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Charles Read (RAAF officer)
Encyclopedia
Air Marshal
Sir Charles Frederick Read KBE
, CB
, DFC
, AFC
(born 9 October 1918) is a retired senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) from 1972 to 1975. Born in Sydney
, Read joined the RAAF in 1937, and began his career flying biplane fighters. As a Beaufighter
pilot, he led No. 31 Squadron
and No. 77 Wing
in the South West Pacific
during World War II. His achievements earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross
and a mention in despatches
, and he finished the war an acting group captain
.
Read's post-war commands included the Australian First Tactical Air Force
, No. 24 (Commonwealth) Squadron RAF, Central Flying School
and No. 82 (Bomber) Wing
. He was awarded the Air Force Cross
in 1960. Following staff roles, Read took charge of RAAF Base Point Cook and the RAAF Academy in the mid-1960s, and later RAAF Base Richmond
. In 1970 he was promoted to air vice marshal and became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
. He succeeded Air Marshal Sir Colin Hannah
as CAS in March 1972, when the latter cut short his term as head of the Air Force to become Governor of Queensland. Air Marshal Read retired from the military in March 1975 and was knighted the following year.
, New South Wales, Read was the son of an immigrant from Bristol
, England. He was educated at Sydney Grammar School
, where he completed his Leaving Certificate. After working as a clerk in a motoring firm, Read joined the Royal Australian Air Force
as an air cadet on 21 July 1937. Undertaking instruction at No. 1 Flying Training School
in Point Cook, Victoria, he gained his commission as a pilot officer
in June 1938. Over the next two years he flew with No. 3 Squadron
and No. 22 Squadron
, based at RAAF Station Richmond
, New South Wales, and operating Hawker Demon biplane fighters. He was involved in experimental parachute drops with dummies near Menangle
; on one such test a fundamental flaw in the harness revealed itself when the dummy slipped clean from the chute, necessitating a redesign. By the time Australia declared war on 3 September 1939, Read had been promoted to flying officer
; he later recalled a flurry of activity on the day, but with little real purpose: "After all, we were pretty remote from Europe".
Following service with No. 30 Squadron
, in October 1942 Squadron Leader
Read was given command of No. 31 Squadron
, which operated Bristol Beaufighter
s out of Coomalie
in the Northern Territory. Coming under the control of North Western Area Command
, the unit went into action over Portuguese Timor
the following month. By April 1943, Read had been promoted wing commander
. On 2 May, he led a low-level sortie against Penfui
airfield, a key base for Japanese raids on Darwin
, during which he destroyed two enemy Zeke
fighters on the ground with cannon. Read was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross
for the "courage and skill" he displayed during assaults on Japanese installations, pressed home in the face of severe anti-aircraft fire. The award was promulgated in the London Gazette
on 2 July 1943.
Returning to Australia, Read took charge of No. 1 Service Flying Training School
from October 1943 until the unit's disbandment in September 1944. He went back to the South West Pacific
later that year as Officer Commanding
No. 77 Wing
. Read led Beaufighters of No. 31 Squadron into action during the Operation Oboe Six landings at Labuan
on 10 June 1945, and was the first RAAF pilot to land at the newly opened Tarakan airfield
on 28 June. He was mentioned in despatches for the operational and administrative efficiency achieved by No. 77 Wing, and by the end of the war was an acting group captain
on the headquarters staff of the Australian First Tactical Air Force
at Morotai
. He took over command of the formation following the end of hostilities, leading it into 1946 as its units were steadily disbanded.
(CO) of the re-formed No. 1 Flying Training School at RAAF Station Point Cook from November 1947 to September 1949. During this time he was offered a permanent commission in the post-war Air Force, with the provisional rank of squadron leader. Read was then promoted to substantive wing commander, and posted to England where he led No. 24 (Commonwealth) Squadron RAF from March to December 1950. Returning from England in 1952, he was made CO of Central Flying School
at RAAF Base East Sale
, Victoria, and went on to hold staff appointments at Headquarters Training Command from 1953 to 1957.
As group captain
, Read commanded No. 82 Wing
at RAAF Base Amberley
, Queensland, from February 1957 to July 1960, flying Canberra jet bombers
. He was awarded the Air Force Cross
in the 1960 New Year Honours. Read then served as Director of Operational Requirements at the Department of Air in Canberra
. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
in the 1964 New Year Honours for his work introducing aircraft and weapons systems into the Air Force, including two overseas missions for aircraft and equipment selection. In December 1964 he was promoted to air commodore
, and the following year attended the Imperial Defence College
in London. Read was made Officer Commanding RAAF Base Point Cook in January 1966, simultaneously holding the appointment of Commandant of RAAF Academy. He then served as Air Officer Commanding
RAAF Base Richmond from March 1968 to July 1969.
