Roderick Carr

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Charles Roderick Carr
31 August 189115 December 1971
Image:Air Mshl Sir Roderick Carr.jpg
Sir Roderick Carr
Place of birth Fielding, New Zealand
Place of death Bampton, Oxfordshire, England
Allegiance Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch Flag of the Royal Air Force Royal Air Force
Years of service c. 19141 February 1947
Rank Air Marshal
Battles/wars World War I, World War II
Other work Divisional Controller, Ministry of Civil Aviation

Air Marshal Sir Charles Roderick Carr, KBE, CB, DFC, AFC (31 August 189115 December 1971) was a distinguished airman and military leader of New Zealand and India.

Born in Feilding, New Zealand, he served as an airman in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during World War I. In 1919 he went to Russia to fight on the anti-Bolshevist side against Lenin where he won his DFC for action against the enemy. The citation was as follows:

On the l7th June, 1919, this officer flew a scout machine over the enemy aerodrome at Puchega, at an average height of only 50 feet, for thirty minutes. During this time he succeeded in setting fire to a Nieuport enemy machine, to a hangar which contained three aeroplanes (all of which were destroyed), drove all the personnel off the aerodrome, and killed some of the mechanics.

In 1921 he was a part of Ernest Shackleton's final Antarctic expedition. On his return he was granted an RAF short service commission in the rank of Flying Officer.

In 1927 Carr acted as Squadron Leader Gayford's co-pilot and navigator when they set a new non-stop distance record of 3400 miles flying the Fairey Long Range Monoplane from RAF Cranwell to the Persian Gulf.

During World War II Sir Roderick served in RAF Bomber Command and later became Air Officer Commanding, India Command ("Chief of the Indian Air Force").

Sir Roderick died at Bampton, Oxfordshire, aged 81.

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Military offices
Preceded by
Meredith Thomas
Commander in Chief, Air Headquarters India
1946
Succeeded by
Sir Hugh Walmsley
as Commander in Chief, RAF India
Heraldic offices
Preceded by
Sir Herbert Heath
King of Arms of the Order of the British Empire
1947 – 1968
Succeeded by
Sir George Gordon-Lennox

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