# Charles Longcroft

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Royal Air Force air vice marshal (1883–1958)

Sir Charles Longcroft Brigadier-General Charles Longcroft in 1916/17 Born (1883-05-13)13 May 1883 Llanarth, Cardiganshire Died 20 February 1958(1958-02-20) (aged 74) Paddington, London Allegiance United Kingdom Branch British Army (1902–18) Royal Air Force (1918–29) Service years c. 1902–29 Rank Air Vice Marshal Commands Inland Area (1926–29) RAF Cranwell (1919–23) III Brigade RAF (1918) Training Division RFC (1917–18) V Brigade RFC (1916–17) 2nd Wing RFC (1916) No. 4 Squadron RFC (1915) No. 1 Squadron RFC (1914–15) Conflicts First World War Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Air Force Cross Mentioned in Despatches Order of Saint Stanislaus, 3rd Class with Swords (Russia) Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Other work Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod

[Air Vice Marshal](/source/Air_Vice_Marshal) **Sir Charles Alexander Holcombe Longcroft**, [KCB](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath), [CMG](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George), [DSO](/source/Distinguished_Service_Order), [AFC](/source/Air_Force_Cross_(United_Kingdom)) (13 May 1883 – 20 February 1958) was a pilot and squadron commander in the [Royal Flying Corps](/source/Royal_Flying_Corps) who went on to become a senior commander in the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force). He was the first commandant of the [RAF College, Cranwell](/source/RAF_College%2C_Cranwell).

## Early years

Charles Alexander Holcombe Longcroft was born on 13 May 1883 in [Cardiganshire](/source/Ceredigion), [Wales](/source/Wales), the third of four children born to Charles Edward Longcroft (1842–1892) and his wife, Catherine Alicia Holcombe. The Longcrofts had originated in [Wiltshire](/source/Wiltshire) but first rose to prominence as merchants in [Hampshire](/source/Hampshire) in the 18th century. Charles' somewhat distinguished great-grandfather, Captain Edward Longcroft [RN](/source/Royal_Navy) (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.[1]

Charles Longcroft was educated at [Charterhouse](/source/Charterhouse_School), attended the [Royal Military College, Sandhurst](/source/Royal_Military_College%2C_Sandhurst), before May 1903 and was then commissioned into the [Welch Regiment](/source/Welch_Regiment). After obtaining his [Royal Aero Club](/source/Royal_Aero_Club) certificate in March 1912, Longcroft was attached to the [Air Battalion](/source/Air_Battalion) of the [Royal Engineers](/source/Royal_Engineers) at his request. With the establishment of the [Royal Flying Corps](/source/Royal_Flying_Corps) in the following month, he was seconded to the new Corps.[2]

## First World War

By 1914, Longcroft had been promoted to [major](/source/Major_(rank)) and was appointed Officer Commanding [No. 1 Squadron RFC](/source/No._1_Squadron_RFC). 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](/source/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.[3]

## 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. In March 1919 he succeeded [Philip Game](/source/Philip_Game) as commander of South-West Area.[4] 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](/source/Group_captain). Just four days later he was promoted to [air commodore](/source/Air_commodore).[2]

On 1 November 1919, Longcroft was appointed as the first commandant of the world's first air academy, the [RAF (Cadet) College](/source/RAF_(Cadet)_College) at Cranwell. The first intake of cadets arrived on the following February and his post was upgraded to [Air Officer Commanding](/source/Air_Officer_Commanding) RAF Cranwell.[5] 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.[5]

## 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.[1]

From 1932 Longcroft was appointed [Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod](/source/Gentleman_Usher_of_the_Scarlet_Rod) of the [Order of the Bath](/source/Order_of_the_Bath), before being appointed Registrar and Secretary of the Order of the Bath in 1948. He was appointed [Knight of the Order of the Bath](/source/Order_of_the_Bath) in 1938.[1]

Longcroft died in London on 20 February 1958. His widow, Lady Longcroft, died in 1964.[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-evans_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-evans_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-evans_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-evans_1-3) Phillips-Evans, J. *The Longcrofts: 500 Years of a British Family* (Amazon, 2012), pp. 381–384

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-wales_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-wales_2-1) ["The Welsh founder of the RAF you have probably never heard of"](https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-founder-raf-you-probably-14482511). Wales Online. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Air/Land Integration in the 100 Days: The Case of Third Army"](https://medium.com/raf-caps/air-land-integration-in-the-100-days-the-case-of-third-army-52888c93ce6e). RAF Centre for Air and Space Power Studies. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["No. 31433"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31433/page/8392). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 4 July 1919. p. 8392.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-senior_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-senior_5-1) ["Senior RAF Appointments"](http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Royal%20Air%20Force%20Senior%20Appointments.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2019.

## External links

- [Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – AVM Sir Charles Longcroft](http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Longcroft.htm)

Military offices Preceded by Edward Maitland Officer Commanding No. 1 Squadron RFC 1914–1915 Succeeded by Geoffrey Salmond Preceded by H R P Reynolds Officer Commanding No. 4 Squadron RFC January–July 1915 Succeeded by F F Waldron Vacant Title last held by J M Salmond Brigadier General Commanding V Brigade RFC 1916-1917 Succeeded by L E O Charlton Preceded by John Salmond General Officer Commanding the Training Division RFC 1917–1918 Succeeded by Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt Preceded by John Higgins Brigadier-General Commanding III Brigade RAF April–December 1918 Brigade disbanded Preceded by A C Critchley As General Officer Commanding RAF Cadet Brigade Commandant RAF College 1919–1923 Succeeded by Amyas Borton Preceded by Sir Tom Webb-Bowen Air Officer Commanding Inland Area 1926–1929 Honorary titles Preceded by Richard Stapleton-Cotton Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod 1932–1948 Succeeded by Douglas Wimberley Awards New title Award established Recipient of the Royal Aero Club Britannia Trophy 1913 Succeeded by J W Sedden

v t e Royal Air Force generals RAF generals between 1 April 1918 and 31 July 1919 Lieutenant-Generals David Henderson John de Mestre Hutchison Major-Generals Edward Ashmore Sefton Brancker George Cayley Edward Ellington Philip Game Frederick Gordon Frederick Heath-Caldwell John Higgins Mark Kerr Charles Lambe Charles Longcroft Godfrey Paine Geoffrey Salmond John Salmond Frederick Sykes Hugh Trenchard Tom Webb-Bowen Brigadier-Generals William Alexander John Becke Amyas Borton Harold Briggs Robert Brooke-Popham Charles Burnett Walter Caddell Lionel Charlton Christopher Courtney Alfred Critchley Hugh Dowding Francis Leycester Festing Eugene Gerrard Percy Groves Robert Marsland Groves John Hearson Thomas Higgins Cuthbert Hoare Felton Holt Guy Livingston Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt Norman MacEwen Edward Maitland Edward Masterman Cyril Newall Duncan Pitcher Francis Scarlett John Miles Steel Oliver Swann Harry Viener Vyell Vyvyan James George Weir Kenneth Wigram

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Charles Longcroft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Longcroft) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Longcroft?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.