Read was promoted air vice marshal and made Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
(DCAS) in January 1970. In 1962, while Director of Operational Requirements, he had recommended the CH-47 Chinook
helicopter for Australian service. As DCAS, after plans to acquire such a heavy-lift capability had languished for eight years, Read was able to finally give the go-ahead for their purchase. He led a team to the United States in May 1970 to review a proposal to lease two squadrons of F-4E Phantoms
to provide an interim strike force for the RAAF, pending delivery of the long-delayed General Dynamics F-111C
. Read's decision to take up the F-4E offer, over competing Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer
and A-6 Intruder
options, "delighted RAAF senior officers and aircrews".
In March 1972, Air Marshal Sir Colin Hannah
resigned as CAS one year short of his planned three-year term, to become Governor of Queensland. Read had not been consulted by Hannah prior to the latter's departure, and was reputed to be somewhat reluctant to take over the CAS role. Nevertheless he was promoted to air marshal
and served a full three-year tour as the Air Force's senior officer. Read was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath
in the 1972 Queen's Birthday Honours
. A highlight of his tenure as CAS was the belated entry into RAAF service of the F-111C bomber in June 1973; as well as being an advocate for building up Australia's offensive strike capability, Read had been a member of the 1963 mission led by Air Marshal Val Hancock
to examine replacements for the Canberra, which led to the F-111's acquisition. Towards the end of his term, however, Read felt that "the nature of the office of CAS changed for the worse", as a plethora of committees sprang up in the wake of the "Tange report"
on the Australian defence force. In the words of RAAF historian Alan Stephens, "The seemingly interminable round of committee meetings which followed the Tange reorganisation made management very difficult, to the extent that Air Marshal Read often felt he was fighting against the system rather than working with it".
and some of the trappings of high office, Read refused to sit for the usual portrait painted of former Chiefs of the Air Staff. As CAS during the Whitlam
Labor government
, which was generally antipathetic to imperial knighthoods, he was not raised to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) until the 1976 Queen's Birthday Honours, after the Liberal Party
under Malcolm Fraser
had been returned to power. Originally from Vaucluse
, in Sydney's east, Read was living in Safety Beach
, on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, as of 2010.
Air Marshal (Australia)
Air marshal is the second highest active rank of the Royal Australian Air Force and was created as a direct equivalent of the British Royal Air Force rank of air marshal, it is also considered a three-star rank...
Sir Charles Frederick Read KBE
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...
, CB
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...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, AFC
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(born 9 October 1918) is a retired senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) from 1972 to 1975. Born in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Read joined the RAAF in 1937, and began his career flying biplane fighters. As a Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
pilot, he led No. 31 Squadron
No. 31 Squadron RAAF
No. 31 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force airbase support squadron re-raised in July 2010. The Squadron was first formed in August 1942 and was disbanded in July 1946 after seeing action in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II.-History:No...
and No. 77 Wing
No. 77 Wing RAAF
No. 77 Wing was a Royal Australian Air Force wing of World War II. The unit formed part of No. 10 Operational Group at its establishment in November 1943, when it comprised three squadrons equipped with A-31 Vengeance dive bombers. No. 77 Wing commenced operations in early 1944, flying...
in the South West Pacific
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....
during World War II. His achievements earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
and a mention in despatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
, and he finished the war an acting group captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
.
Read's post-war commands included the Australian First Tactical Air Force
Australian First Tactical Air Force
The Australian First Tactical Air Force was formed on 25 October 1944 by the Royal Australian Air Force . Its purpose was to provide a mobile force of fighter and ground attack aircraft that could support Allied army and naval units fighting the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Area...
, No. 24 (Commonwealth) Squadron RAF, Central Flying School
Central Flying School RAAF
The Central Flying School RAAF is a Royal Australian Air Force training establishment, based at RAAF Base East Sale. It was formed in March 1913, and during the First World War it trained over 150 pilots, who fought in Europe and the Middle East....
and No. 82 (Bomber) Wing
No. 82 Wing RAAF
No. 82 Wing is the Royal Australian Air Force's strike and reconnaissance wing. It is headquartered at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, and operates the F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighter and Pilatus PC-9 forward air control aircraft. The wing was formed in August 1944, flying B-24 Liberator...
