Sir John Eustace Arthur Baldwin
His career



Sir John Eustace Arthur Baldwin joined the Army and was a cavalry officer during World War I, and later moved to the RAF.


Jeffrey Knowles has compiled this timeline of some events in his career
 



  • 1910: Gentleman Cadet at the Royal Military College for training Officers for the Army, Camberley, Surrey

  • 1911: Gentleman Cadet, studying at Sandhurst

  • September 1911: Enrolled as Lieutenant (Acting) 

  • 17th November 1914: 2nd Lieutenant in King's Royal Irish 8th Hussars was awarded Aviator's Certificate No.971 taken in a Maurice Farman Biplane at Netheravon School, Netheravon

  • 1912-1915: 2nd Lieutenant 8th Hussars

  • October 1916: Officer Commanding No.55. Squadron RFC

  • December 1916: Officer Commanding No.41 Wing RFC before transferring to RAF on its formation in 1918

  • 1916-1918: Lieutenant 8th Hussars

  • 1918: Moved from the Army to the RAF

  • 1931-1932: Commandant at Central Flying School and Aide-de-Camp to King George V

  • 1934: Air Officer Commanding No.1. Group

  • 1936: Commandant RAF College Cranwell before taking up post as Air Officer Commanding No.21. Group in 1938

  • August 1939: Retired

    2 weeks later, he was recalled to serve in Second World War as Air Officer Commanding No.3. Group RAF Bomber Command.

    As Air Marshal, he was acting Commander in Chief of Bomber Command when German boats, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau escaped from the French port of Brest and fled up the English Channel to the sanctuary of Kiel harbour in northern Germany – the Channel Dash .

    He was commander of the RAF's first four-engined monoplane heavy bomber, the Short Stirling.

    At Farnborough, he was testing the RE5, and both he and a fellow pilot put in a derogatory report to Hugh Trenchard about the aircraft, which went against Trenchard's own views, resulting in Baldwin being sent to Central Flying School at Little Rissington

    to learn manners

  • Saturday, 18th January 1941: He accompanied the King and Queen on their inspection of No.311 (B) Squadron

  • 9th January-21st February 1942: Acting Commander-in-Chief Bomber Command

  • October 1942: Deputy Air Officer commanding India

  • 5th February 1943: Attended the departure of Major General Orde Wingate, the Chindits and the 1st Air Command Group for operation THURSDAY in Burma

  • November 1943-1944: Air Officer Commander for the Third Tactical Air Force (Burma) 

  • 1944: Air Marshall

  • 15th December 1944: Retired again

  • 1948-1958: At the end of the war, he rejoined his former regiment, the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, becoming Colonel [1948 to 1958]

  • 1955: High Sheriff of Rutland

  • 1960: Retired
 


This & associated entries use material contributed by Jeffrey Knowles



© Malcolm Bull 2024
Revised 16:28 / 8th April 2024 / 5313

Page Ref: X309

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