Charles Guest
Encyclopedia
Air Marshal
Sir Charles Edward Neville Guest KBE
CB
(4 October 1900 - 23 June 1977) was a Royal Air Force
officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Transport Command
.
, Guest joined the Royal Air Force in 1918. He became a test pilot before being appointed Officer Commanding
No. 12 Squadron
in 1936 and being seconded to the British Military Mission in Egypt
the following year. He served in World War II
as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters No. 202 Group and then at No. 204 Group before becoming Deputy Director of Organisation at the Air Ministry
in 1942. He became Air Officer Commanding No. 229 Group in 1943 and Air Officer Commanding Transport at South East Asia Command
in 1945.
After the War he was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Air Command South East Asia and then Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group
in 1947. He went on to be Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) in 1948, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Transport Command
in 1952 and Inspector-General of the RAF
in 1954 before retiring in 1956.
In retirement he became an aeronautical advisor to the Minister of Transport and a member of the Air Safety Board. He also became Vice President of the Old Edwardians.
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Charles Edward Neville Guest KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(4 October 1900 - 23 June 1977) was a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967.-History:...
.
RAF career
Educated at King Edward's School, BirminghamKing Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...
, Guest joined the Royal Air Force in 1918. He became a test pilot before being appointed Officer Commanding
Officer Commanding
The Officer Commanding is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit , principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, the term Commanding Officer is applied to commanders of minor as well as major units.Normally an Officer Commanding is a company, squadron or battery...
No. 12 Squadron
No. 12 Squadron RAF
No. 12 Squadron of the Royal Air Force currently operates the Tornado GR4 from RAF Lossiemouth.-History:No. 12 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed in February 1915 from a flight of No. 1 Squadron RFC at Netheravon. The squadron moved to France in September 1915 and operated a variety of aircraft...
in 1936 and being seconded to the British Military Mission in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
the following year. He served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters No. 202 Group and then at No. 204 Group before becoming Deputy Director of Organisation at the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
in 1942. He became Air Officer Commanding No. 229 Group in 1943 and Air Officer Commanding Transport at South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II.-Background:...
in 1945.
After the War he was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Air Command South East Asia and then Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group
No. 1 Group RAF
Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two operations groups in Air Command.The group is today referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK plus RAF Unit Goose Bay in Canada, which is used extensively as an...
in 1947. He went on to be Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) in 1948, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967.-History:...
in 1952 and Inspector-General of the RAF
Inspector-General of the RAF
The Inspector-General of the RAF was a senior appointment in the Royal Air Force, responsible for the inspection of airfields. The post existed from 1918 to 1920 and from 1935 until the late 1960s....
in 1954 before retiring in 1956.
In retirement he became an aeronautical advisor to the Minister of Transport and a member of the Air Safety Board. He also became Vice President of the Old Edwardians.