{{Short description|Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal (1890–1976)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox military person | name= Sir Christopher Lloyd Courtney | image= The Independent Air Force Dinner - Prince Albert, Trenchard and Courtney.jpg | image_size= 300px | caption= Courtney (shown on right) with Trenchard and [[King George VI|Prince Albert]] in 1919 | nickname= | birth_date= {{Birth date|1890|06|27|df=yes}} | birth_place= | death_date= {{Death date and age|1976|10|22|1890|06|27|df=yes}} | death_place= | burial_place= | allegiance= United Kingdom | branch= [[Royal Navy]] (1905–18)<br/>[[Royal Air Force]] (1918–45) | service_years= 1905–45 | rank= [[Air Chief Marshal]] | service_number= | unit= | commands= [[Air Member for Supply and Organisation]] (1940–45)<br/>[[RAF Home Command|Reserve Command]] (1939)<br/>[[RAF Iraq Command|British Forces in Iraq]] (1937–39)<br/>[[Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Deputy Chief of the Air Staff]] (1935–37)<br/>No. 2 (Indian) Wing (1920–24)<br/>[[Independent Air Force]] (1918)<br/>11th Brigade (1918)<br/>[[No. 207 Squadron RAF|No. 7 Squadron RNAS]] (1916–17)<br/>[[No. 4 Wing RNAS]] (1916)<br/>RNAS Dover (1915–16)<br/>[[No. 4 Squadron RNAS]] (1915)<br/>[[RAF North Killingholme|Killingholme Naval Air Station]] (1914–15) | battles= [[First World War]]<br/>[[Second World War]] | awards= [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Distinguished Service Order]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]]<br/>[[Order of St. Anna|Order of St. Anna, 3rd Class]] (Russia)<br/>[[Legion of Honour|Chevalier of the Legion of Honour]] (France)<br/>[[Legion of Merit|Commander of the Legion of Merit]] (United States) | relations= | other_work= Businessman }} [[Air Chief Marshal]] '''Sir Christopher Lloyd Courtney''' (27 June 1890 – 22 October 1976) was a senior [[Royal Air Force]] officer.
==RAF career== Courtney joined the [[Royal Navy]] in May 1905 as a [[midshipman]] at [[Britannia Royal Naval College|Britannia Naval College]].<ref name=air>[http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Courtney.htm Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Courtney]</ref> By late 1909 he was an acting [[sub-lieutenant]] on board {{HMS|Commonwealth|1903|6}}.<ref name=air/>
He fought in the [[First World War]] initially as [[Officer Commanding]] [[RAF North Killingholme|Killingholme Royal Naval Air Station]].<ref name=air/> He continued his war service as Officer Commanding Royal Naval Air Station Dover, Officer Commanding [[No. 4 Wing RNAS]] and then Officer Commanding [[No. 207 Squadron RAF|No. 7 Squadron RNAS]].<ref name=air/> In April 1918, with the creation of the Royal Air Force, Courtney transferred from the Navy to the RAF and at that time he was appointed deputy director of Aircraft Equipment at the newly established Air Ministry. Just before the end of World War I, Courtney was promoted to acting brigadier-general and sent France to command the 11th Brigade which was being established as a subordinate formation of the RAF's [[Independent Air Force]]. However, once the armistice was declared, the Independent Air Force's commander, Major-General [[Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard|Sir Hugh Trenchard]], returned home and Courtney succeeded him as commander.<ref>{{cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/30975 |title=Courtney, Sir Christopher Lloyd |accessdate=10 November 2009 |author=Richards, Denis |date=May 2008 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/30975 }}</ref>
After the war he served as Officer Commanding, No 2 (Indian) Wing and then after a tour on the Directing Staff at the [[RAF Staff College, Andover]], he was appointed deputy director of Operations and Intelligence at the Air Ministry.<ref name=air/> He briefly served as Air Officer Commanding [[RAF Iraq Command]] on a temporary basis in late 1932.<ref name=air/> He was made Director of Training at the Air Ministry in 1933, Director of Staff Duties in 1934 and [[Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Deputy Chief of the Air Staff]] and Director of Operations & Intelligence in 1935.<ref name=air/> After that he was appointed Air Officer Commanding [[RAF Iraq Command]] in 1937 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief [[RAF Home Command|Reserve Command]] in February 1939.<ref name=air/> He became [[Air Member for Supply and Organisation]] in January 1940 and remained in that post throughout the remainder of the [[Second World War]] until he retired in 1945.<ref name=air/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Christopher Courtney}} *[http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/COURTNEY.shtml Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives web page] on Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Courtney.
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard|Sir Hugh Trenchard]]<br><small>As [[Commander-in-Chief]] the Inter-Allied Independent Air Force</small>}} {{s-ttl|title=[[General Officer Commanding]] the [[Independent Air Force|Independent Force]]|years= 1918}} {{s-non|reason=Force disbanded}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Air Officer Commanding]] [[RAF Iraq Command|Iraq Command]]<br><small>Temporary appointment</small>|years=1932}} {{s-aft|after=[[Charles Burnett (RAF officer)|Charles Burnett]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Deputy Chief of the Air Staff]]<br>and Director of Operations and Intelligence|years=26 January 1935 – 25 January 1937}} {{s-aft|after=[[Richard Peirse]]}} |- {{succession box | title=Air Officer Commanding [[RAF Iraq Command|British Forces in Iraq]] | before=[[William Mitchell (RAF officer)|William Mitchell]] | after=[[Harry George Smart|Harry Smart]] | years=1937–1939}} |- {{s-bef|before=New post}} {{s-ttl|title=Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief [[RAF Home Command|Reserve Command]]|years=February 1939 – August 1939}} {{s-aft|after=[[John Miles Steel|Sir John Steel]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[William Welsh (RAF officer)|William Welsh]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Air Member for Supply and Organisation]]|years=1940–1945}} {{s-aft|after=[[Leslie Norman Hollinghurst|Sir Leslie Hollinghurst]]}} |- {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtney, Christopher}} [[Category:1890 births]] [[Category:1976 deaths]] [[Category:Royal Air Force generals of World War I]] [[Category:Royal Air Force air chief marshals]] [[Category:People educated at Bradfield College]] [[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]] [[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class]] [[Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour]] [[Category:Commanders of the Legion of Merit]]