Lloyd Samuel Breadner

Air Chief Marshal Lloyd Samuel Breadner, CB, DSC (July 14, 1894, Carleton Place, Ontario - March 14, 1952, Boston, Massachusetts) was a Canadian military pilot and Chief of the Air Staff during World War II.

Early career
Breadner obtained his pilot's certificate at Wright Flying School and was commissioned in the British Royal Naval Air Service on December 28, 1915. During World War I he served on the Western Front as a fighter pilot in the No. 3 (Naval) Squadron. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant (RNAS) on 31 December 1916. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on May 23, 1917. The citation read:

He was released from the RAF with the rank of major in March 1919.

Command
He was commissioned promoted to Squadron Leader in 1920 and transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on its formation in 1924. He became Controller of Civil Aviation in 1922, and later commanded Camp Borden from January 15, 1924 to September 23, 1925. He was promoted to Wing Commander on April 1, 1924. After attending RAF Staff College, he was the Director of the RCAF from February 15, 1928 to April 29, 1932. From 1932 until 1935 he commanded Trenton and then attended the Imperial Defence College. He was promoted to Group Captain on February 1, 1936 and to Air Commodore on August 4, 1938.

He became Chief of Air Staff on May 29, 1940 and having been promoted to Air Marshal on November 19, 1941, became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RCAF Overseas in January 1944. Breadner was promoted on his retirement on November 25, 1945 to Air Chief Marshal, the first Canadian to hold this rank.

On November 30, 1944, while he was Chief of Air Staff, his son, Flying Officer Donald Lloyd Breadner, was killed after an air gunnery exercise, while flying a de Havilland Mosquito from RCAF Station Debert, in Nova Scotia. He was the only son of Breadner and his wife, Mary Evelyn.

Awards

 * May 23, 1917: Distinguished Service Cross
 * January 1, 1943: Companion, Order of the Bath
 * October 25, 1943: Military Cross, First Class (Belgium)
 * August 25, 1944: Grand Officers Cross of Polonia Restituta (Poland)
 * October 5, 1946: Order of the White Lion, Class II (Czechoslovakia)
 * December 20, 1946: Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander)
 * September 12, 1947: Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)
 * June 12, 1948: King Haakon VII's Cross of Liberty (Norway)

References and notes

 * Notes


 * Citations


 * Bibliography