Air Commodore Robert Marsland Groves, (3 January 1880 – 27 May 1920) was a

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 F ...

officer involved with naval aviation during 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 ...

. He was awarded his Aviator's Certificate no. 969 on 15 November 1914. After transferring to 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) and ...

in 1918, he served as

Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) may refer to: * Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Australia) * Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (India) * Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan) * Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom) The Deputy Chief ...

and held high command in the Middle East. He was killed in a flying accident in 1920 aged 40 whilst serving in Egypt.

Early life

Groves was born on 3 January 1880 at Stretford in Lancashire, England, the son of

James Grimble Groves James Grimble Groves (24 October 1854 – 23 June 1914) was a British brewer and Conservative politician. Life He was the son of William Peer Groves, of Springbank, Pendleton, near Salford and was educated privately and at Owen's College, Manch ...

, a brewer and Conservative MP. He was educated at

Rossall School Rossall School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for 0–18 year olds, between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. Rossall was founded in 1844 by St Vincent Beechey as a sister school to Marlborough College ...

Naval service

Groves joined the

as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

in the 1890s, rising to

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

by the summer of 1899 and then

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 sub ...

on 15 February 1900. In September 1902 Groves was posted to the torpedo school ship HMS ''Vernon'', to qualify as torpedo lieutenant.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Commodore R M Groves
/ref> Groves was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on 22 June 1911 and the following year, on 26 November 1912, he was appointed Flag Commander to the Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean on HMS Inflexible. He served in the

as Assistant Director of the Air Department at 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 ...

and then as Officer Commanding

No. 1 Squadron RNAS 01 or 01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011 * 01011001, the seventh studio album from Arjen Anthony Lucas ...

before returning to the Admiralty to be Assistant Secretary of the Air Board. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

in 1919, the citation for which was published in a supplement to the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

'' on 22 June, reading:

Royal Air Force

After the War, Groves became

and Director of Operations and Intelligence. He went on to be Acting Air Officer Commanding RAF Middle East Area in 1919 and Air Officer Commanding Egyptian Group in 1920. Groves died aged 40 on 27 May 1920 in Egypt from injuries received in an aircraft crash when his Bristol Fighter crashed after engine failure on takeoff at Almaza. He was buried at the Cairo New British Protestant Cemetery.Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Robert Marsland Groves
/ref>

References

External links

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Groves, Robert Marsland 1880 births 1920 deaths Royal Navy officers Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force generals of World War I Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents Aviation pioneers English aviators People educated at Rossall School People from Stretford Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Egypt Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1920 Military personnel from Lancashire