Alan Charlesworth

Alan Moorehouse Charlesworth
Alan Moorehouse Charlesworth
	North-Western Area Command (1944–46); School of Land/Air Warfare (1947–49); RAAF Station Williamtown (1949); Southern Area Command (1951–53); RAAF Overseas Headquarters (1954–55)
Battles/wars	World War II South West Pacific Theatre; North-Western Area Campaign; Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Air Force Cross
Other work	Director of Recruiting; Supreme court judge's associate

North-Western Area in Darwin

, Northern Territory.

Charlesworth's control of air operations during the

air vice marshal and became AOC Southern Area. Charlesworth's final appointment before retiring from the Air Force was commanding RAAF Overseas Headquarters, London, in 1954–55. After leaving the military he served as Director of Recruiting in the late 1950s, and later as a judge's associate at the Supreme Court of Victoria. He died at his home in Glen Iris

, Victoria, in 1978.

Early career

Born in

Avro 504K stalled and spun into a field, injuring him and killing his instructor.^[1]^[8] Recovering, he was subsequently involved in an accident with future lieutenant general and Governor of New South Wales Eric Woodward, when their plane flipped on landing and came to rest upside down on a fence; neither man was badly hurt.^[9]

Seven men, four in flying suits, standing in front of the wings of two biplanes — Flight Lieutenant Charlesworth (far left) with Doctor Woolnough (centre) and other members of the Commonwealth geographical aerial survey of Australia, July–September 1932

Charlesworth graduated as a pilot in July 1925, and was posted to

Farnborough, before serving with the RAF Survey Flight in British Somaliland during 1929–30.^[1]

Returning to Australia, Charlesworth was again posted to No. 1 Squadron, taking command of a round-Australia aerial survey conducted in three phases during 1932 in association with the Commonwealth Geologist, Doctor Walter Woolnough. Charlesworth's study in Britain and his experience in Somaliland had made him the RAAF's leading expert in photographic reconnaissance, which was to be utilised in the search for potential oil fields.^[11] The first phase of the survey took place in January–February, employing two Westland Wapitis and seven other Air Force personnel from Nos. 1 and 3 Squadrons to photograph sites in southern Queensland. Despite both aircraft being damaged in a gale at Bourke in northern New South Wales while returning to base, the expedition was considered a success.^[11]^[12] For the second phase, lasting from July to September, Charlesworth and his team journeyed around the whole of Australia from New South Wales to Queensland, thence to the Northern Territory and Western Australia, before returning to Laverton. The final phase in December explored Tasmania. Charlesworth was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) for his leadership of the survey, described in the official history of the pre-war RAAF as a "milestone" in the country's exploration.^[11]^[13]

Following his survey work, Charlesworth was appointed Staff Officer Photography at RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne.

wing commander and took command of No. 2 Squadron, operating Avro Ansons out of Laverton.^[1]^[17]

World War II

Informal half portrait of two men in tropical military uniforms at a table — Air Commodore Charlesworth (left) and an RAAF corporal at a combined dinner in the officers mess at Port Moresby, New Guinea, c. 1944

As part of the RAAF's reorganisation following the outbreak of

Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Eastern Area, headquartered at Bradfield Park, Sydney, in December 1943.^[23] Eastern Area was responsible for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare off the coast of New South Wales and southern Queensland. Japanese submarine activity had decreased in the months before Charlesworth took command, and he was concerned that Allied ships were becoming complacent. He observed "a general slackening off in procedure; ships are seldom where they should be, and a minority of merchant ships identify themselves to aircraft". The RAAF's patrols had also settled into a predictable pattern that would have been easy for an observant submarine captain to avoid.^[24]^[25]

Charlesworth was promoted to temporary

North-Western Area (NWA) in Darwin, Northern Territory, replacing Air Vice Marshal Adrian "King" Cole.^[1]^[26] By this stage of the war, the Allies were advancing north and the tempo of operations in the Darwin area had decreased.^[27] Charlesworth immediately raised concerns regarding No. 80 Wing, which operated three squadrons of Spitfire fighters, warning higher command that its morale could drop if it was not either given a more active role in the war or transferred to southern Australia for rest.^[28] By October, the wing had received orders to depart NWA for the forward base of Morotai to join the RAAF's main mobile strike force, First Tactical Air Force; this move would leave Charlesworth with twelve squadrons at his disposal, including one B-24 Liberator heavy bomber unit and three other Spitfire squadrons.^[29]^[30] In the meantime, NWA supported the assault on Leyte with attacks on enemy ports, oil facilities, and shipping in the Dutch East Indies using Beaufighters, B-25 Mitchells, and Liberators. These operations continued through November–December.^[31] In April 1945, Charlesworth sent Mitchells and Liberators against a Japanese convoy led by the cruiser Isuzu; the bombers damaged the cruiser, and it was subsequently sunk by Allied submarines.^[32] The same month, NWA's Liberators attacked targets in Java in the lead-up to the Battle of Tarakan that commenced on 1 May.^[33] By July, Charlesworth's command had been denuded of much of its strength as two of its bomber wings were transferred to First Tactical Air Force.^[34]

