James Robb (RAF officer)
Sir James Milne Robb | |
|---|---|
First World War :
Second World War :
| |
| Awards | Mentioned in Despatches (3) (Czechoslovakia)Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States) Commander of the Legion of Honour (France) Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion (Czechoslovakia) War Cross 1939–1945 |
Empire Air Training Scheme, a massive training program that provided the Royal Air Force with trained aircrew from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Southern Rhodesia. He commanded No. 2 Group RAF of RAF Bomber Command and No. 15 Group RAF of RAF Coastal Command
.
Robb became Deputy Chief of
Inspector General of the RAF
.
Early life
James Milne Robb was born in
George Watson's School in Edinburgh and Durham University.[2] He had two older brothers, one of whom, William, later became a major-general in the British Army
.
First World War
Following the outbreak of the
Northumberland Fusiliers as a second lieutenant on 10 November 1914,[3] and promoted to captain a year later. In August 1916 he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps.[1]
After learning to fly, Robb was posted to
SE5as. Robb achieved the squadron's first air victory on 22 July, shooting down a Fokker D.VII.[1] In February 1919 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
. His citation read:
This officer has destroyed seven enemy aircraft, and under his brilliant leadership his patrols have accounted for numerous others. On 13 October he attacked and silenced three hostile howitzers which were in action.[4]
Between the wars
In August 1919 he was granted a permanent commission in the
captain. He joined No. 24 Squadron RAF in February 1920. In September 1922 he was posted to No. 6 Squadron RAF in Iraq flying Bristol F.2 Fighters. He was promoted to squadron leader in 1924 and assumed command of No. 30 Squadron RAF.[3] Robb was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his service during operations in Kurdistan in 1925.[5]
Returning to the United Kingdom in 1926, Robb became chief flying instructor at the
Royal Naval Staff College in Greenwich, London. This was followed by a posting as senior air officer aboard the aircraft carrier Eagle in the Far East. In 1935 he became fleet aviation officer with the Mediterranean Fleet before returning to the Central Flying School as commandant. He was promoted to group captain in 1936.[1]
Second World War
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In 1939, Robb travelled to Canada to help establish the
Companion of the Order of the Bath.[8] However, he fell out with the head of RAF Bomber Command, Air Marshal Sir Richard Peirse, over the merits of sending Bristol Blenheims on unescorted daylight missions, which Robb regarded as suicidal. Robb was therefore transferred to RAF Coastal Command, where he command No. 15 Group RAF.[1]
Robb became Deputy Chief of
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in January 1945. In May 1945 he was appointed the head of RAF Fighter Command and learned to fly the Gloster Meteor, the RAF's first operational jet aircraft. He claimed to have flown over 150 different aircraft types in his career. In August 1945 he received the U.S. Distinguished Service Medal from the President of the United States, Harry S. Truman.[1]
Post war
In 1947 Robb became
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
in June 1949,
King of Arms of the Order of the Bath on 21 March 1952, remaining in this appointment until 26 January 1965.[3]
Robb was co-author of a volume of the official history of the Second World War, Victory in the West (1962), of which Major Lionel Ellis was the main author, with Captain G. R. G. Allen RN and Lieutenant Colonel A. E. Warhurst.
He died at a nursing home in Bognor Regis, Sussex on 18 December 1968.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Orange 2004
- ^ "History of Bomber Command: The Group Commanders". Royal Air Force. 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Barrass, M. B. (2015). "Air Chief Marshal Sir James Robb". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ "No. 31170". The London Gazette. 7 February 1919. p. 2045.
- ^ "No. 33166". The London Gazette. 28 May 1926. p. 3458.
- ^ "No. 34893". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 July 1940. p. 4269.
- ^ "No. 34960". The London Gazette. 4 October 1940. p. 5833.
- ^ "No. 35029". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1941. p. 4.
- ^ "No. 38628". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1949. p. 2795.
- ^ "No. 39104". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1951. p. 3.
References
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