Portal:Biography/Selected biography military/9

Charles Eaton, OBE, AFC (21 December 1895 – 12 November 1979) was a senior officer and aviator in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), who later served as a diplomat. Born in London, he joined the British Army upon the outbreak of World War I and saw action on the Western Front before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. Posted as a bomber pilot to No. 206 Squadron, he was twice captured by German forces, and twice escaped. In 1925 he joined the RAAF, serving initially as an instructor at No. 1 Flying Training School. Between 1929 and 1931, he was chosen to lead three expeditions to search for lost aircraft in Central Australia, gaining national attention and earning the Air Force Cross for his "zeal and devotion to duty". Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1942, Eaton held a number of commands during World War II. After retiring from the RAAF in December 1945, he held diplomatic posts in the Dutch East Indies, including heading a United Nations commission as Consul-General during the Indonesian National Revolution.