Air Marshal Sir Charles Ronald Steele, (9 November 1897 – 14 February 1973) was a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at

Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

from 1950 to 1952.

RAF career

Educated at

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

, Steele was commissioned into the

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

in 1916.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir Charles Steele
/ref> He transferred into the Royal Flying Corps and became a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

credited with seven aerial victories.Charles Steele
The Aerodrome He transferred into the Royal Air Force after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and was granted a permanent commission on 1 August 1919. He was appointed

Officer Commanding The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, t ...

No. 18 Squadron in 1936 and served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, initially on the Air Staff at Headquarters No. 3 Group, and then at the Rhodesian Air Training Group before being appointed Senior Air Staff Officer and then temporary Air Officer Commanding at No. 9 Group. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 10 Group and then Air Officer Commanding No. 85 Group. He was made Senior Air Staff Officer at the Headquarters of the British Air Forces of Occupation in Germany in July 1945. He became Air Officer Commanding

AHQ Malta Air Headquarters Malta (AHQ Malta or Air H.Q. Malta) was an overseas command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was established on 28 December 1941 by renaming RAF Mediterranean under Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd. RAF We ...

in 1947 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at

in 1950 before retiring in 1952.

References

1897 births 1973 deaths Royal Air Force air marshals Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Green Howards officers Royal Flying Corps officers Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Deputy Lieutenants of Cambridgeshire People educated at Oundle School English cricketers Royal Air Force cricketers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Military personnel from Yorkshire {{RAF-bio-stub