Lord Edward Arthur Grosvenor, MC (27 October 1892 – 26 August 1929) was a British aviator.

Early life

Grosvenor, also known as Ned, was born on 27 October 1892 to

Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, (13 October 1825 – 22 December 1899), styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845, Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869, and known as The Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an ...

, and Katherine Caroline Cavendish, daughter of

William Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham William George Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham (29 October 1815 – 26 June 1882) was a British Liberal politician. Early life Chesham was born on 29 October 1815 into the Cavendish family, headed by the Duke of Devonshire. He was the eldest son o ...

. Grosvenor was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

before embarking on a career in the military.

Military service

After completing his education, Grosvenor joined the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

. In 1912, he left the legion and went on to be commissioned in the Royal Horse Guards. Joining the Royal Horse Guards from the

Cheshire Yeomanry The Cheshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment that can trace its history back to 1797 when Sir John Leicester of Tabley raised a county regiment of light cavalry in response to the growing fears of invasion from Napoleonic France. Its lineag ...

(with whom he served between 1910 and 1912), he began his service as a second lieutenant on probation. After the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Grosvenor transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and served in France and Italy. His wartime service saw him awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

as well as Italy's Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus. The report of the award of the Italian honour by the

King of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader ...

notes Lord Grosvenor as being a Flight Commander in the Royal Naval Air Service. In May 1925, Grosvenor was attached to the RAF Experimental Station at

Martlesham Heath Martlesham Heath village is situated 6 miles (10 km) east of Ipswich, in Suffolk, England. This was an ancient area of heathland and latterly the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield. A "new village" was established there in the mid-1970s and t ...

in Suffolk. In later life Grosvenor continued his military service as a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve with No. 601 (County of London) Squadron as a

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

. It is believed that the squadron was formed at

White's White's is a gentlemen's club in St James's, London. Founded in 1693 as a hot chocolate shop in Mayfair, it is the oldest gentleman's club in London. It moved to its current premises on St James's Street in 1778. Status White's is the oldes ...

, a London gentlemen's club. As founder, the squadron historian notes that Grosvenor,

Personal life

Grosvenor married Lady Dorothy Margaret Browne (daughter of Valentine Browne, 5th Earl of Kenmare) on 5 August 1914 at Lyndhurst, close to Calshot Naval Air Station where he was attached at the time. The couple had two daughters. Grosvenor participated in the 1924 Gordon Bennett Balloon Race as pilot along with a Squadron Leader Baldwin of the British balloon Banshee III. In the same year, Grosvenor took charge of the British team which took part in the

Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flyin ...

in the United States of America. In 1925 Grosvenor was injured in a road traffic accident while travelling with his wife and Lady Juliet Trevor on the Old Folkestone Road. After colliding with another car his 'head went through the windscreen and his left knee through the instrument board'. Lord Grosvenor needed four stitches to a deep cut following the accident. Grosvenor disliked motorcars and did not drive. He employed a former wartime colleague on a salary of £2 a day to drive him. The driver was to be available 24 hours a day and drove Grosvenor in a

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

'upright'

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...

. His work in aviation also took in membership of the

Standing Committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

for the

Civil aviation Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work ...

Section at the

London Chamber of Commerce London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is London’s key hub for the business community, we support members’ businesses through a range of services, advocate on behalf of London’s business community in the most important forums of pol ...

. Aside from his aeronautical interests, Grosvenor served as chairman of the West End (London) branch of the Economic Insurance Company Ltd. Grosvenor died on 26 August 1929 on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

. His funeral took place at Eccleston Church near Chester on 30 August 1929.

Grosvenor Cup

Grosvenor continued his relationship with aviation when he established a challenge cup to the

Royal Aero Club The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910. History The Aero Club was foun ...

in 1923. In a bid to encourage low powered flight the rules stipulated that engines could not be more than 150

horse power Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

. The aircraft had to be built in Britain and was only open to British pilots. The route was to run from

Lympne Aerodrome Lympne Airport , was a military and later civil airfield , at Lympne, Kent, United Kingdom, which operated from 1916 to 1984. During the First World War RFC Lympne was originally an acceptance point for aircraft being delivered to, and returni ...

and over

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, Bristol and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

before returning to Lympne. In addition to the cup, Lord Grosvenor added a £100 first prize and £50 for second. The first running of the Grosvenor Cup was won by Flight Lieutenant W. H. Longton flying a

Sopwith Gnu The Sopwith Gnu was a 1910s British touring biplane, designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation & Engineering Company of Kingston-upon-Thames. It was one of the first cabin aircraft designed for civil use. Design and development Designed for ...

and F. P. Raynham coming second in an

Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...

K. Sadly, Major Ernest Leslie Foot was killed when his aeroplane crashed at

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in t ...

. Of the race he instituted, Grosvenor said -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grosvenor, Edward 1892 births 1929 deaths Edward People educated at Eton College Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I pilots Younger sons of dukes Royal Air Force squadron leaders Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion British Army personnel of World War I Royal Horse Guards officers Cheshire Yeomanry officers