Leonard Monk Isitt (RNZAF officer)
- For his father the minister and politician see Leonard Monk Isitt
| Leonard Monk Isitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 July 1891 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Died | 21 January 1976 (aged 84) Lower Hutt, New Zealand |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Service/branch | New Zealand Army Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Rank | Air Vice-Marshal |
| Commands held | Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
| Other work | Chairman of Tasman Empire Airways |
Air Vice-Marshal Sir Leonard Monk Isitt, KBE, (born 27 July 1891 in Christchurch, New Zealand – died 21 January 1976 in Lower Hutt, New Zealand) was a New Zealand military aviator and administrator. He was educated at Mostyn House, Cheshire, England and Christchurch Boys' High School.
In World War I he served in the New Zealand Army in the New Zealand Rifle Brigade and then transferred to the Royal Air Force where he became a pilot and flew bombers over French battlefields. Between the wars one of his responsibilities was pilot flight training and he served in the Air Ministry, the New Zealand Permanent Air Force (NZPAF) and the RNZAF.[1]
On 19 July 1943, Isitt was appointed Chief of Air Staff of the Royal New Zealand Air Force in the rank of Air Vice-Marshal. He was the first New Zealander to hold his Service's senior appointment.
He represented New Zealand at conferences in London, Washington and Ottawa during World War II. He was the New Zealand signatory to the Japanese Instrument of Surrender marking the formal surrender of Japanese forces, so ending World War II.[2]
Isitt retired in 1946 as Chief of the Air Staff and he became chairman of Tasman Empire Airways (TEAL) in 1947.
He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1940 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1945.
He was the son of the minister, member of parliament and prohibitionist Leonard Monk Isitt and Agnes Martha Caverhill. He had one brother, Willard Whitmore Isitt (1894–1916) who was a Rifleman in the New Zealand Rifle Brigade in World War I and was killed in France on 31 October 1916.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leonard Monk Isitt |
- Crooks, David M. Isitt, Leonard Monk 1891–1976. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 16 December 2003
- Biography in 1966 Encyclopaedia of NZ
- Ross, Squadron Leader John Macaulay Sutherland Royal New Zealand Air Force New Zealand Electronic Text Centre accessed 14 June 2008
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by R V Goddard |
Chief of the Air Staff (RNZAF) 1943–1946 |
Succeeded by A de T Nevill |
