Cyril Newall, 1st Baron Newall
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 senior officer of the British Army and Royal Air Force. He commanded units of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force in the First World War, and served as Chief of the Air Staff during the first years of the Second World War. From 1941 to 1946 he was the Governor-General of New Zealand.
Marshal of the Royal Air Force The Right Honourable The Lord Newall GCB, OM, GCMG, CBE, AM | |
|---|---|
Marshal of the RAF Sir Cyril Newall c. 1940 | |
| 6th Governor-General of New Zealand | |
| In office 22 February 1941 – 19 April 1946 | |
| Monarch | George VI |
| Prime Minister | Peter Fraser |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Galway |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Freyberg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cyril Louis Norton Newall 15 February 1886 Mussoorie, Indian Empire |
| Died | 30 November 1963 (aged 77) London, England |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army (1905–18) Royal Air Force (1918–40) |
| Years of service | 1905–40 |
| Rank | Marshal of the Royal Air Force |
| Commands | Chief of the Air Staff (1937–40) Air Member for Supply and Organisation (1935–37) Middle East Command (1931–34) Wessex Bombing Area (1931) VIII Brigade RAF (1917–18) 41st Wing RFC (1917) 9th Wing RFC (1916–17) 6th Wing RFC (1916) No. 12 Squadron RFC (1915–16) |
| Battles/wars | North West Frontier First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Member of the Order of Merit Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Commander of the Order of the British Empire Albert Medal Mentioned in Despatches (3) Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) Croix de guerre (Belgium) |
Born to a military family, Newall studied at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, before taking a commission as a junior officer in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1905. After transferring to the 2nd Gurkha Rifles in the Indian Army, he saw active service on the North West Frontier, but after learning to fly in 1911 turned towards a career in military aviation. During the First World War he rose from flying instructor to command of 41st Wing RFC, the main strategic bombing force, and was awarded the Albert Medal for putting out a fire in an explosives store.
He served in staff positions through the 1920s and was Air Officer Commanding the Middle East Command in the early 1930s before becoming Air Member for Supply and Organisation in 1935. Newall was appointed Chief of the Air Staff in 1937 and, in that role, supported sharp increases in aircraft production, increasing expenditure on the new, heavily armed, Hurricane and Spitfire fighters, essential to re-equip Fighter Command. However, he was sacked after the Battle of Britain after political intrigue caused him to lose Churchill's confidence. In 1941 he was appointed Governor-General of New Zealand, holding office until 1946.