William Keir Carr

Canadian Air Force officer (1923–2020)

William Keir Carr

Born| (1923-03-19)March 19, 1923
Grand Bank, Dominion of Newfoundland
(now Newfoundland, Canada)
Died| October 14, 2020(2020-10-14) (aged 97)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Allegiance|  Newfoundland
Canada
Service/branch| Air Command[a]
Years of service| 1941–1978
Rank| Lt General
Commands held| Air Command
Battles/wars| World War II
Awards| Commander of the Order of Military Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John
Canadian Forces Decoration

Lieutenant General William Keir "Bill" Carr, CMM, DFC, OStJ, CD (March 19, 1923 – October 14, 2020) was a Canadian Air Force officer. As the first commander of Air Command, he has been described as the father of the modern Canadian Air Force.[1]

## Early years[edit]

Carr grew up in Newfoundland, one of six children, with four brothers and a sister. At age 18, he attended Mount Allison University and obtained his BA, during which time he sold typewriters to earn extra money for school. It was during university that he joined the Canadian Officer Training Corps.[2]: 60–61

## Second World War service[edit]

Recruited for service in 1941, when deployed overseas he was stationed first with No.9 OTU (operational training unit) with photo reconnaissance training on the Spitfire. Later he was deployed to No. 542 Squadron at RAF Benson flying the Spitfire PR Mk XI, one of which he flew to Malta when he was transferred to No. 683 Squadron. During one mission he suffered minor injury when his Spitfire lost control over Perugia, Italy.[2]: 60–61 He also had one of the first encounters with one of the first Me 262s during a mission near Munich. With 683 Squadron in 1944 he was nominated for and received the Distinguished Flying Cross.[2]: 62

## Post-war service[edit]

After the war, Carr made swift progress through the ranks. He became Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff in 1973, during which post "he set out to undo the “handiwork” of Paul Hellyer by unscrambling air force formations and functions and consolidating them as Air Command."[3][4] He then became the first Commander of Air Command in 1975 before retiring from active duty in 1978.[5] After retirement from the Canadian Forces Carr joined Canadair where he became Vice-President of International Marketing, primarily in sales of the Canadair Challenger and later in the same role for Bombardier Aerospace.[5]

Carr died in October 2020 at the age of 97.[6]

## Awards and honours[edit]

* Distinguished Flying Cross 1944
* Venerable Order of Saint John
* Commander of the Order of Military Merit
* Legion of Merit
* Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame

## Notelist[edit]

1. ^ Known as Royal Canadian Air Force until 1968

## References[edit]

1. ^ "History and the Significance of the RCAF's Name Change, 1909 – 2011" (PDF).`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
2. ^ a b c Wayne Ralph (2005). Aces, Warriors and Wingmen: Firsthand Accounts of Canada's Fighter Pilots in the Second World War. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-83590-6.
3. ^ "Canada's 25 Most Renowned Military Leaders". May 2011.
4. ^ Carr, Bill (December 20, 2005). "The genesis of Air Command". Royal Canadian Air Force. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
5. ^ a b Keir Carr William Keir Carr Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame
6. ^ Farewell to the father of the modern RCAF

## External links[edit]

* Canada's 25 Most Renowned Military Leaders

Military offices

Vacant

Title last held by

C R Dunlap
(As Chief of the Air Staff until 1964) |  Commander, Air Command
1975–1978  | Succeeded by

G A MacKenzie

* v
* t
* e

Commanders of the Royal Canadian Air Force

Officers Commanding / Directors / Senior Air Officers|

* Ernest Janney
* Billy Bishop
* Arthur Tylee
* Ronald Redpath
* James Scott
* Lindsay Gordon
* William Barker
* James Scott
* Lloyd Breadner
* Albert Cuffe
* Lindsay Gordon
* George Johnson
* George Croil

Chiefs of the Air Staff|

* George Croil
* Lloyd Breadner
* Robert Leckie
* Wilfred Curtis
* Roy Slemon
* Hugh Campbell
* Clarence Dunlap

Commanders, Air Command|

* William Carr
* Allan MacKenzie
* Kenneth Lewis
* Paul Manson
* Donald McNaughton
* Larry Ashley
* Fred Sutherland
* David Huddleston
* Scott Clements
* Allan DeQuetteville

Chiefs of the Air Staff|

* David Kinsman
* Lloyd Campbell
* Ken Pennie
* Steve Lucas
* Angus Watt
* André Deschamps

Commanders of the Royal Canadian Air Force|

* André Deschamps
* Yvan Blondin
* Michael Hood
* Al Meinzinger
* Eric Kenny

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