Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

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Air Commodore E D M Robertson

Edmund Digby Maxwell            b: 21 Mar 1887              r: 1 Aug 1935              d: 24 Jul 1956

CB - 3 Jun 1935, DFC - 1 Jan 1919.  2nd Prize, "Gordon-Shephard" Competition – 1924, 1928

(RN): - Mid’n: xx xxx 1903, Act Sub Lt: xx xxx xxxx, Sub Lt: 15 Jul 1906, Lt: 15 Jan 1907, Flt Lt: 1 Jul 1914, Flt Cdr: 31 Oct 1914, Lt Cdr: 15 Jan 1915, Sqn Cdr: 15 Jan 1915, Wg Cdr: 30 Jun 1917.

(RAF): - (T) Lt Col [Maj]: 1 Apr 1918, Wg Cdr: 1 Aug 1919 [1 Apr 1918], Gp Capt: 1 Jan 1926, A/Cdre: 1 Jul 1931, Gp Capt: 7 Jul 1939 – 21 Nov 1940.

xx xxx xxxx:               Attended Britannia Naval College.

xx xxx 1903:               Midshipman, RN

1 Aug 1913:                 Temporary Special Service, Air Department

31 Oct 1914:                 Flight Commander, HMS Riviera.

15 Jan 1915                  Squadron Commander, RNAS Grain?

xx xxx 1916:                 Officer Commanding, ‘Experimental Armament Establishment’, Kingsnorth.

xx xxx 1917:                 Staff Officer, Air Department of the Admiralty

xx May 1918:               Officer Commanding, RAF Felixstowe

20 Aug 1918:                Officer Commanding, No 70 Wing, RAF Felixstowe.

xx May 1919?:

 1 Aug 1919:                Awarded Permanent Commission as a Lieutenant Colonel

22 Jan 1920:                Removed from the Navy Lists on being awarded Permanent Commission in RAF

15 Feb 1920:               Officer Commanding, School of Naval Co-operation.

Aug/Sep 1921:             Deputy Director of Armament.

10 Dec 1924:               Fleet Aviation Officer to C in C, Atlantic Fleet.

27 Jan 1927:                Fleet Aviation Officer to C in C, China/OC, RAF Units in Honk Kong.

 4 May 1928:               Supernumerary, RAF Depot.

17 Sep 1928:               RAF Representative, Ordnance Committee, Woolwich.

10 Nov 1930:               Director of Personal Services.

 1 Jan 1931:                  Appointed Air ADC to The King.

 1 Aug 1935 – 6 Jul 1939:        Retired.

 2 Sep 1939:                 Relinquished rank of A/Cdre on being re-employed.

21 Nov 1940:               Reverted to Retired List and recalled to service in rank of Air Commodore

xx xxx xxxx:                  Reverted to rank of Group Captain?

 6 Oct 1945:                  Reverted to Retired List, resuming the rank of Air Commodore

He gained his RAeC Certificate, No 7165 on 22 December 1913.  Promoted to Lieutenant in only four years owing to his excellent performance in examinations, he specialised in Gunnery and won the  ‘Commander Egerton’ prize as the best student of his course.  He commanded HMS Riviera  during the Cuxhaven Raid of Christmas 1914 - See Archives.  On 6 June 1918, he was flying in a flying boat which was shot down by five German aircraft and together with the rest of the crew was rescued after eight hours clinging to the wreckage.  Retiring from the RAF in 1935 at his own request, he became Airport Superintendent at Croydon Airport