Henry Crowe
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Henry George Crowe was a World War I flying ace
credited with eight confirmed aerial victories. He also survived being shot down six times in 11 days at one point. His career in the Royal Air Force took him through World War II, during which he ascended to Air Commodore
.
and at Cheltenham School in 1911. He returned to Ireland in 1913 for further schooling, attending Trinity College, Dublin
as an engineering student. While there, he joined the Officers Training Corps
.
as an Observer. He applied for pilot's training at this time, but was refused because of a shortage of observers. He was assigned to 20 Squadron in November, and underwent training beginning 28 November 1917.
On 23 January 1918, he was officially assigned to 20 Squadron as a Flying Officer
Observer, although he had already jumped the gun and scored his first three victories by then. On 1 April 1918, he was shot down by antiaircraft fire, in a crash that totally destroyed his Bristol F.2 Fighter
, but escaped unharmed. On 12 April 1918, he and Douglas Graham Cooke
returned from a special mission with their Bristol F.2 Fighter
bullet riddled; again, he was unhurt. He was also awarded the Military Cross in April 1918. By 8 May 1918, he had scored five more, and been shot down three times. Manning the guns for Thomas Colville-Jones, Douglas Graham Cooke, or Ernest Lindup
, Crowe had destroyed four German planes and driven down four more out of control. He left 20 Squadron having been shot down six times in 11 days, but remained unscathed. By August 1918, he was undergoing pilots training.
Assignment to 2 Squadron as a pilot followed on 1 February 1920, although it was not until 17 February 1921 that he was granted Aviators Certificate #7911. On 1 August 1921, he was re-seconded again to the RAF, as a Flying Officer
. On 17 November 1921, he was granted a permanent commission as Flying Officer. Four days later, he transferred to 39 Squadron in Iraq as a pilot.
On 30 June 1922, he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant
. He then received three consecutive photo reconnaissance assignments, covering the next four years. On 17 October 1926, he became a Flight Commander in 14 Squadron in Amman
, Jordan. He began RAF Staff College
on 30 December 1928.
On 8 January 1930, he was promoted from Flight Lieutenant to Squadron Leader
, and spent the next three years as Staff, Deputy Directorate of Organization. The next three years saw him serve as Officer Commanding of, successively, 23 and 74 Squadrons. He commanded the former at Biggin Hill
; the latter, he re-established on Malta during the Abyssinia Crisis
of 1935.
On 1 July 1936, he was promoted again, to Wing Commander. A series of staff assignments followed this.
. The 20th saw him Deputy Director of War Training and Tactics. He was promoted to Temporary Air Commodore
on 1 June 1941. He shipped out to India in 1942, becoming Deputy AOA, HQ Air Forces there on 27 August. From 16 November 1943 through 8 April 1944, he was an Acting Air Vice-Marshal
with the permanent rank of Air Commodore.
On 8 June 1944, Air Commodore Henry George Crowe was named to be a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. On 5 October of that year, he took command of No. 223 (Composite) Group at Peshawar
, India.
during his retirement to Thornton-le-Dale; he also aided the RAF Association and the RAF Benevolent Fund
in these last years. He died on 26 April 1983.
Lt. Henry George Crowe, R. Ir. Regt. and R.A.F.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when taking part in many low-flying bomb raids and reconnaissances as an observer. On every occasion he brought back very accurate and valuable information. On three occasions his machine was shot down by enemy fire, but he continued his work, and his great fearlessness and fine spirit have been an invaluable example to others. He has taken part in several air combats and been responsible for the destruction of many hostile machines. (Supplement to the London Gazette, 26 July 1918) (30813/8791)
Commander of Order of the British Empire awarded 8 June 1944.
Chinese Cloud and Banner Decoration with Special Cravat awarded 25 June 1946.
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
credited with eight confirmed aerial victories. He also survived being shot down six times in 11 days at one point. His career in the Royal Air Force took him through World War II, during which he ascended to Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
.
Early life
Crowe became interested in aviation early on, serving as secretary of the school aviation club at St. Helen's School. Although he was born in Ireland, he was educated in England, at Colwyn BayColwyn Bay
- Demography :Prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 Colwyn Bay was a municipal borough with a population of c.25,000, but in 1974 this designation disappeared leaving five separate parishes, known as communities in Wales, of which the one bearing the name Colwyn Bay encompassed...
and at Cheltenham School in 1911. He returned to Ireland in 1913 for further schooling, attending Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
as an engineering student. While there, he joined the Officers Training Corps
Officers Training Corps
The Officer Training Corps is a part of the British Army which provides military leadership training to students at UK universities...
.
Infantry
Henry George Crowe entered RMC Sandhurst as a Gentleman Cadet in November 1915. He graduated from Sandhurst and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Irish Regiment on 19 July 1916. Crowe joined the Royal Irishmen at Kemmel on the Somme River.Aviation
On 5 September 1917, he was seconded to the Royal Flying CorpsRoyal 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...
as an Observer. He applied for pilot's training at this time, but was refused because of a shortage of observers. He was assigned to 20 Squadron in November, and underwent training beginning 28 November 1917.
