Air Marshal Sir Charles Frederick Read, KBE, CB, DFC, AFC (9 October 1918 – 17 September 2014) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) from 1972 to 1975. Born in Sydney, Read joined the RAAF in 1937, and began his career flying biplane fighters. As a Beaufighter pilot, he led No. 31 Squadron and No. 77 Wing in the South West Pacific during World War II. His achievements earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross and a mention in despatches, and he finished the war an acting group captain.
Read's post-war commands included the Australian First Tactical Air Force, No. 24 (Commonwealth) Squadron RAF, Central Flying School and No. 82 (Bomber) Wing. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1960. Following staff roles, Read took charge of RAAF Base Point Cook and the RAAF Academy in the mid-1960s, and later RAAF Base Richmond. In 1970 he was promoted to air vice marshal and became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. He succeeded Air Marshal Sir Colin Hannah as CAS in March 1972, when the latter cut short his term as head of the Air Force to become Governor of Queensland. Air Marshal Read retired from the military in March 1975 and was knighted the following year.
Early career
Born in Sydney on 9 October 1918, Read was the son of an immigrant from Bristol, England. He was educated at Sydney Grammar School, where he completed his Leaving Certificate. After working as a clerk in a motoring firm, Read joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an air cadet on 21 July 1937. He underwent instruction at No. 1 Flying Training School in Point Cook, Victoria, and gained his commission as a pilot officer in June 1938. Over the next two years he flew with No. 3 Squadron and No. 22 Squadron, which were based at RAAF Station Richmond, New South Wales, and operated Hawker Demon biplanes. He was involved in experimental parachute drops with dummies near Menangle; on one such test a fundamental flaw in the harness revealed itself when the dummy slipped clean from the chute, necessitating a redesign. By the time Australia declared war on 3 September 1939, Read had been promoted to flying officer. He later recalled a flurry of activity on the day, but with little real purpose: "After all, we were pretty remote from Europe".
World War II
Read was assigned to No. 30 Squadron flying Bristol Beaufighters after the unit was formed in March 1942; during this posting he reportedly flew a Beaufighter under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Squadron Leader Read was subsequently given responsibility for raising No. 31 Squadron, also equipped with Beaufighters. After completing its initial training, the unit was deployed to Coomalie, Northern Territory, in October. Coming under the control of North-Western Area Command, it went into action over Portuguese Timor the following month. By April 1943, Read had been promoted wing commander. On 2 May, he led a low-level sortie against Penfui airfield, a key base for Japanese raids on Darwin, during which he destroyed two enemy Mitsubishi Zero fighters on the ground with cannon. Read was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for the "courage and skill" he displayed during assaults on Japanese installations, pressed home in the face of severe anti-aircraft fire. The citation was promulgated in the London Gazette on 2 July 1943.
Returning to Australia, Read held command of No. 1 Service Flying Training School at Point Cook from October 1943 until the unit's disbandment in September 1944. He transferred back to the South West Pacific theatre later that year as Officer Commanding No. 77 Wing, which controlled three squadrons of Beaufighters. Read led Beaufighters of No. 31 Squadron into action during the Operation Oboe Six landings at Labuan on 10 June 1945, and was the first RAAF pilot to land at the newly opened Tarakan airfield on 28 June. He was mentioned in despatches for the operational and administrative efficiency achieved by No. 77 Wing, and by the end of the war was an acting group captain on the headquarters staff of the Australian First Tactical Air Force at Morotai. He took over command of the formation following the end of hostilities, leading it into 1946 as its units were steadily disbanded. Read returned to Australia in early 1946.