Air Commodore C J Luce DSO

(R A F Regiment late West Yorkshire Regiment)

Commanded 1/5^th Bn The Queen's Royal Regiment from January 1944 to March 1944.

Charles John Luce was born on 5^th March 1900 and was commissioned in the Corps of Royal Engineers in 1917. In 1921 he transferred to The West Yorkshire Regiment and served with the 1^st Battalion in Ireland and Germany and was adjutant from May 1925 to May 1928. After this, he was posted to the Depot and returned to the 1^st Battalion in 1930 with whom he served in Jamaica, Egypt and India. In 1935 and 1936 he was Staff Captain HQ Sind Infantry Brigade Area at Karachi. In 1937 he returned to England and was an Instructor at the Small Arms School, Netheravon until July 1940 when he was appointed to command 2/5^th Bn The West Yorkshire Regiment.

In July 1941 he was appointed to form and command 46^th Reconnaissance Regiment. In August 1942 he went to GHQ Home Forces as adviser on the Reconnaissance Corps and after another appointment was appointed in January 1944 to command 1/5^th Bn The Queen's Royal Regiment but in March he took command of 49^th Reconnaissance Regiment of 49^th Division which he led in Normandy and was awarded the DSO for his fine leadership. In October 1944, he was appointed Commandant of the Reconnaissance Training Centre and from September 1945 to 1948 he commanded the R A F Levies in Iraq. In June 1948 Lt Col C J Luce relinquished his commission on being given a permanent commission in the R A F Regiment as a Group Captain. He later was promoted to Air Commodore. On retirement from the R A F Regiment he became Deputy Commandant at the Civil Defence College, Sunningdale.

He died on 21^st October 1963. For obituary see the Photostat extract from the Journal of the XIV/XV Regimental Journal attached.

 

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