Edward Gribben

Last updated

Edward Gribben
Born(1890-09-10)10 September 1890
County Down, Ireland
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Royal Air Force
Years of service1914–1920
1930–1938
1939–1945
RankLieutenant-Colonel (Army)
Squadron Leader (RAF)
Unit Royal Irish Rifles
No. 70 Squadron RFC
No. 44 Squadron RFC
No. 41 Squadron RAF
Commands held18th Battalion, London Regiment (London Irish Rifles)
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
Awards Military Cross

Edward Gribben was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. He became a lieutenant-colonel in the Territorial Army between the wars, returning to the RAF in World War II, and rising to the rank of squadron leader.

Contents

Biography

Early life and background

Gribben was born in County Down, Ireland, and in the 1911 Census was recorded as resident at Dunnanew, Rossconor, unmarried, aged 23, and working as a draper's assistant in Castlewellan. He was living with his mother Alice Gribben, father Thomas, and six siblings. [1]

World War I

Gribben joined the army soon after the outbreak of World War I, being commissioned as a second lieutenant (on probation) in the 5th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles on 15 August 1914. [2] [3] He was promoted to lieutenant on 22 May 1915, [4] and was later seconded to the Royal Flying Corps to train as a pilot, being appointed a flying officer on 24 December 1916. [5]

Gribben was posted to No. 70 Squadron in early 1917. He flew a Sopwith Camel to score five victories between 17 July and 13 August, his final tally being two enemy aircraft destroyed, and three driven down out of control. On 9 September, he returned to England to serve with No. 44 Squadron as a night fighter pilot flying a Camel. [6] On 26 September he was awarded the Military Cross, [7] which was gazetted on 8 January 1918. His citation read:

Military Cross
Lieutenant Edward Gribben, Royal Irish Rifles, Special Reserve, and Royal Flying Corps.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty on offensive patrols. In every combat he has been most conspicuous, continually attacking superior numbers of the enemy, destroying some and driving others down out of control. He fights with great dash and skill, and whenever any machine of his formation is in difficulties, he is invariably at hand to render assistance. [8]

On 1 January 1918 he was appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain. [9] Gribben then served as a test pilot at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. He returned to combat on 2 October 1918 as a flight commander in No. 41 Squadron. Two days later, he and his Camel were badly shot up by a Fokker D.VII; although wounded in the arm, Gribben crash-landed safely. [6]

Inter-war career

Gribben left the RAF on 24 January 1920, being transferred to the unemployed list. [10] He relinquished his army commission in what was now the Royal Ulster Rifles on 1 April 1920. [11] On 4 May 1920 he was granted a short service commission in the RAF with the rank of flight lieutenant, [12] but this was cancelled on 10 August 1920. [13]

Gribben return to the military when appointed a captain in the 18th Battalion, London Regiment (London Irish Rifles), a Territorial Army unit, on 15 March 1930. [14] On 1 November 1934 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. [15] On 1 November 1938 Gribben retired from the London Irish, giving up his command. [16] [17]

World War II and after

Just prior to the outbreak of World War II Gribben joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, being commissioned as a flight lieutenant on 1 September 1939. [18] He was promoted to squadron leader on 16 December 1941. [19] He remained a member of the Air Force Reserves post-war, finally relinquishing his commission on 10 February 1954, at the age of 65. [20]

Related Research Articles

Group Captain Paul Ward Spencer Bulman,, universally known as George Bulman, was a pilot whose flying life spanned thirty years (1915–1945).

Thomas Falcon Hazell & Bar was a fighter pilot with the Royal Flying Corps, and later, the Royal Air Force during the First World War. Hazell scored 43 victories in 1917–18 making him the fifth most successful British "flying ace" of the war, and the third most successful Irish-born pilot, behind Edward Mannock and George McElroy, as well the only pilot to survive the war from both groups.

Henry Winslow Woollett, was a British flying ace and the highest scoring British balloon busting ace credited with 35 aerial victories, including eleven balloons, during the First World War. He continued to serve in the Royal Air Force until the 1930s.

