Charles Burnett (RAF officer)
| Sir Charles Stuart Burnett | |
|---|---|
Sir Charles Burnett in RAF full dress
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| Born |
3 April 1882 Browns Valley, Minnesota, United States |
| Died | 9 April 1945 (aged 63) RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
British Army Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1899–1909 1914–45 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands held |
Chief of the RAAF Air Staff (1940–42) Inspector-General of the RAF (1939–40) Training Command (1936–39) Inland Area (1935–36) Iraq Command (1932–34) Central Flying School (1927–28) RAF Leuchars (1922) No. 29 Group (1921–22) Mesopotamian Wing (1920) Fifth Wing, RFC (1917–19) No. 12 Squadron RFC (1916–17) No. 36 Squadron RFC (1916) |
| Battles/wars |
Second Boer War First World War Second World War |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches (7) Commander of the Order of the Nile (Egypt) Knight of the Order of the Sword (Sweden) |
Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Stuart Burnett, KCB, CBE, DSO (3 April 1882 – 9 April 1945) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the 20th century. He was Air Officer Commanding Iraq Command during the early 1930s. During the Second World War, he served as Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force.
Charles Burnett was born in Browns Valley, Minnesota, United States on 3 April 1882. He was the second son of John Alexander Burnett and Charlotte Susan Burnett. John Burnett was originally from the Scottish village of Kemnay in Aberdeenshire.
Burnett was educated at Bedford School in England. His younger brother was Robert Burnett who was later knighted and rose to the rank of admiral.
In 1899, Burnett enlisted as a private in the Imperial Yeomanry in order to fight in the Second Boer War. Burnett claimed to be 18 when he was in fact only 17. He was discharged in 1901 in order that he might take a commission and he was gazetted as a second lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry in October 1901. Burnett was then attached to the Imperial Yeomanry for the next three years. He temporarily held the rank of lieutenant from 26 April 1902 to 7 February 1903.
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