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Air Marshal Sir Roderick Carr


C R Carr - 1916Sir (Charles) Roderick Carr(Charles) Roderick            

b: 31 Aug 1891                r: 1 Feb 1947                        d: 15 Dec 1971

KBE - 5 Jul 1945 (CBE - 1 Jan 1941), CB - 2 Jun 1943, DFC - 18 Nov 1919, AFC - 2 Jan 1928, MiD - 8 Jun 1944, SA2SB - xx xxx 191?, SS2SB - xx xxx 191?, LoH, Cdr - xx xxx 194?, C de G (F) - xx xxx 194?.  

For a list of foreign decoration abbreviations, click here  

(RN): - (T)(P) Flt Sub-Lt: 9 Jul 1915, (T) Flt Sub-Lt: 10 Aug 1915 [9 Jul 1915], Act Flt Lt: 24 Dec 1916, Act Flt Cdr: 2 Jul 1917, (T) Flt Lt: 7 Jul 1917 [1 Apr 1917], (T) Flt Cdr: 1 Feb 1918, Act Sqn Cdr: 23 Mar 1918.

(RAF): - (T) Maj [Lt]: 1 Apr 1918, Act Maj: 1 May 1919, Flt Lt: 1 Aug 1919, Act Sqn Ldr: 1 Aug 1919, Fg Off: 19 Sep 1922 [1 Apr 1918], Flt Lt: 30 Jun 1923 [1 Apr 1918], Sqn Ldr: 1 Jul 1928, Act Wg Cdr: 8 Aug 1934, Wg Cdr: 1 Jul 1935, Gp Capt: 1 Nov 1938, Act A/Cdre: 1 Aug 1940, (T) A/Cdre: 1 Dec 1940, Act AVM: 24 May 1941, A/Cdre: 1 Jul 1942, (T) AVM: 1 Dec 1942, AVM: 27 Mar 1945, Act AM: 8 May 1945, AM: Retained.  

Photograph (Left) - from his RAeC Certificate

Photograph (right) - Sir (Charles) Roderick Carr

by Walter Stoneman
bromide print, 22 August 1946
NPG x166397

© National Portrait Gallery, London

xx xxx 1914:              Soldier, New Zealand Expeditionary Force

 9 Jul 1915:                  U/T Balloon Officer, Roehampton

29 Jan 1916:                Balloon Officer, Hendon Naval Air Station

21 Mar1916:                Balloon Officer, White City

14 Apr 1916:               U/T Pilot, RNAS Flying School, Eastbourne

17 Jun 1916:                U/T Pilot, Central Training Establishment, Cranwell

xx xxx 1916:                Staff, Eastbourne Air Station

25 Oct 1916:                Instructor, RNAS Training Establishment, Vendome

25 Mar 1918:               Instructor, No 204 Training Depot Station.

22 Jun 1918:                Officer Commanding, No 91 Sqn.

xx xxx xxxx:                 Supernumerary, HQ South-Eastern Area

17 Mar 1919:              Officer Commanding, No 2 Sqn Slavo-British Aviation Corps, North Russian Expedition.

21 Oct 1919:               Transferred to Unemployed List

xx xxx 1920:              Chief of Air Staff, Lithuania.

xx xxx 1921:              Member, Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition.  

19 Sep 1922:               Granted a Short Service Commission in the rank of Flying Officer.

19 Sep 1922:               Supernumerary, RAF Depot.

12 Feb 1923:               Air Staff, HQ Inland Area.

10 Jul 1926:                 Air Staff, HQ ADGB.

17 Dec 1928:              Flight Commander, No 9 Sqn. (Virginia – Upavon)

27 Apr 1929:              CFI, No 4 FTS.

 8 Feb 1933:               Adjutant, RAF Depot Middle East.  

 8 Aug 1934:               Wg Cdr - Flying, RAF Base Gosport

 1 Apr 1935:               Wg Cdr - Flying, RAF Base Gosport

18 Jan 1937:               Officer Commanding, FAA Units - HMS Eagle

xx May 1939:              Officer Commanding, RAF Brize Norton.

xx Aug 1939:               No.2 Base Area Commander?, Advanced Air Striking Force.

 1 Jul 1940:               Officer Commanding, No 61 Group

1 Aug 1940:                AOC, HQ RAF in Northern Ireland.

26 Jul 1941:                AOC, No 4 Group.

xx Jun 1945:                Deputy Chief of Staff (Air), Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force.

22 Aug 1945:               Air Marshal Commanding, HQ Base Air Forces South East Asia.

 1 Apr 1946:                AOC in C, AHQ India.

7 Jan 1947 - 30 Jan 1950:                Divisional Controller, London & South East Division - Ministry of Civil Aviation

He was educated at Wellington College in New Zealand and joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force before transferring to the RNAS, gaining RAeC Certificate No 2553Ha on 14 March 1916.  During the 1920's a number of route proving/record breaking flights were carried out by the RAF.  Due to the original pilot being taken ill, Carr was selected to replace him.  With Flt Lt L E M Gillman as co-pilot/navigator they set a new non-stop distance record of 3420 miles flying a Hawker Horsley from Cranwell to the Persian Gulf, between 20 and 23 May 1927.

He was appointed King of Arms to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire on 14 February 1947.

Citation for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross

"On the l7th June,1919, this officer flew a scout machine over the enemy aerodrome at Puchega, at an  average height of only 50 feet, for thirty minutes. During this time he succeeded in setting fire to a Nieuport enemy machine, to a hangar which contained three aeroplanes (all of which were destroyed), drove all the personnel off the aerodrome, and killed some of the mechanics."

(London Gazette 18 November 1919)

Citation for the award of the Air Force Cross

CARR, Charles Roderick, F/L, DFC - Air Force Cross - awarded 1 January 1928 in New Years Honours List.

 "For courage, skill and determination displayed in the attempted non-stop flight from England to India.  On the occasion of the second attempt he showed conspicuous skill in effecting a safe landing at Martlesham Heath in a machine carrying fuel sufficient for a flight of 4,000 miles."

(Source - Air 30/69)

This page was last updated on 30/12/22

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