Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

Hugh Vivian Champion de Crespigny, (8 April 1897 – 20 June 1969), often referred to as Vivian Champion de Crespigny, was a

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

pilot who fought in France during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and senior

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) and ...

officer who commanded British Air Forces in Persia and Iraq during 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 opposin ...

Early years

De Crespigny was born in Brighton, Victoria, the fourth son of Philip Champion de Crespigny (4 January 1850 – 11 March 1927), manager of the Bank of Victoria in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, and Philip's second wife Sophia Montgomery Grattan née Beggs (1870 – 1936). He was educated at

Brighton Grammar School , motto_translation = Let us keep pursuing better things , city = Brighton , state = Victoria , zipcode = 3186 , country = Australia , coordinates ...

. In August 1914, following the outbreak of the

, he enlisted with the 7th Battalion of the Australian Army as a private. In 1915 he was recommended for a commission in the

Suffolk Regiment The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, participating in many wars and conflicts, including the First and Second World Wars, before bein ...

, and from there graduated to the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

' special reserve.

RAF career

De Crespigny joined the Special Reserve of the Royal Flying Corps in 1915.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Vice-Marshal H V Champion de Crespigny
/ref> He went on to be Officer Commanding No. 29 Squadron on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

and then Officer Commanding No. 65 Squadron also on the Western Front. Apart from three months' sick leave, he was at the front in France continuously from June 1915, and was promoted Major in April 1917. After the war he went to India where he commanded No. 60 Squadron and then No. 39 Squadron and finally No. 2 (Indian) Wing. He served in the

as Air Officer Commanding No. 25 (Armament) Group, as Air Officer Commanding Air Headquarters Iraq and then as Air Officer Commanding No. 21 (Training) Group. In 1945 De Crespigny joined the (British) Labour Party, and stood as their candidate for the British Parliament in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

, but was narrowly beaten by the sitting Conservative member, Lt-Col. Sidney Shephard. He was a leader in the campaign to fly great numbers of children from the devastated regions of Germany to England before the winter of 1945, when it was predicted millions of homeless would die from the cold. De Crespigny retired from the RAF in 1945. and was appointed Regional Commissioner for

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

for the

Control Commission for Germany Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controllin ...

one of four civilians appointed to oversee the de-Nazification of Germany and Austria. He oversaw relief efforts for the area, much of the population being in a pitiable condition, exacerbated by mass migration from

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

, and with rising incidence of tuberculosis. In 1948 De Crespigny was succeeded as commissioner by

William Asbury William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

and stayed in Kiel as British consul until 1956. He later lived at Vierville in Natal, South Africa. He died at

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

, Natal, South Africa.

Recognition

*De Crespigny was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in May 1916. *He was invested as a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB) in the

1943 New Year Honours The 1943 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 29 December 1942.United Kingdom (additiona ...

for his service with the RAF during the Second World War.

Family

De Crespigny married Sylvia Ethel Usher in

Fovant Fovant is a village and civil parish in southwest Wiltshire, England, lying about west of Salisbury on the A30 Salisbury-Shaftesbury road, on the south side of the Nadder valley. History The name is derived from the Old English ''Fobbefunt ...

, Wiltshire, on 7 October 1926. They had four sons: *Robert Vivian Champion de Crespigny (12 October 1927 - 14 December 1929) *Hugh Philip Champion de Crespigny (1928 – 24 April 2004) *Anthony Richard Champion de Crespigny (26 September 1930 – 15 November 2008) *Julian Augustus Claude Champion de Crespigny (1934–1974)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Champion De Crespigny, Hugh 1897 births 1969 deaths People educated at Brighton Grammar School Military personnel from Melbourne Suffolk Regiment officers Aviators from Melbourne Companions of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Military Cross Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force air marshals of World War II Royal Flying Corps officers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I