Leonard Henry Rochford, was a British flying ace of the First World War, credited with 29 aerial victories. He returned to military service in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

Flight Lieutenant James Anderson Slater was a British First World War flying ace, credited with 24 aerial victories. He served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an instructor after the war until killed in a flying accident.

Joseph Cruess Callaghan, was an Irish flying ace of the First World War, credited with five aerial victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Mayes Fry</span>

Wing Commander William Mayes Fry was a World War I Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force fighter ace. He was credited with eleven aerial victories, piloting no fewer than four different types of fighter aircraft. Fry also has the distinction of being one of the few World War I airmen to survive to the 1990s.

Major Ronald Saint Clair McClintock was a British World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.

Squadron Leader Charles Robert Davidson MC was a Scottish World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.

Flight Lieutenant William Geoffrey Meggitt was a British World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.

Frederick James Powell, was a British flying ace of the First World War, credited with six confirmed and nine unconfirmed aerial victories. He remained in the Royal Air Force post-war, serving until 1927, then returned to military service during the Second World War.

Captain Oliver Manners Sutton was a British First World War flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.

Squadron Leader David Mary Tidmarsh was an Irish-born flying ace of the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War, credited with seven aerial victories.

Awdry Morris Vaucour, was a First World War flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. For part of his career he flew with observer/gunner Alan Bott, who would go on to become an ace in his own right. Vaucour was killed in Italy in a "friendly fire" incident, when he was shot down by an Italian Hanriot pilot.

Group Captain John Kenneth Summers was a British First World War flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert L. Chidlaw-Roberts</span>

Flight Lieutenant Robert Leslie Chidlaw-Roberts was a British World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. During his aerial combat career, and in different dogfights, he engaged two famous German aces; he was one of the British pilots who downed Werner Voss, and on 9 January 1918, he shot down and killed Max Ritter von Muller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noel Webb (RFC officer)</span>

Captain Noel William Ward Webb was a British World War I flying ace credited with fourteen aerial victories. He also claimed the life of German ace Leutnant Otto Brauneck for his ninth victory.

Major Albert Gregory Waller was an Irish flying ace of the First World War, credited with eleven aerial victories. He would return to Britain's military service during the Second World War.

Major Thomas Francis Netterville Gerrard was a British World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. He died following a post-war equestrian accident.

Wing Commander William Ronald Read, was a highly decorated Royal Air Force officer of World War I and the inter-war period. A pre-war member of the Royal Flying Corps, he was one of only a handful of officers to ever receive a second bar to the Air Force Cross.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Census of Ireland 1911". National Archives of Ireland. 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "No. 28886". The London Gazette. 1 September 1914. p. 6906.
  3. ↑ "No. 29141". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 April 1915. p. 4041.
  4. ↑ "No. 29191". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 1915. p. 5728.
  5. ↑ "No. 29900". The London Gazette. 12 January 1917. p. 498.
  6. 1 2 Shores et.al. (1990), p. 177.
  7. ↑ "No. 30308". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 September 1917. p. 9975.
  8. ↑ "No. 30466". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 January 1918. p. 610.
  9. ↑ "No. 30539". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 February 1918. p. 2396.
  10. ↑ "No. 31779". The London Gazette. 13 February 1920. p. 1833.
  11. ↑ "No. 32236". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 February 1921. p. 1526.
  12. ↑ "No. 31886". The London Gazette. 4 May 1920. p. 5104.
  13. ↑ "No. 32012". The London Gazette. 10 August 1920. p. 8278.
  14. ↑ "No. 33588". The London Gazette. 14 March 1930. p. 1648.
  15. ↑ "No. 34104". The London Gazette. 13 November 1934. p. 7272.
  16. ↑ "No. 34567". The London Gazette. 4 November 1938. p. 6891.
  17. ↑ "No. 34593". The London Gazette. 27 January 1939. p. 613.
  18. ↑ "No. 34713". The London Gazette. 20 October 1939. p. 7044.
  19. ↑ "No. 35383". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 December 1941. p. 7117.
  20. ↑ "No. 40226". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 July 1954. p. 4018.
Bibliography
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.