Arthur Longmore

Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Murray Longmore GCB, DSO (8 October 1885 – 10 December 1970) was an early naval aviator, before reaching high rank in the Royal Air Force.

Biography
Born in Manly, New South Wales, Australia, the son of Charles Croker Longmore and Janet Murray, he was educated at Benges School, Hertford and Foster's Academy, Stubbington before entering Dartmouth Naval College. He was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1904. Having developed an interest in flying, he obtained his flying certificate in 1911. That year, assisted by Oswald Short of Short Brothers, he devised a way of mounting streamlined air bags on the undercarriage struts and under the tail of an Short Improved S.27 biplane bearing Admiralty number 38—later often referred to as the "Short S.38" -- and on 1 December 1911, using the air bags for flotation, then-Lieutenant Longmore became the first person in the United Kingdom to take off from land and make a successful water landing in a seaplane when he landed Improved S.27 No. 38 on the River Medway off Sheerness.

Longmore joined the Royal Naval Air Service in 1912. He served in World War I as Officer Commanding No. 3 Squadron RNAS and then as Officer Commanding No. 1 Squadron RNAS before becoming an officer on the battlecruiser HMS Tiger. He obtained a permanent commission in the Royal Air Force in 1920 and was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 3 Group later that year before being given command of the RAF Depot in 1921. He was made Air Officer Commanding No. 7 Group in 1924, Director of Equipment at the Air Ministry in 1925 and Chief Staff Officer at Headquarters Inland Area in 1929. Subsequent appointments included Commandant of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in December 1929, Air Officer Commanding Inland Area in 1933 and Air Officer Commanding Coastal Area (which was renamed RAF Coastal Command under his leadership) in 1934. He went on to be Commandant of the Imperial Defence College in 1936.

The outbreak of the Second World War found Longmore an Air Chief Marshal and in charge of RAF Training Command. On 2 April 1940, he was appointed Air Officer Commanding in the Middle East. He did not long enjoy the full confidence of Winston Churchill in that position and was relieved of his command in May 1941. His last role before his formal retirement in 1942 was as Inspector-General of the RAF.

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography says the following about Longmore during the first few months of 1941: Longmore's constant demands for reinforcements resulted in some unwelcome attention from Churchill, who hated pessimists and senior commanders who complained about their lack of resources. After some acerbic correspondence, in which Churchill accused Longmore of failing to make proper use of the manpower and aircraft he had, Longmore was recalled to London in May 1941. He was succeeded in the Middle East by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder.

In retirement he was Vice-Chairman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Longmore’s memoirs, From Sea to Sky 1910-1945, were published in 1946.

Family
In 1913 Longmore married Marjorie Maitland, the daughter of William James Maitland C.I.E.; they had three sons and a daughter. One of their sons, Wing Commander Richard Maitland Longmore OBE, was killed in action on 4 October 1943, in the course of an attack on a U-boat.

Honours and awards

 * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath - 4 Mar 1941 (KCB - 3 Jun 1935, CB - 1 Jan 1925)
 * Distinguished Service Order - 1 Jan 1919
 * Mention in Despatches - 1 Jan 1919
 * Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) - 1915
 * Legion of Honour, Croix de Chevalier (France) - 1916
 * Croix de Guerre (France) - 191?
 * Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Officer (Italy) - 8 Feb 1919
 * Croce di Guerra (Italy) - 5 Apr 1919
 * Royal Order of George I (with Swords), Grand Cross (Greece) - 29 Sep 1944
 * War Cross (Greece) - 194?
 * Deputy Lieutenant (Lincolnshire) - 24 Mar 1938 & 16 Sep 1945.