Charles Longcroft: Difference between revisions

|name= Sir Charles Alexander Holcombe Longcroft

|allegiance={{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[United Kingdom]]

|serviceyears= c. 1902 – 19291902–29

|commands= Inland Area (1926–29)<br/>[[Royal Air Force College Cranwell|RAF Cranwell]] (1919–23)<br/>III Brigade RAF (1918)<br/>Training Division RFC (1917–18)<br/>V Brigade RFC (1916–17)<br/>2nd Wing RFC (1916)<br/>[[No. 4 Squadron RFC]] (1915)<br/>[[No. 1 Squadron RFC]] (1914–15)

|battles= [[First World War I]]

|awards= [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]]<br/>[[Distinguished Service Order]]<br/>[[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]]<br/>[[MentionMentioned in Despatches]]<br/>[[Order of Saint Stanislaus (Imperial House of Romanov)|Order of Saint Stanislaus, 3rd Class with Swords]] (Russia)<br/>[[Officer of the Legion of Honour]] (France)

Charles Alexander Holcombe Longcroft was born on 13 May 13, 1883 in [[Ceredigion|Cardiganshire]], [[Wales]], the third of four children born to Charles Edward Longcroft (1842–1892) and his wife, Catherine Alicia Holcombe. The Longcrofts had originated in [[Wiltshire]] but first rose to prominence as merchants in [[Hampshire]] in the 18th century. Charles' somewhat distinguished great-grandfather, Captain Edward Longcroft RN (c.1750-18121750–1812), had settled in Wales in the mid-1780s after returning from a lengthy period of service in the West Indies during the American War of Independence. Charles' father inherited the Llanina estate in 1888 but after his death only four years later the estate passed in trust to his nine-year -old son.<ref Thename=evans>Phillips-Evans, entire history of the Longcroft family is recorded inJ. ''The Longcrofts: 500 Years of a British Family'' by James Phillips-Evans (Amazon, 2012), pp. 381–384</ref>

Charles Longcroft was educated at [[Charterhouse School|Charterhouse]], attended the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]], before May 1903 and was then commissioned into the [[Welch Regiment]]. After obtaining his [[Royal Aero Club]] certificate in March 1912, Longcroft was attached to the [[Air Battalion]] of the [[Royal Engineers]] at his request. With the establishment of the [[Royal Flying Corps]] in the following month, he was seconded to the new Corps.<ref name=wales>{{cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-founder-raf-you-probably-14482511|title=The Welsh founder of the RAF you have probably never heard of|date=2 April 2018|publisher=Wales Online|accessdate=7 July 2019}}</ref>

==First World War I==

By 1914, Longcroft had been promoted to [[Major (rank)|major]] and was appointed Officer Commanding [[No. 1 Squadron RFC]]. For the next year and a half, apart from a brief period as a supernumerary, Longcroft was the squadron commander of either No. 1 Squadron or [[No. 4 Squadron RFC]]. During the period 1915 to 1918, he was promoted several times and had command of the RFC's Training Wing, 2nd Wing, V Brigade and Training Division. Longcroft finished the war as General Officer Commanding the 3rd Brigade.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/raf-caps/air-land-integration-in-the-100-days-the-case-of-third-army-52888c93ce6e|title=Air/Land Integration in the 100 Days: The Case of Third Army|date=27 September 2018|publisher=RAF Centre for Air and Space Power Studies|accessdate=7 July 2019}}</ref>

With the establishment of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918, Longcroft transferred to the new service on a temporary basis. In However,March just1919 overhe asucceeded year[[Philip laterGame]] as commander of South-West Area.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31433|page=8392|date=4 July 1919}}</ref> onOn 1 August 1919, he resigned his commission in the Welch Regiment and was awarded a permanent RAF commission in the rank of [[group captain]]. Just four days later he was promoted to [[air commodore]].<ref name=wales/>

On 1 November 1919, Longcroft was appointed as the first commandant of the Worldworld's first air academy, the [[RAF (Cadet) College]] at Cranwell. The first intake of cadets arrived on the following February and his post was upgraded to [[Air Officer Commanding]] RAF Cranwell.<ref name=senior>{{cite Longcroftweb|url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Royal%20Air%20Force%20Senior%20Appointments.pdf|title=Senior continuedRAF asAppointments|accessdate=7 July 2019}}</ref> He became Director-General of Personal Services in 1923 and Air Officer Commanding, untilInland 1923Area andin 1926 hebefore retiredretiring from the RAF at his own request on 2 November 1929.<ref name=senior/>

On 27 April 27, 1921 he married the widowed Marjory Hepburn, née McKerrell-Brown, and together they had a son, Charles McKerrell Longcroft, who was born in 1926.<ref name=evans/>

From 1932, Charles A. H. Longcroft servedwas as aappointed [[Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod]] inof the [[Order of the Bath]], before being appointed Registrar and Secretary of the Order of the Bath in 1948. CharlesHe was knightedappointed in[[Order 1938.of Airthe ViceBath|Knight Marshalof Sirthe CharlesOrder Alexanderof Holcombethe Bath]] in 1938.<ref name=evans/>

Longcroft died in London on 20 February 1958. His widow, Lady Longcroft, died in 1964.<ref>Phillips-Evans, J. ''The Longcrofts: 500 Years of a British Family'' (Amazon, 2012), pp. 381-384<name=evans/ref>

*[http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Longcroft.htm Air of Authority -– A History of RAF Organisation -– AVM Sir Charles Longcroft]

{{s-bef|before=[[Edward Maitland (aviatorRAF officer)|E MEdward Maitland]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=Officer Commanding [[No. 1 Squadron RAF|No. 1 Squadron]] [[Royal Flying CorpsRFC]]|years=1 May 1914 &ndash; 28 January 19151914–1915}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Geoffrey Salmond|W G H Salmond]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=Officer Commanding [[No. 4 Squadron RAF|No. 4 Squadron]] [[Royal Flying CorpsRFC]]|years=29 January &ndash; 21 JulyJanuary–July 1915}}

{{s-aft|after=[[F F Waldron]]}}

{{Ss-befvac|beforelast=[[John Salmond|J M Salmond]]}}

{{Ss-ttl|title=[[Brigadier General Officer Commanding]] the [[TrainingV Division,Brigade RFC]]|years=November 1916-1917 &ndash; April 1918}}

{{Ss-aft|after=[[EdgarLionel Ludlow-HewittCharlton|L E RO Ludlow-HewittCharlton]]}}

{{s-newbef|reasonbefore=RAF[[John College establishedSalmond]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[RAFGeneral CollegeOfficer Cranwell|RAF CollegeCommanding]] Commandant|the years=1919[[Training &ndash;Division 1923RFC]]|years=1917–1918}}

{{s-aft|after=[[AmyasEdgar Borton|A E BortonLudlow-Hewitt]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Air Officer Commanding]] [[RAF Inland Area|Inland Area]]| years=1926 &ndash; 19291926–1929}}

{{s-bef|before=[[Richard Stapleton-Cotton|R G A W Stapleton-Cotton]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod]]| years=1932 &ndash; 19481932–1948}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Douglas Wimberley|D N Wimberley]]}}