. He was awarded the Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
in 1960. Following staff roles, Read took charge of RAAF Base Point Cook and the RAAF Academy in the mid-1960s, and later RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond is one of Australia's oldest and largest air force bases. It is located within the City of Hawkesbury in the north-western fringe of Sydney, New South Wales, between the towns of Windsor and Richmond. The base is home to the Royal Australian Air Force's transport headquarters,...
. In 1970 he was promoted to air vice marshal and became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
Deputy Chief of Air Force (Australia)
Deputy Chief of Air Force is the second most senior appointment in the Royal Australian Air Force, responsible to the Chief of Air Force . The rank associated with the position is Air Vice Marshal . DCAF acts as the manager of the Air Force Headquarters , which provides oversight of activities in...
. He succeeded Air Marshal Sir Colin Hannah
Colin Hannah
Air Marshal Sir Colin Thomas Hannah KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force and a Governor of Queensland. Born in Western Australia, he was a member of the Militia before joining the RAAF in 1935. After graduating as a pilot, Hannah served in Nos. 22 and...
as CAS in March 1972, when the latter cut short his term as head of the Air Force to become Governor of Queensland. Air Marshal Read retired from the military in March 1975 and was knighted the following year.
Early career
Born in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales, Read was the son of an immigrant from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England. He was educated at Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, selective, day school for boys, located in Darlinghurst, Edgecliff and St Ives, all suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, where he completed his Leaving Certificate. After working as a clerk in a motoring firm, Read joined the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
as an air cadet on 21 July 1937. Undertaking instruction at No. 1 Flying Training School
No. 1 Flying Training School RAAF
No. 1 Flying Training School was a flying training school of the Royal Australian Air Force . It was one of the Air Force's original units, dating back to the service's formation in 1921, when it was based at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria. The school underwent a number of reorganisations during its...
in Point Cook, Victoria, he gained his commission as a pilot officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
in June 1938. Over the next two years he flew with No. 3 Squadron
No. 3 Squadron RAAF
No. 3 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron. It was first formed in 1916 and currently operates F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle, New South Wales.-World War I:...
and No. 22 Squadron
No. 22 Squadron RAAF
No. 22 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force mixed regular and reserve squadron that provides support for the RAAF in the Sydney region. Formed in 1936, the squadron served in Papua New Guinea during the Second World War, and later followed the Pacific war as far as the Philippines...
, based at RAAF Station Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond is one of Australia's oldest and largest air force bases. It is located within the City of Hawkesbury in the north-western fringe of Sydney, New South Wales, between the towns of Windsor and Richmond. The base is home to the Royal Australian Air Force's transport headquarters,...
, New South Wales, and operating Hawker Demon biplane fighters. He was involved in experimental parachute drops with dummies near Menangle
Menangle, New South Wales
Menangle is a village in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia.-Location:Menangle is part of the Wollondilly Shire. At the 2006 census, Menangle had a population of 327 people.-History:...
; on one such test a fundamental flaw in the harness revealed itself when the dummy slipped clean from the chute, necessitating a redesign. By the time Australia declared war on 3 September 1939, Read had been promoted to flying officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
; he later recalled a flurry of activity on the day, but with little real purpose: "After all, we were pretty remote from Europe".
World War II
No. 30 Squadron RAAF
No. 30 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force . Raised in 1942 as a fighter unit, the Squadron saw action in the Second World War and later served in the target towing and surface-to-air missile roles. After a long period of disbandment lasting from the late 1960s, No...
, in October 1942 Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Read was given command of No. 31 Squadron
No. 31 Squadron RAAF
No. 31 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force airbase support squadron re-raised in July 2010. The Squadron was first formed in August 1942 and was disbanded in July 1946 after seeing action in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II.-History:No...
, which operated Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
s out of Coomalie
Coomalie
The Coomalie Shire is a Local Government Area in the Northern Territory, situated south of Darwin and Palmerston. The council governs an area of 1,500km² and has a estimated population of 1,295.-History:...
in the Northern Territory. Coming under the control of North Western Area Command
North Western Area Campaign
The North-Western Area Campaign was an air campaign fought between the Allied and Japanese air forces over northern Australia and the Netherlands East Indies between 1942 and 1945...
