Charles Medhurst

Sir Charles Medhurst
Sir Charles Medhurst
	Mentioned in Despatches (2); Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (Poland); Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States); Order of the White Lion, Second Class (Czechoslovakia); Grand Commander of the Order of George I (Greece); Commander of the Order of Leopold (Belgium)

First World War Royal Flying Corps pilot on the Western Front and later a senior officer in the Royal Air Force

.

RAF career

After education at

Nieuport Scout with No. 13 Squadron.^[6] In 1917 he became the officer commanding No. 14 Squadron operating in Palestine.^[6] 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.^[6] 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.^[6] He then went to Rome as Air Attaché in 1937.^[6]

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.^[6] 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.^[6] 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.^[6]

After the war Medhurst 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).^[6] His last appointment was as Chairman of the British Joint Services Mission to Washington, D.C. in the rank of air chief marshal.^[6] Medhurst retired on 19 April 1950 and he died a few years later aged 58 on 18 October 1954.^[6]

Family

Medhurst married Christabell Guy in 1919 in

Anti-Aircraft Artillery fire during an air drop mission during Operation Market Garden. His daughter Rozanne was an Italian speaker and code breaker at Bletchley Park

, the Government Code and Cipher School.

References

^ "No. 31098". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1919. p. 93.
^ "No. 37501". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 March 1946. p. 1380.
^ ^a ^b "No. 37712". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 September 1946. p. 4455.
^ "No. 38390". The London Gazette. 27 August 1948. p. 4724.
^ http://collinghamanddistrictwararchive.info/list_person.php?ManID=Charles_Medhurst
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Medhurst

Military offices
New command	Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Intelligence) 1941–1942	Succeeded by Frank Inglis
Preceded by Sir Wilfrid Freeman	Vice-Chief of the Air Staff (acting) 1942–1943	Succeeded by Sir Douglas Evill
Preceded by Sir Keith Park	Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Middle East Command February – August 1945	Disbanded
Preceded by Sir Guy Garrod	Commander-in-Chief RAF Mediterranean and Middle East 1945–1948	Succeeded by Sir William Dickson
Preceded by Lord Wilson	Chief of the British Joint Staff Mission to Washington 1948–1950	Succeeded by Lord Tedder

[1] "No. 31098". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1919. p. 93.

[2] "No. 37501". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 March 1946. p. 1380.

[ReferenceA-3] "No. 37712". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 September 1946. p. 4455.

[4] "No. 38390". The London Gazette. 27 August 1948. p. 4724.

[5] ttp://collinghamanddistrictwararchive.info/list_person.php?ManID=Charles_Medhurst

[air-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Medhurst

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