Cyril Newall, 1st Baron Newall
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| Cyril Louis Norton Newall | |
|---|---|
| 15 February 1886 - 30 November 1963 (aged 77) | |
 Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Newall |
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| Place of birth | India |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | around 1905–1940 |
| Rank | Marshal of the Royal Air Force |
| Battles/wars | World War I, World War II |
| Awards | GCB OM GCMG CBE AM |
| Other work | Governor-General of New Zealand |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, 1st Baron Newall GCB OM GCMG CBE AM (15 February 1886 - 30 November 1963), was a British pilot and political figure who rose to the Royal Air Force's senior rank and served as Governor-General of New Zealand from February 22, 1941 to June 6, 1946.
[edit] Flying career
Newall was born in India, then a British possession, in 1886. Educated at Bedford School and Sandhurst, he joined the Army as part of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1905. He later served on the Northwest Frontier and, while in Britain during 1911 learned to fly a Bristol biplane. He had completed courses at the Central Flying School by 1913 and was posted to teach at the Indian version of the same. He later served in France during the First World War, becoming by 1916 a wing commander under Hugh Trenchard, who would later become the first Marshal of the Royal Air Force.
Following the war he held a number of high-ranking positions within the rapidly-expanding Royal Air Force, including holding positions as Deputy Chief of Air Staff between 1926 and 1931 and subsequently as Air Officer Commanding Middle East through 1935. In 1937 he was appointed Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), the military head of the RAF. He was seen in many corners as something of a dark horse, but few doubted his qualification for the job. He immediately set out to expand both Britain's home air force and RAF Bomber Command, although he was forced to temper his commitment to bomber forces in the face of political directives.
Newall was still CAS at the outbreak of the Second World War on 1 September 1939. His main contribution to the war effort was his sometimes-successful resistance to the transfer of fighter squadrons to aid the collapsing French. While he was able to prevent ten squadrons being redeployed to France during June 1940, thus preserving a large portion of the fighter forces that would become crucial during the Battle of Britain, his opposition was seen as intransigence by his superiors. He was promoted to Marshal of the Royal Air Force on 4 October 1940, ironically not three weeks before he stepped down on 24 October; he was, however, able to effectively nominate his successor, choosing Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal.
[edit] Later career
In 1940 he was appointed Governor-General of New Zealand. He helped to shepherd the New Zealand contribution to the war until 1946. He is remembered there mainly for gaffes he made in speeches to the military and the public.[citation needed] One example, a New Zealand radio broadcast began "Boys of the Navy, men of the Army and Gentlemen of the Air Force...".
That same year he was raised to the peerage as Baron Newall, of Clifton upon Dunsmoor, in the county of Warwick. Lord Newall received numerous other honours between then and his death in 1963, at which time his son Francis inherited his title.
[edit] References
- Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - MRAF Newall
- Timeline of New Zealand History
- The Penguin History of New Zealand (2003) Michael King, Penguin Books (NZ)
- The Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966)
- Probert, H. (1991). High Commanders of the Royal Air Force. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-772635-4
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Edward Ellington |
Chief of the Air Staff 1937–1940 |
Succeeded by The Lord Portal |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by The Viscount Galway |
Governor-General of New Zealand 1941–1946 |
Succeeded by The Lord Freyberg |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by New Creation |
Baron Newall 1946–1963 |
Succeeded by Francis Newall |
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| Overview Documents |
| Royal Air Force | Royal Canadian Air Force | Strategic bombing | Night fighter |
| Prominent People |
| Air Marshal Hugh Dowding | Sir Charles Portal | Cyril Newall |
| Trafford Leigh-Mallory | Keith Park | R V Jones |
| Organization and units |
| No. 10 Group RAF | No. 11 Group RAF | No. 12 Group RAF | No. 13 Group RAF RAF Fighter Command | RAF Balloon Command | AA Command Women's Auxiliary Air Force | Royal Observer Corps | Eagle Squadrons | Battle of Britain Airfields |
| Campaigns and Operations |
| Kanalkampf | Battle of Britain | The Blitz | Baedeker raids | Operation Crossbow |
| Aircraft, Technology and Tactics |
| Hurricane | Spitfire | Bolton-Paul Defiant | Mosquito NF | Bristol Beaufighter | Hawker Tempest | Gloster Meteor |
| Chain Home | AI radar | "Battle of the Beams" | Barrage balloon | German V weapons |
| Big Wing |
| Other |
| RAF strategic bombing offensive | USAAF | Luftwaffe | Hermann Göring |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Newall, Cyril Louis Norton Newall, Baron |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Military leader, aviator, viceroy |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 15, 1886 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 30, 1963 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | London |