, the unit went into action over Portuguese Timor
Portuguese Timor
Portuguese Timor was the name of East Timor when it was under Portuguese control. During this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Netherlands East Indies, and later with Indonesia....
the following month. By April 1943, Read had been promoted wing commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
. On 2 May, he led a low-level sortie against Penfui
Kupang
Not to be confused with Tanjung Kupang in JohoreKupang is the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara province in southeast Indonesia....
airfield, a key base for Japanese raids on Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, during which he destroyed two enemy Zeke
A6M Zero
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a long-range fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the , and also designated as the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen and Mitsubishi Navy 12-shi Carrier Fighter. The A6M was usually referred to by the...
fighters on the ground with cannon. Read was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
for the "courage and skill" he displayed during assaults on Japanese installations, pressed home in the face of severe anti-aircraft fire. The award was promulgated in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
on 2 July 1943.
Returning to Australia, Read took charge of No. 1 Service Flying Training School
No. 1 Flying Training School RAAF
No. 1 Flying Training School was a flying training school of the Royal Australian Air Force . It was one of the Air Force's original units, dating back to the service's formation in 1921, when it was based at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria. The school underwent a number of reorganisations during its...
from October 1943 until the unit's disbandment in September 1944. He went back to the South West Pacific
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....
later that year as Officer Commanding
Officer Commanding
The Officer Commanding is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit , principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, the term Commanding Officer is applied to commanders of minor as well as major units.Normally an Officer Commanding is a company, squadron or battery...
No. 77 Wing
No. 77 Wing RAAF
No. 77 Wing was a Royal Australian Air Force wing of World War II. The unit formed part of No. 10 Operational Group at its establishment in November 1943, when it comprised three squadrons equipped with A-31 Vengeance dive bombers. No. 77 Wing commenced operations in early 1944, flying...
. Read led Beaufighters of No. 31 Squadron into action during the Operation Oboe Six landings at Labuan
Labuan
Labuan is a federal territory in East Malaysia. It is an island off the coast of the state of Sabah. Labuan's capital is Victoria and is best known as an offshore financial centre offering international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990 as well as being an offshore support...
on 10 June 1945, and was the first RAAF pilot to land at the newly opened Tarakan airfield
Tarakan Island
Tarakan is an island off the coast of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is a marshy island situated in the eastern Celebes Sea, off the northeastern coast of Borneo. The island occupies an area of .-Petroleum:...
on 28 June. He was mentioned in despatches for the operational and administrative efficiency achieved by No. 77 Wing, and by the end of the war was an acting group captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
on the headquarters staff of the Australian First Tactical Air Force
Australian First Tactical Air Force
The Australian First Tactical Air Force was formed on 25 October 1944 by the Royal Australian Air Force . Its purpose was to provide a mobile force of fighter and ground attack aircraft that could support Allied army and naval units fighting the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Area...
at Morotai
Morotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
. He took over command of the formation following the end of hostilities, leading it into 1946 as its units were steadily disbanded.
Post-war career
Read married Betty Bradshaw on 1 June 1946; the couple had three sons. He was the inaugural Commanding OfficerCommanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
(CO) of the re-formed No. 1 Flying Training School at RAAF Station Point Cook from November 1947 to September 1949. During this time he was offered a permanent commission in the post-war Air Force, with the provisional rank of squadron leader. Read was then promoted to substantive wing commander, and posted to England where he led No. 24 (Commonwealth) Squadron RAF from March to December 1950. Returning from England in 1952, he was made CO of Central Flying School
Central Flying School RAAF
The Central Flying School RAAF is a Royal Australian Air Force training establishment, based at RAAF Base East Sale. It was formed in March 1913, and during the First World War it trained over 150 pilots, who fought in Europe and the Middle East....
at RAAF Base East Sale
RAAF Base East Sale
RAAF Base East Sale is one of the main training establishments of the Royal Australian Air Force, including where Australian Air Force Cadets have their annual General Service Training. It is home to the Roulettes aerobatic team. It is also now the home of the RAAF's Officers' Training School ...
, Victoria, and went on to hold staff appointments at Headquarters Training Command from 1953 to 1957.
As group captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
, Read commanded No. 82 Wing
No. 82 Wing RAAF
No. 82 Wing is the Royal Australian Air Force's strike and reconnaissance wing. It is headquartered at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, and operates the F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighter and Pilatus PC-9 forward air control aircraft. The wing was formed in August 1944, flying B-24 Liberator...
at RAAF Base Amberley
RAAF Base Amberley
RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force base located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland and southwest of Brisbane. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron , No. 33 Squadron and No. 36 Squadron...
, Queensland, from February 1957 to July 1960, flying Canberra jet bombers
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
. He was awarded the Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
in the 1960 New Year Honours. Read then served as Director of Operational Requirements at the Department of Air in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
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...
in the 1964 New Year Honours for his work introducing aircraft and weapons systems into the Air Force, including two overseas missions for aircraft and equipment selection. In December 1964 he was promoted to air commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
, and the following year attended the Imperial Defence College
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
in London. Read was made Officer Commanding RAAF Base Point Cook in January 1966, simultaneously holding the appointment of Commandant of RAAF Academy. He then served as Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
RAAF Base Richmond from March 1968 to July 1969.
