Arthur Longmore

Sir Arthur Murray Longmore
Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Middle East Command, standing in the gardens of Air Headquarters, Middle East Command, in Cairo.
Born(1885-10-08)8 October 1885
Manly, Australia
Died10 December 1970(1970-12-10) (aged 85)
Surrey, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Navy (1900–18)
Royal Air Force (1918–44)
Years of service1900–42
1943–44
RankAir Chief Marshal
CommandsInspector-General of the RAF (1941–42)
Middle East Command (1940–41)
Training Command (1939–40)
Imperial Defence College (1936–39)
Coastal Command (1936)
Coastal Area (1934–36)
RAF College Cranwell (1929–33)
No. 7 Group (1924–25)
No. 3 Group (1920–21)
No. 1 Squadron RNAS (1914–15)
No. 3 Squadron RNAS (1914)
Battles / warsFirst World War
Second World War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches
Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Knight of the Legion of Honour (France)
Croix de guerre (France)
Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Italy)
War Cross for Military Valor (Italy)
Grand Cross with Swords of the Royal Order of George I (Greece)
War Cross (Greece)
Other workVice-Chairman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Then-Lieutenant Arthur Longmore (in dark coat walking toward camera on right) on 1 December 1911 immediately after he became the first person in the United Kingdom to take off from land and make a successful water landing, using the aircraft behind him, a Short Improved S.27 bearing Admiralty number 38, later often called the "Short S.38."

Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Murray Longmore, GCB, DSO, DL (8 October 1885 – 10 December 1970) was an early naval aviator, before reaching high rank in the Royal Air Force. He was Commander-in-Chief of the RAF's Middle East Command from 1940 to 1941.