Godfrey Paine
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral
Sir Godfrey Marshall Paine KCB MVO (21 November 1871 – 23 March 1932) was a senior commander in the Royal Naval Air Service
and the Royal Air Force
in the early part of the 20th century. He is possibly the only professional officer to have held flag, general and air officer ranks.
Godfrey Marshall Paine was born on 21 November 1871, the fourth son of James Paine.
as a midshipman
in early 1885. He was a lieutenant on HMS Renown
, before becoming First Lieutenant
on the armoured cruiser HMS Hogue
. 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 HMS Actaeon 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
, Gerrard
and Gregory) were borne on the books of Actaeon and Paine took a keen interest in their progress.
In 1912, Paine was appointed as the first commandant of the Central Flying School
at Upavon, 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 has broken away from the Royal Flying Corps
, the Royal Navy established the Central Depot and Training Establishment. The new unit was based at Cranwell
and Paine was raised to the rank of Commodore
and sent there as its first commander. Just over a year later, in early 1917, Paine was appointed Fifth Sea Lord
and Director of Naval Aviation.
(a rank of the RAF at that time) and appointed to the Air Council
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
. On his retirement from the RAF in 12 May 1920, Paine reverted to the equivalent naval rank (rear admiral). Excluding those with honorary ranks such as royalty, Paine is possibly the only person to have held flag
, general and air officer
ranks.
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Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Sir Godfrey Marshall Paine KCB MVO (21 November 1871 – 23 March 1932) was a senior commander in the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
and the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in the early part of the 20th century. He is possibly the only professional officer to have held flag, general and air officer ranks.
Godfrey Marshall Paine was born on 21 November 1871, the fourth son of James Paine.
Naval career
Paine joined the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
in early 1885. He was a lieutenant on HMS Renown
HMS Renown (1895)
HMS Renown was a predreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. Third and last of the lightly armed, long-range Centurion class, she had an upgraded design compared to her two sister ships HMS Centurion and HMS Barfleur....
, before becoming First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
on the armoured cruiser HMS Hogue
HMS Hogue (1900)
HMS Hogue was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser in the Royal Navy. Hogue was sunk by the German U-boat U-9 on 22 September 1914.-Service history:...
. In 1903 Paine was promoted to commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
and later served as the executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
on his old ship HMS Renown.
In 1907 Paine was promoted captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
and in 1909 he was appointed the Officer Commanding the Third Destroyer Flotilla. This appointment was followed by command of the torpedo schoolship HMS Actaeon 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
Arthur Longmore
Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Murray Longmore GCB, DSO was an early naval aviator, before reaching high rank in the Royal Air Force.-Biography:...
, Samson
Charles Rumney Samson
Air Commodore Charles Rumney Samson CMG, DSO & Bar, AFC was a British naval aviation pioneer. He also operated the first British armoured vehicles in combat...
, Gerrard
Eugene Gerrard
Air Commodore Eugene Louis Gerrard CMG, DSO, RAF was an officer in the Royal Marines and Royal Air Force....
and Gregory) were borne on the books of Actaeon and Paine took a keen interest in their progress.
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 it is the longest existing flying training school.-History:...
at Upavon, 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 has broken away from the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
, the Royal Navy established the Central Depot and Training Establishment. The new unit was based at Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
and Paine was raised to the rank of Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
and sent there as its first commander. Just over a year later, in early 1917, Paine was appointed Fifth Sea Lord
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.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were assigned to each of the 'Naval' Lords, who were described as 'Professional' Lords, leaving to the 'Civil' Lords...
and Director of Naval Aviation.
RAF and later career
With the establishment of the RAF in 1918, the posts of Fifth Sea Lord and Director of Naval Aviation were abolished and the Navy's aircraft and aviators were transferred to the RAF. Paine was promoted to major-generalMajor-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
(a rank of the RAF at that time) and appointed to the Air Council
Air Council
Air 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. It was succeeded by the Air Force Board.- Composition :...
as Master-General of Personnel. With the introduction of RAF-specific ranks in 1919, Paine was regraded to air vice-marshal
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
. His last military appointment was as Inspector-General of the RAF
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....
. On his retirement from the RAF in 12 May 1920, Paine reverted to the equivalent naval rank (rear admiral). Excluding those with honorary ranks such as royalty, Paine is possibly the only person to have held flag
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
, general and air officer
Air Officer
An air officer is a Royal Air Force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". The term is also used by many Commonwealth nations who have a similar rank structure to the RAF....
ranks.
Honours and awards
His awards included:- Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath - 12 Mar 1918 (CB - 1914)
- Member of the Royal Victorian Order - 11 Mar 1906
- Chevalier of the Order of the CrownOrder of the Crown (Belgium)The Order of the Crown is an Order of Belgium which was created on 15 October 1897 by King Leopold II in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State. The order was first intended to recognize heroic deeds and distinguished service achieved from service in the Congo Free State - many of which acts...
(Belgium) - 8 Nov 1918 - Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd ClassOrder of the Rising SunThe is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
(Japan) - 8 Nov 1918 - Distinguished Service Medal (United States)Distinguished Service Medal (United States)The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
- 16 Dec 1919
External links
- Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - RAdm Sir Godfrey Paine
- thePeerage.com - Rear-Admiral Sir Godfrey Marshall Paine
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