CHARLTON, Air Commodore Lionel Evelyn Oswald. C.B. 1919; C.M.G. 1916; D.S.O. 1900; late R.A.F.; b. 7 July 1879; s. of late William O. Charlton of Hesleyside, Northumberland. Educ.: Brighton Coll. Served South Africa, 1899-1902 (twice wounded, despatches, Queen's medal 5 clasps, King's medal 2 clasps, D.S.O.); served W.A.F.F., 1902-7; European War, 1914-17 (wounded); Air Attaché, British Embassy, Washington, 1919-22; Chief Staff Officer, Iraq Command, 1923-24; retired list, 1928; Officier, Legion of Honour. Publications: A Hausa Reading Book; Charlton; War from the Air; and other works. Address: 18 Randolph Crescent, W.9. T. Abercorn 3691.
Who's Who 1937. London: A & C Black, 1937.
L. E. O. Charlton (1879-1958) was one of the most prominent prophets of aerial armageddon in 1930s Britain. His distinguished career in the RFC/RAF ranged from observing the presence of von Kluck's army from the air, which led to the BEF's retreat from Mons in August 1914, to chief of staff in Iraq in the early 1920s, when the RAF was experimenting with "air control" policies to pacify tribal opposition. But he opposed the bombing of Iraqi villages and eventually retired early, turning to writing; by this time he was becoming interested in socialism as well as the prevention of cruelty to animals. His books on air defence include War from the Air (1935), War over England (1936), The Menace of the Clouds (1937), The Next War (1937; actually a reprint of the account of a massive German air attack on London from War over England), and part of the Penguin Special The Air Defence of Britain (1938).
See also Air of Authority; Oxford DNB. Image source: Wikipedia.
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Pingback from 21st century Charlton? | Airminded on 2 December 2005 at 10:05 pm
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Pingback from Airminded · The Douhet dilemma on 7 April 2007 at 2:36 pm
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Brett does his book mention anything significant about his First World War service as he is Leigh-Mallory's superior at V Brigade in 1918.
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I doubt there's much to interest you: the second paragraph of his chapter on 1915-8 starts like this: 'Of his experiences in France there is nothing of note to relate' (although it's an autobiography, it's written in the 3rd person). Most of the rest of the chapter is about his distaste for women on the prowl. Most of the book is about his experiences in the regular army, especially the Boer War. His second volume of autobiography, More Charlton (1940), might have more details but I doubt it.
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Thats what I suspected. He ODNB entry alluded as much.
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I wouldn't rely on the DNB for that kind of negative info. It's a right pain trying to compact a life into 1200 words. You've got to work out what they were famous for / good at / ineresting at, and concentrate on that. So their flower-arranging prowess might never make the DNB, thus deluding all subsequent historians that their life had no flower-arranging in it. In other words, keep looking.
Guess what I'm trying to write right now...
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A definitive history of flower-arranging?
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The tragic life of someone whose flower-arranging gifts were forever lost to the world?
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Getting closer...
Actually, it's a DNB entry for a man whose love for flowers* and nature's round (as revealed in the book of poems he published in 1978) is going to stay on the floor, because I need the words for his impact on six police forces and four armies in five countries. But where are the flower-arrangers in the DNB? (pauses to look it up)? There are only five of them, out of 55k entries. Pretty poor.
*NB, I'm not sure if he arranged them.
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Yeah, and perhaps I was too hasty about More Charlton. It does go into a bit more detail about some of his postwar RAF career than does Charlton, so maybe that's true for his wartime experiences too.
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Cheers Brett. I am at the RAF Museum right now sso I might ask if they have got it in the library and have a quick look.
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Can anyone tell me if LEO Charlton had any children?
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I believe Charlton was a life-long bachelor. He and his younger male partner were part of the E.M. Forster circle and are mentioned in some studies of Forster. He wrote several boys' adventure stories.
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Erm....thank you. Well that put an end to search I was doing. Thank you so much for taking the trouble to reply.
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Must now remember that "wrote boys' adventure stories" is the aeronautic specialist term for "a friend of Dorothy". Or maybe an innocent specialisation is getting over euphemised?
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Yes, according to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Charlton never married, though it doesn't say anything (either way) about children. He apparently had a relationship with Noël Coward at one point. He's is reasonably candid about his sexuality in his autobiography -- though you do have to read between the lines.
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I was trying to find out about my late 'uncle' Oscar who ws known as Oscar but his actual name was Oswald Charlton, lived in Northumberland and told me that he was a Pathfinder and flew in the Peenemunde raid. Its hard to know where to start with such limited information, but I thought that LEO Charlton as he had links with Northumberland could be a relative, but you have answered that question!
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Could be they were uncle/nephew or something along those lines. Charlton's family did stay in Northumberland, or so I assume -- he died in a hospital at Hexham. But no, I think we can be fairly sure they weren't father and son!
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Yes, that could be a possibility. A friend of mine is going to try and find out the names of the Pathfinder crews for me and I can go from there! Thanks so much for your help and ideas!
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Chevaune, Bomber Command and its crews is remarkably well documented, if you know how to go about it. The National Archives at Kew in the UK publishes free leaflets and a number of other items advising how to track much of it down, if you want to go it alone and teach yourself. Alternatively, there are some very helpful people who usually ferret out a great deal of data on crews on the Key forum ( http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=4 )and RAF Commands ( http://www.rafcommands.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi ). If you register at these forums and post the details you do have, you'll normally get a great deal of useful data and helpful guidance.
Good luck!
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Thank you so much, thats really very helpfull. I will have a look at the site you suggested.
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