John Grigson
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore
John William Boldero Grigson DSO
, DFC
& Two Bars
(26 January 1893 – 3 July 1943) was a British pilot in the Royal Air Force
.
to Canon William Shuckforth Grigson and Mary Beatrice Boldero, and was one of seven brothers, including Geoffrey Grigson
, Kenneth Grigson and Wilfrid Grigson
. He was educated at Leatherhead
(along with his brothers) before joining the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as an Ordinary Seaman in February 1913. In 1916 he joined the Royal Naval Air Service
as a commissioned officer, and he was posted to HMS Ark Royal
, Britain's first aircraft carrier, in August 1917. On 1 August 1919 he was offered a permanent commission, with the rank of Captain. From 1920 he commanded a flight of Airco DH.9
s belonging to No. 55 Squadron RAF
in Egypt. Grigson was a highly decorated officer - he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
in September 1918 (along with Oswald Gayford, who he flew with for nearly a year), a bar
in December 1919 and a second bar on 28 October 1921. In 1920 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
.
Grigson became the commanding officer for No. 55 Squadron RAF
in 1929, No 2 (Indian Wing) Station, Risalpur in 1935, RAF forces in Palestine and Trans-Jordan in 1940 and RAF forces in Greece on 23 April 1941. He served as Officer Commanding for the Rhodesian Air Training Group in 1943 before his death in a flying accident on 3 July 1943.
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
John William Boldero Grigson DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
& Two Bars
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
(26 January 1893 – 3 July 1943) was a British pilot in 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...
.
Life
Grigson was born in 1893 in the Vicarage at PelyntPelynt
Pelynt is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated 20 miles west of Plymouth and four miles west-northwest of Looe. Pelynt has a population of around 1,124 ....
to Canon William Shuckforth Grigson and Mary Beatrice Boldero, and was one of seven brothers, including Geoffrey Grigson
Geoffrey Grigson
Geoffrey Edward Harvey Grigson was a British writer. He was born in Pelynt, a village near Looe in Cornwall.-Life:...
, Kenneth Grigson and Wilfrid Grigson
Wilfrid Grigson
Sir Wilfrid Vernon Grigson CSI was a British soldier and civil servant.-Life:Grigson was born in 1896 in the Vicarage at Pelynt to Canon William Shuckforth Grigson and Mary Beatrice Boldero, and was one of seven brothers, including Geoffrey Grigson, Kenneth Grigson and John Grigson...
. He was educated at Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
(along with his brothers) before joining the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as an Ordinary Seaman in February 1913. In 1916 he joined 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...
as a commissioned officer, and he was posted to HMS Ark Royal
HMS Ark Royal (1914)
HMS Ark Royal was the first ship in history designed and built as a seaplane carrier. She was purchased by the Royal Navy in 1914 shortly after her keel had been laid and the ship was only in frames; this allowed the ship's design to be modified almost totally to accommodate seaplanes...
, Britain's first aircraft carrier, in August 1917. On 1 August 1919 he was offered a permanent commission, with the rank of Captain. From 1920 he commanded a flight of Airco DH.9
Airco DH.9
The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...
s belonging to No. 55 Squadron RAF
No. 55 Squadron RAF
No. 55 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1916 at Castle Bromwich as a unit of the Royal Flying Corps. No. 55 Squadron was the last RAF Squadron to operationally fly the Handley Page Victor, in its Victor K.2 in-flight refuelling tanker role. It was subsequently a...
in Egypt. Grigson was a highly decorated officer - he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
in September 1918 (along with Oswald Gayford, who he flew with for nearly a year), a bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
in December 1919 and a second bar on 28 October 1921. In 1920 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
.
Grigson became the commanding officer for No. 55 Squadron RAF
No. 55 Squadron RAF
No. 55 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1916 at Castle Bromwich as a unit of the Royal Flying Corps. No. 55 Squadron was the last RAF Squadron to operationally fly the Handley Page Victor, in its Victor K.2 in-flight refuelling tanker role. It was subsequently a...
in 1929, No 2 (Indian Wing) Station, Risalpur in 1935, RAF forces in Palestine and Trans-Jordan in 1940 and RAF forces in Greece on 23 April 1941. He served as Officer Commanding for the Rhodesian Air Training Group in 1943 before his death in a flying accident on 3 July 1943.