Rear Admiral Sir Godfrey Marshall Paine, (21 November 1871 – 23 March 1932) was a senior officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

in the early part of the 20th century. He played a leading role in joint and naval flying training before and during the First World War. Godfrey Marshall Paine was born on 21 November 1871, the fourth son of James Paine and his wife Henrietta Grace (née Allen).

Naval career

Paine joined the

as a midshipman in early 1885. He was a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on , before becoming

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

on the armoured cruiser on its commission in late 1902. In 1903 Paine was promoted to commander and later served as the executive officer on his old ship HMS ''Renown''. In 1907 Paine was promoted captain and in 1909 he was appointed the Officer Commanding the Third Destroyer Flotilla. This appointment was followed by command of the torpedo schoolship in 1911. It was while Paine was in command of ''Actaeon'' that he first became involved in naval aviation. The first four royal naval and royal marine officers who learnt to fly ( Longmore,

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

, Gerrard and Gregory) were borne on the books of ''Actaeon'' and Paine took a keen interest in their progress. Central Flying School staff in January 1913

Central Flying School staff in January 1913

In 1912, Paine was appointed as the first commandant of the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...

Upavon Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...

, so, before taking up this post, he learned to fly, being awarded Pilot's Licence No. 217 on 15 May 1912 (at the age of 40). Three years later in 1915, after the Royal Naval Air Service had formally separated from the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Navy established the Central Depot and Training Establishment. The new unit was based at

Cranwell Cranwell is a village in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Cranwell and Byard's Leap and is situated approximately north-west from Sleaford and south-east from the city and county town o ...

and Paine was raised to the rank of commodore, first class, and sent there as its first commander. Just over a year later, in early 1917, Paine was appointed

Fifth Sea Lord The Fifth Sea Lord was formerly one of the Naval Lords and members of the Board of Admiralty that controlled the Royal Navy. The post's incumbent had responsibility for naval aviation. History In 1805, for the first time, specific functions w ...

, making him responsible for all naval aviation.

RAF and later career

With the establishment of the RAF in 1918, the posts of Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Air Service were abolished and the Navy's aircraft and aviators were transferred to the RAF. Paine was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

(a rank of the RAF at that time) and appointed to the

Air Council Air Council (or Air Force Council) was the governing body of the Royal Air Force until the merger of the Air Ministry with the other armed forces ministries to form the Ministry of Defence in 1964. It was succeeded by the Air Force Board. Me ...

as Master-General of Personnel. With the introduction of RAF-specific ranks in 1919, Paine was regraded to air vice marshal. His last military appointment was as

Inspector-General of the RAF The Inspector-General of the RAF was a senior appointment in the Royal Air Force, responsible for the inspection of airfields. The post existed from 1918 to 1920 and from 1935 until the late 1960s. For much of World War II, a second inspector-ge ...

. On his retirement from the RAF on 12 May 1920, Paine was granted the rank of retired rear admiral.

References

External links

thePeerage.com – Rear-Admiral Sir Godfrey Marshall Paine
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Paine, Godfrey 1871 births 1932 deaths Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Lords of the Admiralty Members of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Air Force generals of World War I Royal Navy rear admirals Royal Naval Air Service aviators Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal