# Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt

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Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal (1886–1973)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt GCB, GBE, CMG, DSO, MC Air Chief Marshal Ludlow-Hewitt Born (1886-06-09)9 June 1886 Died 15 August 1973(1973-08-15) (aged 87) Allegiance United Kingdom Branch British Army (1905–18) Royal Air Force (1918–45) Service years 1905–45 Rank Air Chief Marshal Commands Inspector-General of the RAF (1940–45) Bomber Command (1937–40) RAF India (1935–37) Iraq Command (1930–32) RAF Staff College (1926–30) 3rd (Corps) Wing (1916–17) No. 3 Squadron (1915–16) No. 15 Squadron (1915) Conflicts First World War Second World War Awards Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches (6) Knight of the Legion of Honour (France)

[Air Chief Marshal](/source/Air_Chief_Marshal) **Sir Edgar Rainey Ludlow-Hewitt** (9 June 1886 – 15 August 1973) was a senior [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) commander.

## Early life

He was the second son and the second of five children of the Rev. Thomas Arthur Ludlow-Hewitt (17 May 1850 - 16 June 1936) of Clancoole, County Cork and later vicar of Minety, Wiltshire and Edith Annie Hudson (9 March 1854 - 15 November 1944).[1]

## First World War

Educated at [Eastman's School](/source/Eastman's_School),[2] [Radley College](/source/Radley_College) and Sandhurst, Ludlow-Hewitt was commissioned into the [Royal Irish Rifles](/source/Royal_Irish_Rifles) in 1905, but transferred to the [Royal Flying Corps](/source/Royal_Flying_Corps) (RFC) before the [First World War](/source/First_World_War), where he qualified on 11 September 1914 for the [Royal Aero Club](/source/Royal_Aero_Club)'s [Aviator's Certificate no. 886](/source/List_of_pilots_awarded_an_Aviator's_Certificate_by_the_Royal_Aero_Club_in_1914).[3] During the war he served first as a pilot in [No. 1 Squadron](/source/No._1_Squadron_RAF) [Royal Flying Corps](/source/Royal_Flying_Corps) and then later as the Officer Commanding [No. 15 Squadron](/source/No._15_Squadron_RAF) and [No. 3 Squadron](/source/No._3_Squadron_RAF) on the Western Front.[3] In 1916 Ludlow-Hewitt took up command of the 3rd (Corps) Wing as a temporary lieutenant colonel.[3] Late in the following year, he was promoted to brigadier general and made the Inspector of Training at the headquarters of the RFC Training Division.[3] Like other members of the RFC, he transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF) on its creation on 1 April 1918.[3] It was also on that date that he became [General Officer Commanding](/source/General_Officer_Commanding) (GOC) the Training Division.[3] Less than two months later he was appointed GOC the 10th Brigade.[3]

## Later career

He was appointed [Air Secretary](/source/Air_Secretary) in 1922 and Commandant of the [RAF Staff College](/source/RAF_Staff_College%2C_Andover) in 1926.[3] He went on to be Air Officer Commanding [Iraq Command](/source/RAF_Iraq_Command) in 1930, [Deputy Chief of the Air Staff](/source/Deputy_Chief_of_the_Air_Staff_(United_Kingdom)) and Director of Operations and Intelligence in 1933 and Air Officer Commanding the [RAF India](/source/RAF_India) in 1935.[3] In 1937 Ludlow-Hewitt was promoted to [Air Chief Marshal](/source/Air_chief_marshal) and appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of [Bomber Command](/source/RAF_Bomber_Command).[3] In the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War), Ludlow-Hewitt was replaced by Portal in April 1940 because of Ludlow-Hewitt's insistence on the formation of Operational Training Units, at the expense of the availability of front line airmen.[4] He spent the remainder of the war as [Inspector-General of the RAF](/source/Inspector-General_of_the_RAF) and did not retire until November 1945, making him the RAF officer with the longest service as an [Air Chief Marshal](/source/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_air_chief_marshals) during the 20th century.[3]

## References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Edgar_Ludlow-Hewitt).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** "Hewitt, Sir Edgar Rainey Ludlow-". *[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography)* (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/ref:odnb/31380](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F31380). (Subscription, [Wikipedia Library](https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/partners/88/) access or [UK public library membership](https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/subscribe#public) required.)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Hammerton, Sir John *ABC of the RAF* London 1941 p.48

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-air_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-air_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-air_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-air_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-air_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-air_3-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-air_3-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-air_3-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-air_3-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-air_3-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-air_3-10) [Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt](http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Ludlow-Hewitt.htm)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Commanders_4-0)** ["RAF Commanders in WW-II"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170218181752/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandcommandersofworldwariithecommandchief.cfm). Archived from [the original](https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandcommandersofworldwariithecommandchief.cfm) on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017.

Military offices New title General Officer Commanding X Brigade 1918 Unknown Preceded by Robert Brooke-Popham Commandant RAF Staff College, Andover 1926–1930 Succeeded by Philip Joubert de la Ferté Preceded by Robert Brooke-Popham Air Officer Commanding Iraq Command 1930–1932 Succeeded by Christopher Courtney Preceded by Charles Burnett Deputy Chief of the Air Staff and Director of Operations and Intelligence 1 February 1933 – 26 January 1935 Succeeded by Christopher Courtney Preceded by Sir John Steel Air Officer Commanding RAF India 1935–1937 Succeeded by Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferté Preceded by Sir John Steel Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Bomber Command 1937–1940 Succeeded by Sir Charles Portal Preceded by Sir Leslie Gossage Inspector-General of the RAF 1940–1945 Succeeded by Sir Arthur Barratt

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 [Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Ludlow-Hewitt) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Ludlow-Hewitt?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.