Air Marshal Clarence Rupert Dunlap

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, CD (1 January 1908 – 20 October 2003) was a Canadian

airman An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred as a soldier in other definitions. In civilian aviation usage, t ...

who, from 1962 to 1964, served as the last Chief of the Air Staff of the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

before it was subsumed into the newly unified Canadian Forces. From 1964 to 1967 he was the deputy commander-in-chief of

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

. In his later years, Dunlap was the last surviving Royal Canadian Air Force air marshal.

Early career

Dunlap joined the

in 1928, earning his

pilot's wings An aviator badge is an insignia used in most of the world's militaries to designate those who have received training and qualification in military aviation. Also known as a Pilot's Badge, or Pilot Wings, the Aviator Badge was first conceived to re ...

Camp Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, C ...

in Ontario. In his early flying career Dunlap was assigned to aerial photography duties when he mapped out large parts of Canada. Later, in the mid-1930s, he worked in air armament.Clarence Dunlap
The Canadian encyclopedia

World War II

On the outbreak of

World War II 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 opposin ...

, Dunlap was the Director of Armament at Air Force Headquarters. In 1942 he was promoted to

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

and took up command of the air armament school at RCAF Station Mountain View in Ontario. Dunlap was posted to the United Kingdom in late 1942, becoming Station Commander of

RAF Leeming Royal Air Force Leeming or RAF Leeming is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located near Leeming, North Yorkshire, England. It was opened in 1940 and was jointly used by the RAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Between 1950 and 1991, it ...

in Yorkshire in January 1943. At that time Leeming was part of No. 6 Group in

Bomber Command Bomber Command is an organisational military unit, generally subordinate to the air force of a country. The best known were in Britain and the United States. A Bomber Command is generally used for strategic bombing (although at times, e.g. during t ...

. Dunlap's time at Leeming only lasted until April 1943 and he was then given command of No. 331 (Bomber) Wing which comprised Nos. 420, 424, and 425 Squadrons operating the Wellington bomber in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

and were used to support the invasion of Sicily and then Italy. Later he was promoted to air commodore and in January 1945 he was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 64 Base headquartered at

RAF Middleton St. George RAF Middleton St George was a Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Bomber Command station during World War II. It was located in County Durham, five miles east of Darlington, England. The station's motto was ''Shield an ...

Postwar

After the war, Dunlap was Commandant of the National Defence College (1951–1954). Promoted to air vice-marshal in 1954, he served as Vice-Chief of the Air Staff in 1954. Returning to Europe in 1958, Dunlap was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) at

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. ACO's and SHAPE's commander ...

(SHAPE). There he wrote and article for the ''European-Atlantic Review'' about the role of Europe's radar shield. Dunlap was promoted to air marshal and served as Chief of the Air Staff in 1962. His final service appointment was as the Deputy Commander of the

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

(or NORAD) from 1964 to 1967."Air Marshal Clarence Dunlap, CBE, CD, DCL, Royal Canadian Air Force"
''Rememberances, Canada and the Second World War: In the Air.''. 2002. web. He retired from RCAF in 1968. In retirement Dunlap worked on a voluntary basis to support the development of the National Aviation Museum in Ottawa. In 1979 Dunlap moved to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in British Columbia where he retired from voluntary work. At his death in 2003, Dunlap was the last of the RCAF air marshals.

References

External links

The Canadian Encyclopedia - Dunlap, Clarence Rupert
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunlap, Clarence 1908 births 2003 deaths Royal Canadian Air Force air marshals Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II People from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Canadian military personnel from Nova Scotia