Christopher Courtney

Sir Christopher Lloyd Courtney
Courtney (shown on right) with Trenchard and Prince Albert
Born	27 June 1890(1890-06-27)
Died	22 October 1976(1976-10-22) (aged 86)
Service/branch	Royal Navy (1905–1918)  Royal Air Force (1918–1945)
Rank	Air Chief Marshal
Commands held	Killingholme Naval Air Station No. 4 Squadron RNAS Royal Naval Air Station Dover No. 4 Wing RNAS No. 7 Squadron RNAS 11th Brigade Independent Air Force No. 2 (Indian) Wing RAF RAF Iraq Command Reserve Command
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Other work	Businessman

Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Lloyd Courtney, GBE, KCB, DSO (27 June 1890 – 22 October 1976) was a senior British Royal Air Force officer.

RAF career

Courtney joined the Royal Navy in May 1905 as a midshipman at Britannia Naval College.^[1] By late 1909 he was an acting sub-lieutenant on board HMS Commonwealth.^[1]

He fought in World War I initially as Officer Commanding Killingholme Royal Naval Air Station.^[1] He continued his war service as Officer Commanding Royal Naval Air Station Dover, Officer Commanding No. 4 Wing RNAS and then Officer Commanding No. 7 Squadron RNAS.^[1] In April 1918, with the creation of the Royal Air Force, Courtney transferred from the Navy to the RAF and at that time he was appointed Deputy Director of Aircraft Equipment at the newly established Air Ministry. Just before the end of World War I, Courtney was promoted to acting brigadier-general and sent France to command the 11th Brigade which was being established as a subordinate formation of the RAF's Independent Air Force. However, once the armistice was declared, the Independent Air Force's commander, Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard, returned home and Courtney succeeded him as commander.^[2]

After the War he served as Officer Commanding, No 2 (Indian) Wing and then after a tour on the Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College, Andover, he was appointed Deputy Director of Operations and Intelligence at the Air Ministry.^[1] He briefly served as Air Officer Commanding RAF Iraq Command on a temporary basis in late 1932.^[1] He was made Director of Training at the Air Ministry in 1933, Director of Staff Duties in 1934 and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff and Director of Operations & Intelligence in 1935.^[1] After that he was appointed Air Officer Commanding RAF Iraq Command in 1937 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Reserve Command in February 1939.^[1] He became Air Member for Supply and Organisation in January 1940 and remained in that post throughout the remainder of World War II until he retired in 1945.^[1]

Honours and awards

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire - 1 January 1945 (CBE - 1 January 1919)^[1]
• Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath - 8 June 1939 (CB - 6 May 1932)^[1]
• Distinguished Service Order – 30 November 1917^[1]
• Mentioned in Despatches - 12 May 1917^[1]
• Order of St Anne, 3rd Class (Russia) - 1917^[1]
• Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France) - 2 November 1917^[1]
• Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) - 1 January 1946^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p} Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Courtney
2. ^ Richards, Denis (May 2008). "Courtney, Sir Christopher Lloyd". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/30975. Retrieved 2009-11-10. 

External links

• Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives web page on Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Courtney.

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Hugh Trenchard As Commander-in-Chief the Inter-Allied Independent Air Force	General Officer Commanding the Independent Force 1918	Force disbanded
Preceded by E R Ludlow-Hewitt	Air Officer Commanding Iraq Command Temporary appointment 1932	Succeeded by C S Burnett
Preceded by E R Ludlow-Hewitt	Deputy Chief of the Air Staff and Director of Operations and Intelligence 26 January 1935 – 25 January 1937	Succeeded by R E C Peirse
Preceded by W G S Mitchell	Air Officer Commanding British Forces in Iraq 1937–1939	Succeeded by H G Smart
Preceded by New Post	Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Reserve Command February 1939 – August 1939	Succeeded by Sir John Steel
Preceded by W L Welsh	Air Member for Supply and Organisation 1940 – 1945	Succeeded by Sir Leslie Hollinghurst

Persondata
Name	Courtney, Christopher
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	27 June 1890
Place of birth
Date of death	22 October 1976
Place of death