Roderick Carr

Infobox Military Person
name= Charles Roderick Carr
lived= 31 August 1891 – 15 December 1971
placeofbirth=Fielding, New Zealand
placeofdeath=Bampton, Oxfordshire, England


caption= Sir Roderick Carr
nickname=
allegiance=flag|United Kingdom
serviceyears= c. 1914 – 1 February 1947
rank= Air Marshal
branch= air force|United Kingdom
commands= Commander in Chief, Air Headquarters India
RAF Brize Norton
unit=
battles= World War I
World War II
awards= Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Force Cross
Mention in Despatches
laterwork= Divisional Controller, Ministry of Civil Aviation

Air Marshal Sir Charles Roderick Carr KBE, CB, DFC, AFC (31 August 1891 – 15 December 1971) was a distinguished airman and military leader of New Zealand and India.

Born in Feilding, New Zealand, he served as an airman in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during World War I. In 1919 he went to Russia to fight on the anti-Bolshevist side against Lenin where he won his DFC for action against the enemy. The citation was as follows:

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.

In 1921 he was a part of Ernest Shackleton's final Antarctic expedition. On his return he was granted an RAF short service commission in the rank of Flying Officer.

In 1927 Carr acted as Squadron Leader Gayford's co-pilot and navigator when they set a new non-stop distance record of 3400 miles flying the Fairey Long Range Monoplane from RAF Cranwell to the Persian Gulf.

During World War II Sir Roderick served in RAF Bomber Command and later became Air Officer Commanding, India Command ("Chief of the Indian Air Force").

Sir Roderick died at Bampton, Oxfordshire, aged 81.

External links

* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/commanders/group.html RAF biography]
* [http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Carr.htm Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Mshl Carr]

s-ttl|title=Commander in Chief, Air Headquarters India
years=1946
-s-ttl|title=King of Arms of the Order of the British Empire
years=1947 – 1968