Lloyd Samuel Breadner

Air Chief Marshal^{[note 1]} Lloyd Samuel Breadner, CB, DSC (14 July 1894 – 14 March 1952) was a Canadian military pilot and Chief of the Air Staff during World War II.

Lloyd Samuel Breadner CB DSC
Air Marshal Breadner in March 1945
Born	(1894-07-14)14 July 1894 Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada
Died	14 March 1952(1952-03-14) (aged 57) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Allegiance	Canada
Branch	Royal Flying Corps Royal Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force
Years of service	1915 – 1945
Rank	Air Chief Marshal
Battles / wars	World War I World War II Battle of Britain
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Cross

Early career

Breadner obtained his pilot's certificate at Wright Flying School and was commissioned in the British Royal Naval Air Service on 28 December 1915. During World War I, he served on the Western Front as a fighter pilot in the No. 3 (Naval) Squadron. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant (RNAS) on 31 December 1916. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on 23 May 1917. The citation read:

For conspicuous gallantry and skill in leading his patrol against hostile formations. He brought down three hostile machines and forced several others to land. On the 6th April, 1917, he drove down a hostile machine which was wrecked while attempting to land in a ploughed field. On the morning of the 11th April, 1917, he destroyed a hostile machine which fell in flames, brought down another in a spinning nose dive with one wing folded up, and forced a third to land.

— London Gazette^[1]

Squadron Commander Lloyd Breadner and 3 (Naval) Squadron were posted to RAF Walmer during the Winter of 1917/1918. He was released from the RAF^{[note 2]} with the rank of major^{[note 3]} in March 1919.

Command

He was commissioned and promoted to Squadron Leader in 1920 and transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on its formation in 1924. He became Controller of Civil Aviation in 1922, and later commanded Camp Borden from 15 January 1924, to 23 September 1925. He was promoted to Wing Commander on 1 April 1924. After attending RAF Staff College, he was the Director of the RCAF from 15 February 1928, to 29 April 1932. From 1932 until 1935, he commanded Trenton and then attended the Imperial Defence College. He was promoted to Group Captain on 1 February 1936, and to Air Commodore on 4 August 1938.^{[citation needed]}

Breadner (fifth from left) at the Quebec Conference of 1943.

He became Chief of Air Staff on 29 May 1940, and having been promoted to Air Marshal on 19 November 1941, became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RCAF Overseas in January 1944. Breadner was promoted on his retirement on 25 November 1945, to Air Chief Marshal, the first Canadian to hold this rank.^{[citation needed]}

On 30 November 1944, while he was Chief of Air Staff, his son, Flying Officer Donald Lloyd Breadner, was killed after an air gunnery exercise, while flying a de Havilland Mosquito from RCAF Station Debert, in Nova Scotia. He was the only son of Breadner and his wife, Mary Evelyn. They also had three daughters.^[2]

Awards

• 23 May 1917: Distinguished Service Cross
• 1 January 1943: Companion, Order of the Bath
• 25 October 1943: Military Cross, First Class (Belgium)
• 25 August 1944: Grand Officers Cross of Polonia Restituta (Poland)^{[clarification needed]}
• 5 October 1946: Order of the White Lion, Class II (Czechoslovakia)
• 20 December 1946: Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander)
• 12 September 1947: Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)
• 12 June 1948: King Haakon VII's Cross of Liberty (Norway)