Charles Read (RAAF officer), Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetCharles Read (RAAF officer)
Royal Australian Air Force senior commander
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
About Charles Read (RAAF officer)
- Air Marshal Sir Charles Frederick Read, KBE, CB, DFC, AFC (9 October 1918 – 17 September 2014) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
- He served as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) from 1972 to 1975.
- Born in Sydney, Read joined the RAAF in 1937, and began his career flying biplane fighters.
- As a Beaufighter pilot, he led No.
- 31 Squadron and No.
- 77 Wing in the South West Pacific during World War II.
- His achievements earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross and a mention in despatches, and he finished the war an acting group captain. Read's post-war commands included the Australian First Tactical Air Force, No.
- 24 (Commonwealth) Squadron RAF, Central Flying School and No.
- 82 (Bomber) Wing.
- He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1960.
- Following staff roles, Read took charge of RAAF Base Point Cook and the RAAF Academy in the mid-1960s, and later RAAF Base Richmond.
- In 1970 he was promoted to air vice marshal and became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.
- He succeeded Air Marshal Sir Colin Hannah as CAS in March 1972, when the latter cut short his term as head of the Air Force to become Governor of Queensland.
- Air Marshal Read retired from the military in March 1975 and was knighted the following year.
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