Charles Read (RAAF officer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Charles Read
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Official RAAF portrait of Air Marshal Read
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| Birth name | Charles Frederick Read |
| Born | 9 October 1918 Sydney, New South Wales |
| Died | 17 September 2014 (aged 95) Woolgoolga, New South Wales |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/ |
Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1937–75 |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Unit | No. 30 Squadron (1942) |
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Sir Charles Frederick Read (born 9 October 1918, died 17 September 2014) was a very important leader in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He reached the highest rank, Air Marshal. From 1972 to 1975, he was the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), which means he was in charge of the entire Air Force.
Born in Sydney, Charles Read joined the RAAF in 1937. He started his career flying older biplane fighter planes. During World War II, he became a pilot of the powerful Beaufighter aircraft. He led No. 31 Squadron and No. 77 Wing in the South West Pacific. For his bravery and skill, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was also mentioned in official reports for his good work. By the end of the war, he was an acting group captain, a senior rank.
After the war, Read continued to lead important RAAF units. These included the Australian First Tactical Air Force and No. 82 (Bomber) Wing. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1960 for his excellent flying. He later commanded RAAF Base Point Cook and RAAF Base Richmond. In 1970, he became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. He became the head of the Air Force in March 1972. Air Marshal Read retired in March 1975 and was made a Knight the next year.
Becoming a Pilot
Charles Read was born in Sydney on 9 October 1918. His father had moved to Australia from Bristol, England. Charles went to Sydney Grammar School. After school, he worked as a clerk for a car company.
On 21 July 1937, he joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as a cadet. He trained at No. 1 Flying Training School in Point Cook, Victoria. In June 1938, he became a pilot officer. For the next two years, he flew with No. 3 Squadron and No. 22 Squadron. These squadrons were based at RAAF Station Richmond. They flew Hawker Demon biplanes.
He even helped with tests for new parachutes. During one test, a problem was found with the parachute harness. This led to a new design. By 3 September 1939, when Australia joined World War II, Read was a flying officer. He remembered that everyone was busy that day. But he also felt they were far from the fighting in Europe.
Fighting in World War II
In March 1942, Read joined No. 30 Squadron. This unit flew Bristol Beaufighter aircraft. During this time, he was said to have flown a Beaufighter under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Later, Squadron Leader Read was put in charge of starting No. 31 Squadron. This squadron also used Beaufighters.
After training, the unit moved to Coomalie, Northern Territory, in October. They began fighting over Portuguese Timor the next month. By April 1943, Read was promoted to wing commander. On 2 May, he led a low-flying attack on Penfui airfield. This was a key Japanese base for raids on Darwin. During the attack, he destroyed two enemy Mitsubishi Zero fighters on the ground.
Read received the Distinguished Flying Cross. This award was for his "courage and skill" during attacks on Japanese bases. He kept attacking even when facing heavy anti-aircraft fire. The award was announced on 2 July 1943.
Read returned to Australia and led No. 1 Service Flying Training School at Point Cook. He was there from October 1943 until September 1944. Later that year, he went back to the South West Pacific. He became the Officer Commanding No. 77 Wing. This wing controlled three squadrons of Beaufighters.
Read led Beaufighters from No. 31 Squadron during the Operation Oboe Six landings at Labuan on 10 June 1945. He was also the first RAAF pilot to land at the new Tarakan airfield on 28 June. He was mentioned in despatches for how well No. 77 Wing operated. By the end of the war, he was an acting group captain. He was part of the headquarters staff for the Australian First Tactical Air Force at Morotai. After the war ended, he took command of this force. He led it until 1946 as its units were slowly closed down. Read returned to Australia in early 1946.
After the War: A Leader
Charles Read married Betty Bradshaw on 1 June 1946. They had three sons. From November 1947 to September 1949, he was the first commanding officer of the re-formed No. 1 Flying Training School. This was at RAAF Station Point Cook. During this time, he was offered a permanent job in the Air Force. He was given the temporary rank of squadron leader.
Read was then promoted to a full wing commander. He was sent to England. There, he led No. 24 (Commonwealth) Squadron RAF from March to December 1950. He came back from England in 1952. He became the commanding officer of Central Flying School at RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria. From 1953 to 1957, he held staff jobs at Headquarters Training Command.
As a group captain, Read commanded No. 82 Wing at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. He did this from February 1957 to July 1960. He flew English Electric Canberra jet bombers. He received the Air Force Cross in 1960. Read then worked as the Director of Operational Requirements. This was at the Department of Air in Canberra.
He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1964. This was for his work in bringing new aircraft and weapons into the Air Force. He even went on two trips overseas to choose planes and equipment. In December 1964, he was promoted to air commodore. The next year, he studied at the Imperial Defence College in London.
In January 1966, Read became Officer Commanding RAAF Base Point Cook. At the same time, he was also the Commandant of the RAAF Academy. He then served as Officer Commanding RAAF Base Richmond from March 1968 to July 1969.
In January 1970, Read was promoted to air vice marshal. He became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS). In 1962, he had suggested that Australia buy Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters. As DCAS, he was finally able to approve their purchase. He led a team to the United States in May 1970. They looked at a plan to rent two squadrons of McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantoms. These planes would be a temporary strike force for the RAAF. This was while waiting for the General Dynamics F-111C bomber, which was delayed. Read's choice of the F-4E made RAAF officers and pilots very happy.
In March 1972, Air Marshal Sir Colin Hannah resigned as CAS. He left a year early to become Governor of Queensland. Read was not told about this before Hannah left. He was said to be a bit unsure about taking over the CAS role. But he was promoted to air marshal. He served a full three years as the Air Force's top officer. Read was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1972.
A big moment during his time as CAS was when the F-111C finally joined the RAAF in June 1973. This was with No. 82 Wing. Read had always supported building Australia's attack power. He was also part of the 1963 team that looked for a replacement for the Canberra bomber. This led to the F-111 being bought. Read told the commander of No. 82 Wing, Group Captain Jake Newham, to fly the F-111 very carefully at first. He wanted to protect the plane's reputation. Read felt that his job as CAS became harder towards the end of his time. This was because many new committees were created after a report on the defence force. It felt like he was fighting the system instead of working with it.
Retirement
Read retired from the military on 20 March 1975. Air Marshal James Rowland took over from him. Read didn't like too much paperwork or the fancy parts of being a high-ranking officer. He refused to have a traditional portrait painted of him.
He was CAS during the Whitlam Labor government. This government generally didn't like imperial knighthoods. So, he wasn't made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) until 1976. This was after the Liberal Party led by Malcolm Fraser came back to power. Read was originally from Vaucluse, in Sydney. By 2010, he was living in Safety Beach, on the New South Wales Mid North Coast. He passed away at Woolgoolga and District Retirement Village on 17 September 2014.
