Thomas Elmhirst

Sir Thomas Elmhirst
Born(1895-12-15)15 December 1895
Yorkshire, England
Died6 November 1982(1982-11-06) (aged 86)
Dummer, Hampshire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy (1908–18)
Royal Air Force (1918–1950)
Years of service1908–1950
RankAir Marshal
CommandsRoyal Indian Air Force (1947–50)
AHQ Egypt (1942–43)
No. 202 Group (1941–42)
RAF Abingdon (1935–37, 1939–40)
RAF Leconfield (1939)
No. 14 Squadron (1934–35)
Battles/warsFirst World War
Second World War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Air Force Cross
Knight of the Order of St John
Mentioned in Despatches (4)
Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Croix de Guerre (Belgium)
Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)
Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)
Croix de Guerre (France)
Spouse(s)Katherine Gordon Black (m. 1930–65; her death)
Marian Ferguson (m. 1968–82; his death)
RelationsLeonard Knight Elmhirst (brother)

Air Marshal Sir Thomas Walker Elmhirst, KBE, CB, AFC, DL (15 December 1895 – 6 November 1982) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the first half of the 20th century and the first commander-in-chief of the Royal Indian Air Force upon Indian independence in August 1947, in which post he organised the funeral of Mahatma Gandhi following his assassination in 1948. He later became the Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Guernsey from 1953 to 1958.


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