Deputy Chief of Air Force (Australia)
Deputy Chief of Air Force is the second most senior appointment in the Royal Australian Air Force, responsible to the Chief of Air Force . The rank associated with the position is Air Vice Marshal . DCAF acts as the manager of the Air Force Headquarters , which provides oversight of activities in...
(DCAS) in January 1970. In 1962, while Director of Operational Requirements, he had recommended the CH-47 Chinook
CH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
helicopter for Australian service. As DCAS, after plans to acquire such a heavy-lift capability had languished for eight years, Read was able to finally give the go-ahead for their purchase. He led a team to the United States in May 1970 to review a proposal to lease two squadrons of F-4E Phantoms
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
to provide an interim strike force for the RAAF, pending delivery of the long-delayed General Dynamics F-111C
General Dynamics F-111C
The General Dynamics F-111C is a variant of the F-111 Aardvark medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft, developed by General Dynamics to meet Australian requirements. The design was based on the F-111A model but included longer wings and strengthened undercarriage...
. Read's decision to take up the F-4E offer, over competing Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer
Blackburn Buccaneer
The Blackburn Buccaneer was a British low-level subsonic strike aircraft with nuclear weapon delivery capability serving with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force between 1962 and 1994, including service in the 1991 Gulf War...
and A-6 Intruder
A-6 Intruder
The Grumman A-6 Intruder was an American, twin jet-engine, mid-wing attack aircraft built by Grumman Aerospace. In service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps between 1963 and 1997, the Intruder was designed as an all-weather medium attack aircraft to replace the piston-engined A-1 Skyraider...
options, "delighted RAAF senior officers and aircrews".
In March 1972, Air Marshal Sir Colin Hannah
Colin Hannah
Air Marshal Sir Colin Thomas Hannah KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force and a Governor of Queensland. Born in Western Australia, he was a member of the Militia before joining the RAAF in 1935. After graduating as a pilot, Hannah served in Nos. 22 and...
resigned as CAS one year short of his planned three-year term, to become Governor of Queensland. Read had not been consulted by Hannah prior to the latter's departure, and was reputed to be somewhat reluctant to take over the CAS role. Nevertheless he was promoted to air marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
and served a full three-year tour as the Air Force's senior officer. Read was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath
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...
in the 1972 Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
. A highlight of his tenure as CAS was the belated entry into RAAF service of the F-111C bomber in June 1973; as well as being an advocate for building up Australia's offensive strike capability, Read had been a member of the 1963 mission led by Air Marshal Val Hancock
Valston Hancock
Air Marshal Sir Valston Eldridge Hancock, KBE, CB, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1961 to 1965. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Hancock transferred to the RAAF in 1929 and qualified as a pilot...
to examine replacements for the Canberra, which led to the F-111's acquisition. Towards the end of his term, however, Read felt that "the nature of the office of CAS changed for the worse", as a plethora of committees sprang up in the wake of the "Tange report"
Arthur Tange
Sir Arthur Harold Tange AC, CBE was a prominent Australian senior public servant of the middle to late 20th century....
on the Australian defence force. In the words of RAAF historian Alan Stephens, "The seemingly interminable round of committee meetings which followed the Tange reorganisation made management very difficult, to the extent that Air Marshal Read often felt he was fighting against the system rather than working with it".
Retirement
Read retired from military life on 20 March 1975 and was succeeded by Air Marshal James Rowland, who later became Governor of New South Wales. Considered disdainful of bureaucracyBureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
and some of the trappings of high office, Read refused to sit for the usual portrait painted of former Chiefs of the Air Staff. As CAS during the Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
Labor government
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, which was generally antipathetic to imperial knighthoods, he was not raised to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) until the 1976 Queen's Birthday Honours, after the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
under Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
had been returned to power. Originally from Vaucluse
Vaucluse, New South Wales
Vaucluse is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Vaucluse is located north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Council and the Municipality of Woollahra....
, in Sydney's east, Read was living in Safety Beach
Woolgoolga, New South Wales
Woolgoolga is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Highway, approximately 550 km north of Sydney and 400 km south of Brisbane. The closest city to Woolgoolga is Coffs Harbour, which lies 25.8 km to the south. Woolgoolga has two beaches on...
, on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, as of 2010.