Ronald Francis Redpath

Wing Commander Ronald Francis Redpath (7 July 1888 – 11 January 1970) was a Canadian fighter pilot who served in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), later commanding the Canadian Air Force.

Ronald Francis Redpath
Born	7 July 1888 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	11 January 1970 (aged 81) Granby, Quebec, Canada
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Naval Air Service Canadian Air Force
Years of service	1915 – 1919 (RNAS)
Rank	Wing Commander
Battles/wars	First World War

Early life

Ronald Francis Redpath was born at Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 7 July 1888, to a merchant home.[1]

First World War

Redpath joined the Royal Naval Air Service as Probationary Flight Sub‑Lieutenant, 22 November 1915 in Ottawa.[1] He was among the original Canadians (along with Raymond Collishaw) to be trained. He was posted on 1 May 1916 to No.3 (Naval) Wing, Manstone. From there he was eventually posted to France. He is credited with ensuring that an early bombing raid did not mistakenly land in Switzerland.[2] Redpath was awarded the French Croix de Guerre[1][3] along with (amongst others) Raymond Collishaw.

Post-war

After the war, Redpath served as the second director of the Canadian Air Force. He succeeded Air Commodore Arthur Kellam Tylee, taking up post on 22 March 1921. However, his time of head of the Canadian Air Force was short-lived and he relinquished his post on 12 July that same year.[4]

Redpath died on 11 January 1970[1] at the age of 81.

References

Notes

1. Redpath, Ronald Francis airforce.ca Retrieved: 19 March 2013.
2. Gunn 2013, pp. 57-58.
3. London Gazette editions November 1915-December 1917 naval-history.net Retrieved: 19 March 2013.
4. https://greatwarflyingmuseum.org/the-aviators/ronal-francis-redpath/

Bibliography

• Gunn, Roger. Raymond Collishaw and the Black Flight. Dundurn, 2013. ISBN 978-1-4597-0660-6.

External links

• Air Force
• Naval History