Elworthy, Lord (1911-1993), was a New Zealand-born commander of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). Elworthy took command of the RAF in 1963. From 1967 to 1971, he served as chief of the defense staff of the United Kingdom. The chief has overall command of all the armed forces.
Elworthy joined the Royal Air Force in 1936, after qualifying and briefly practicing as a lawyer. Because of his analytical and leadership abilities, he soon was promoted. During World War II (1939-1945), Elworthy commanded a bomber squadron and flew several missions himself. In one year, he received three medals—the Distinguished Service Order, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Force Cross.
After World War II, Elworthy held various military staff appointments. He served briefly in the air forces of India and Pakistan, which the British ruled until 1947. Elworthy became the RAF’s deputy chief of the air staff in 1959. The following year, he was appointed commander in chief of the British armed forces in the Middle East. In 1961, Elworthy organized the transfer of personnel and materials to Kuwait and countered an Iraqi threat to take over Kuwait. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1963 as chief of the air staff, the top commander of the RAF.
Samuel Charles “Sam” Elworthy was born on March 23, 1911, in Timaru, New Zealand. He attended Marlborough School and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Elworthy died on April 4, 1993, in Christchurch, New Zealand.
