Air Vice Marshal Sir Charles Alexander Holcombe Longcroft, (13 May 1883 – 20 February 1958) was a pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Flying Corps who went on to become a senior commander in the

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 ...

. He was the first commandant of the RAF College, Cranwell.

Early years

Charles Alexander Holcombe Longcroft was born on 13 May 1883 in Cardiganshire,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, the third of four children born to Charles Edward Longcroft (1842–1892) and his wife, Catherine Alicia Holcombe. The Longcrofts had originated in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

but first rose to prominence as merchants in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

in the 18th century. Charles' somewhat distinguished great-grandfather, Captain Edward Longcroft RN (c.1750–1812), had settled in Wales in the mid-1780s after returning from a lengthy period of service in the West Indies during the American War of Independence. Charles' father inherited the Llanina estate in 1888 but after his death only four years later the estate passed in trust to his nine-year-old son.Phillips-Evans, J. ''The Longcrofts: 500 Years of a British Family'' (Amazon, 2012), pp. 381–384 Charles Longcroft was educated at

Charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey Londo ...

, attended 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 ...

, before May 1903 and was then commissioned into the

Welch Regiment The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of ...

. After obtaining his

Royal Aero Club The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910. History The Aero Club was foun ...

certificate in March 1912, Longcroft was attached to the

Air Battalion The Air Battalion Royal Engineers (ABRE) was the first flying unit of the British Armed Forces to make use of heavier-than-air craft. Founded in 1911, the battalion in 1912 became part of the Royal Flying Corps, which in turn evolved into the R ...

of the Royal Engineers at his request. With the establishment of the Royal Flying Corps in the following month, he was seconded to the new Corps.

First World War

By 1914, Longcroft had been promoted to major and was appointed Officer Commanding

No. 1 Squadron RFC Number 1 Squadron, also known as No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to fly a VTOL aircraft. It currently operates Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth. The squadron motto, ''I ...

. For the next year and a half, apart from a brief period as a supernumerary, Longcroft was the squadron commander of either No. 1 Squadron or No. 4 Squadron RFC. During the period 1915 to 1918, he was promoted several times and had command of the RFC's Training Wing, 2nd Wing, V Brigade and Training Division. Longcroft finished the war as General Officer Commanding the 3rd Brigade.

Royal Air Force commander

With the establishment of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918, Longcroft transferred to the new service on a temporary basis. However, just over a year later on 1 August 1919, he resigned his commission in the Welch Regiment and was awarded a permanent RAF commission in the rank of group captain. Just four days later he was promoted to air commodore. On 1 November 1919, Longcroft was appointed as the first commandant of the world's first air academy, the

RAF (Cadet) College The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and ...

at Cranwell. The first intake of cadets arrived on the following February and his post was upgraded to Air Officer Commanding RAF Cranwell. He became Director-General of Personal Services in 1923 and Air Officer Commanding, Inland Area in 1926 before retiring from the RAF at his own request on 2 November 1929.

Later years

On 27 April 1921 he married the widowed Marjory Hepburn, née McKerrell-Brown, and together they had a son, Charles McKerrell Longcroft, who was born in 1926. From 1932 Longcroft was appointed

Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod The Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod is the Gentleman Usher to the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, established 14 January 1726. The Brunswick Herald, an officer of arms of the Order of the Bath, was annexed with the position at the time it ...

of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

, before being appointed Registrar and Secretary of the Order of the Bath in 1948. He was appointed Knight of the Order of the Bath in 1938. Longcroft died in London on 20 February 1958. His widow, Lady Longcroft, died in 1964.

References

External links

Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – AVM Sir Charles Longcroft
, - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Longcroft, Charles Alexander Holcombe Royal Air Force generals of World War I Royal Air Force air marshals British Army generals of World War I 1883 births 1958 deaths Welsh military personnel Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Royal Flying Corps officers Welch Regiment officers Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Britannia Trophy winners People educated at Charterhouse School Commandants of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell