George Cyril Colmore (1885–1937) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

and the first Royal Naval Air Service officer to gain a

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 ...

Aviators Licence.

Military career

Colmore was born at

Hathern Hathern is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. The village itself is located in the north of the district, and is just north of Loughborough. It is served by the A6. The parish has a population o ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

on 14 September 1885 and in 1901 he enrolled, aged 15, as an

Officer Cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...

at the

Thames Nautical Training College {{Use British English, date=October 2017 The Thames Nautical Training College, as it is now called, was, for over a hundred years, situated aboard ships named HMS ''Worcester''. London shipowners, marine insurance underwriters and merchants ...

(also known as

HMS Worcester Eight ships and a training establishment of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Worcester'', after the English city of Worcester: * was a 48-gun ship launched in 1651. She was renamed HMS ''Dunkirk'' in 1660. * was a 50-gun ship launched i ...

) in Dartford, Kent. In 1910, at his own expense, he joined the

and learned to fly at the Royal Naval Flying School, Eastchurch. On 21 June 1910 he received Aviators Certificate No. 15 flying a Short biplane. Following his success the RAeC approached the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

offering to train further

naval aviators A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...

. In 1917 Colmore was promoted

Squadron Commander Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

in command of the Wormwood Scrubs Royal Naval Air Station.

Family

Colmore married Phyllis Isobel Fellowes (died 1963), daughter of the late Captain Peregrine Felloweswww.thepeerage.com
/ref> on 25 January 1911 at St Peter's Church, South Kensington although the couple divorced in May 1921 on grounds of adultery; they had two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colmore, George Cyril 1880s births 1937 deaths Military personnel from Leicestershire People from the Borough of Charnwood People from Cirencester English aviators Aviation pioneers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Naval Air Service aviators Royal Air Force officers