12 December 1896–18 October 1954) was a First World War Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
pilot on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
and later a senior officer in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
RAF career
Medhurst was awarded Royal Aero ClubRoyal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
pilot certificate No. 1437 on 13 July 1913. He was commissioned into The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was a Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot...
on 16 June 1915 and in a few months was training to be a pilot with the Royal Flying Corps. He was soon operational on the Western Front flying the Nieuport Scout with No. 13 Squadron. In 1917 he became the officer commanding No. 14 Squadron
No. 14 Squadron RAF
No. 14 Squadron of the Royal Air Force currently operates the Beechcraft Shadow R1 in the ISTAR role from RAF Waddington.-World War I:...
operating in Palestine. On 1 August 1919 he was awarded a permanent commission as a Captain in the Royal Air Force and by 1925 had attended the RAF Staff College
RAF Staff College, Andover
The RAF Staff College at RAF Andover was the first Royal Air Force staff college to be established. Its role was the training of officers in the administrative, staff and policy apects of air force matters.-Foundation:...
. He became Officer Commanding No. 4 Squadron in 1930 and he joined the Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College in 1931 before becoming Deputy Director of Intelligence at the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
in 1935. He then went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as Air Attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
in 1937.
Medhurst held a number of staff appointments during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
including RAF Secretary of the Supreme War Council from 1940, Director of Allied Air Co-Operation and then Director of Plans all during 1940. He became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Intelligence) in 1941 and after a spell as Temporary Vice-Chief of the Air Staff
Vice-Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)
The British Vice-Chief of the Air Staff was the post occupied by the senior Royal Air Force officer who served as a senior assistant to the Chief of the Air Staff. The post was created during World War II on 22 April 1940 and its incumbement sat on the Air Council...
later in 1942 he became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Policy) in February 1943. In March 1943 he was appointed commandant of the RAF Staff College later moving on in February 1945 to be Air Officer in Command of RAF Middle East Command
RAF Middle East Command
Middle East Command was a command of the Royal Air Force formed on December 29, 1941 by renaming Headquarters RAF Middle East. During the early part of the Second World War the Command was one of the three major British service commands in the Middle East, the others being the British Army's...
.
After the War he was made Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RAF Mediterranean and Middle East Command
Near East Air Force (Royal Air Force)
The former Royal Air Force Near East Air Force, more simply known as RAF Near East Air Force, was the Command organisation that controlled all Royal Air Force assets in the Western Mediterranean .-History:...
(which had absorbed his previous command when it was disbanded in August 1945). His last appointment before he resigned was as Head of the British Joint Services Mission in Washington D. C. in the rank of Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
. Medhurst retired on 19 April 1950 and he died a few years later aged 58 on 18 October 1954.
Family
He married Christabell Guy in 1919 in YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. His son Pilot Officer R. E. H. "Dickie" Medhurst was killed on September 19, 1944 when the Douglas Dakota Mk. III
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
he was co-piloting exploded after taking AAA
AAA
AAA, or Triple-A, may be a three-letter acronym or may just mean something that is high-quality, premier, or excellent.As a proper noun, Aaa is found only in the species name Cavaticovelia aaa , an insect from Hawaii....
fire during an air drop mission during Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
.
Honours and awards
- Mentioned in Despatches - 15 June 1916
- Military CrossMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
- 18 January 1918 - Mentioned in Despatches - 14 June 1919
- OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in recognition of valuable services rendered in connection with the war - 1 January 1919 - CBOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
- 1 January 1942 - Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta, conferred by the President of Poland in recognition of distinguished services - 12 June 1945
- KCBOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
- 14 June 1945 - Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
Degree of Commander is conferred by the President of the United States of America in recognition of valuable services rendered in connection with the war - 15 March 1946 - Order of the White Lion - 2nd ClassOrder of the White LionThe Order of the White Lion is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners....
is conferred by the President of the Czechoslovak Republic in recognition of valuable services rendered in connection with the war - 6 September 1946 - Grand Officer of the Order of George IOrder of George IThe Royal Order of George I is a defunct order of Greece.- History :The order was founded in 1915 by King Constantine I in honor of his father, George I. It was only the second Greek order to be created after the Order of the Redeemer in 1833, and remained the second senior award of the Greek...
is conferred by HM the King of the Hellenes in recognition of valuable services rendered in connection with the war - 6 September 1946 The grade of "Grand Officer" does not exist by that name in the Greek Order of George I. The placing of "Grand Officers" in the London Gazette, between "Grand Cross" and "Commander", indicates that the grade of "Grand Commander" should have been used. - Commander of the Order of Leopold is conferred by HRH the Prince Regent of Belgium in recognition of valuable services rendered in connection with the war - 27 August 1948