On 23 January 1918, he was officially assigned to 20 Squadron as a Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
Observer, although he had already jumped the gun and scored his first three victories by then. On 1 April 1918, he was shot down by antiaircraft fire, in a crash that totally destroyed his Bristol F.2 Fighter
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
, but escaped unharmed. On 12 April 1918, he and Douglas Graham Cooke
Douglas Graham Cooke
Captain Douglas Graham Cooke was a World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories....
returned from a special mission with their Bristol F.2 Fighter
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
bullet riddled; again, he was unhurt. He was also awarded the Military Cross in April 1918. By 8 May 1918, he had scored five more, and been shot down three times. Manning the guns for Thomas Colville-Jones, Douglas Graham Cooke, or Ernest Lindup
Ernest Lindup
Lieutenant Ernest Lindup was a South African World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.Lindup scored five victories between 4 February and 31 May 1918 while flying a Bristol F.2 Fighter. His observer gunners included fellow aces M. B...
, Crowe had destroyed four German planes and driven down four more out of control. He left 20 Squadron having been shot down six times in 11 days, but remained unscathed. By August 1918, he was undergoing pilots training.
Between the World Wars
In April 1919, he was assigned as a pilot in 106 Squadron. Effective 1 August 1919, he was re-seconded for two years to the Royal Air Force as Observer Officer.Assignment to 2 Squadron as a pilot followed on 1 February 1920, although it was not until 17 February 1921 that he was granted Aviators Certificate #7911. On 1 August 1921, he was re-seconded again to the RAF, as a Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
. On 17 November 1921, he was granted a permanent commission as Flying Officer. Four days later, he transferred to 39 Squadron in Iraq as a pilot.
On 30 June 1922, he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
. He then received three consecutive photo reconnaissance assignments, covering the next four years. On 17 October 1926, he became a Flight Commander in 14 Squadron in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan. He began RAF Staff College
RAF Staff College, Andover
The RAF Staff College at RAF Andover was the first Royal Air Force staff college to be established. Its role was the training of officers in the administrative, staff and policy apects of air force matters.-Foundation:...
on 30 December 1928.
On 8 January 1930, he was promoted from Flight Lieutenant to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
, and spent the next three years as Staff, Deputy Directorate of Organization. The next three years saw him serve as Officer Commanding of, successively, 23 and 74 Squadrons. He commanded the former at Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill is an area and electoral ward in the outskirts of the London Borough of Bromley in southeast London, United Kingdom.-History:Historically the settlement was known as Aperfield and formed part of the parish of Cudham...
; the latter, he re-established on Malta during the Abyssinia Crisis
Abyssinia Crisis
The Abyssinia Crisis was a diplomatic crisis during the interwar period originating in the "Walwal incident." This incident resulted from the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Ethiopia...
of 1935.
On 1 July 1936, he was promoted again, to Wing Commander. A series of staff assignments followed this.
World War II
The First of January 1940 saw him raised to Group CaptainGroup Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
. The 20th saw him Deputy Director of War Training and Tactics. He was promoted to Temporary Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
on 1 June 1941. He shipped out to India in 1942, becoming Deputy AOA, HQ Air Forces there on 27 August. From 16 November 1943 through 8 April 1944, he was an Acting 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...
with the permanent rank of Air Commodore.
On 8 June 1944, Air Commodore Henry George Crowe was named to be a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. On 5 October of that year, he took command of No. 223 (Composite) Group at Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, India.
Post World War II
Crowe retired from the RAF on 28 December 1945. He became a Justice of the PeaceJustice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
during his retirement to Thornton-le-Dale; he also aided the RAF Association and the RAF Benevolent Fund
RAF Benevolent Fund
The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is the Royal Air Force's leading welfare charity, providing financial, practical and emotional support to serving and former members of the RAF - regardless of rank - as well as their partners and dependents.They help members of the RAF family deal with a wide...
in these last years. He died on 26 April 1983.
Honours and awards
Military Cross (MC)Lt. Henry George Crowe, R. Ir. Regt. and R.A.F.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when taking part in many low-flying bomb raids and reconnaissances as an observer. On every occasion he brought back very accurate and valuable information. On three occasions his machine was shot down by enemy fire, but he continued his work, and his great fearlessness and fine spirit have been an invaluable example to others. He has taken part in several air combats and been responsible for the destruction of many hostile machines. (Supplement to the London Gazette, 26 July 1918) (30813/8791)
Commander of Order of the British Empire awarded 8 June 1944.
Chinese Cloud and Banner Decoration with Special Cravat awarded 25 June 1946.
External links
- http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/ireland/crowe2.php contains a list of his victories