Postwar career

Three men in dark military uniforms with peaked caps and swords, saluting — Charlesworth (right) as Officer Commanding RAAF Overseas Headquarters, with Air Marshals Sir Claude Pelly (centre) and Sir Donald Hardman (left) at a farewell parade for No. 78 (Fighter) Wing following garrison duty in Malta, December 1954

Among a small coterie of wartime RAAF commanders considered suitable for further senior roles, Charlesworth retained his rank of air commodore following the cessation of hostilities.

Chief of Staff, British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF), in Japan.^[41]

Charlesworth's workload at BCOF increased considerably with the outbreak of the

air vice marshal and appointed AOC Southern Area, headquartered in Albert Park, Melbourne. Towards the end of his tenure, the RAAF's wartime area command system was transformed into a structure based on function rather than geography. As a result, Southern Area was re-formed as Training Command in October 1953.^[44]^[45]^[46] In 1954 he returned to the UK to command RAAF Overseas Headquarters, London.^[45]

Later life

Completing his term in London, Charlesworth retired from the Air Force on 31 December 1955, and was made an honorary air vice marshal the following year.[1]^[47] He was then appointed a technical advisor to the committee organising the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.^[48] In 1958–59, he served as Director of Recruiting Combined Services, and later became a judge's associate with the Supreme Court of Victoria.^[2]^[49] In retirement he made his home in Glen Iris, Victoria, where he died on 21 September 1978. Survived by his wife and daughter, he was accorded an Air Force funeral and cremated.^[1]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Charlesworth, Alan Moorehouse (1903–1978) Archived 4 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine at Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved on 10 January 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Honorary Air Vice-Marshals Archived 19 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine at Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved on 10 January 2011.
^ Moore, Duntroon, pp. 329, 339
^ O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 630
^ ^a ^b "PEARCE AIR FORCE STATION". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 21 August 1940. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 712 Archived 4 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 192
^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 315–316
^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 125–126
^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 337
^ ^a ^b ^c Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 424–427
^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 38–39
^ "No. 33946". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1933. p. 3816.
^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 429
^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 343
^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 344–346
^ 2 Squadron RAAF Archived 13 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved on 10 January 2011.
^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 67 Archived 22 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, pp. 91–92 Archived 22 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ Ashworth, How Not to Run an Air Force, p. 290
^ "R.A.A.F. Commands". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 4 January 1941. p. 5. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
^ RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, p. 12
^ Ashworth, How Not to Run an Air Force, p. 303
^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, p. 349 Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
^ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 258
^ Ashworth, How Not to Run an Air Force, p. 291
^ Horner, "The Evolution of Australian Higher Command Arrangements", pp. 17–18
^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 246–247 Archived 21 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 297–299 Archived 22 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ Odgers, Air Force Australia, p. 121
^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 301–302, 313–316 Archived 14 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 407–409 Archived 23 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 451–455 Archived 12 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 476–477 Archived 20 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 24–25
^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, p. 238–239
^ Recommended: Commander of the Order of the British Empire Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved on 10 January 2011.
^ "No. 37625". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 June 1946. p. 3217.
^ "Three Services to Attend New Air Support School". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 29 April 1947. p. 5. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
^ Joint Warfare, Doctrine and Training Centre Archived 12 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine at Department of Defence. Retrieved on 14 January 2011.
^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 213
^ O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 309
^ O'Neill, Australia in the Korean War, p. 314
^ "To Command R.A.A.F. Here". The Age. Melbourne. 30 June 1951. p. 4. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
^ ^a ^b Dennis et al., Oxford Military History of Australia, p. 127
^ Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 71–76
^ Charlesworth, Alan Moorehouse Archived 5 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine at World War 2 Nominal Roll Archived 5 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 10 January 2011.
^ "RECRUITING LAG MAY END IN 1965". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. 8 January 1958. p. 15. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
^ Alexander, Who's Who in Australia 1962, p. 169