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Edward Ashmore (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Major General
Edward Bailey Ashmore CB
, CMG
, MVO
(20 February 1872 – 5 October 1953) was a British Army
officer from the 1890s to the 1920s who served in the Royal Artillery
, the Royal Flying Corps
and briefly in the Royal Air Force
before founding and developing the organisation that would become the Royal Observer Corps
.
in 1891. He was posted to 'Q' Battery Royal Horse Artillery
and served during the Second Boer War
in South Africa, promoted to Lieutenant
24 July 1894. Ashmore was promoted to Captain
on 13 February 1900 and was severely wounded at Sanna's Post during the relief of Kimberley on 31 March 1900.
In 1904 Ashmore served as Adjutant for the Royal Horse Artillery and attended Staff College, Camberley
in January 1906. Appointed as a staff officer on the Army General Staff
he was promoted to Major, in April 1909 he was returned to the establishment of the Royal Artillery. Ashmore served as a General Staff Officer 3rd Grade (GSO3) on the General Staff (War Office
) and later as a 2nd Grade (GSO2).
In September 1913 he was appointed Assistant Military Secretary
to the Inspector-General of the Overseas Forces and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Mediterranean Command. In January 1914 Ashmore transferred to the special reserve of the Royal Flying Corps and trained as a pilot.
By November 1914 he was Officer Commanding 1st Wing RFC
with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. The following month he was appointed Officer Commanding Administration Wing RFC. Promoted to Brigadier General
in January 1916 he took command of the 1st Brigade RFC. The following April he took up command of the newly established 4th Brigade. He remained attached to RFC Headquarters unit until August 1917 carrying various ranks including Brevet
Colonel, Acting Major General, Colonel and Major General. In August 1917 Ashmore was appointed Commander of the London Air Defence Area
.
When the Royal Flying Corps amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service
to form the Royal Air Force in April 1918 Ashmore still held the rank of Major General. On the 19 April 1918 he was re-graded to Air Vice-Marshal
until he resigned his RAF commission on the 1 December 1919.
In his later military career he was the leading figure in the air defence of the United Kingdom and became the founder of what would eventually become the Royal Observer Corps
. He was appointed to devise improved systems of detection, communication and control. A system to be called the Metropolitan Observation Service was created, this covered the London area, known as the London Air Defence Area, and was soon extended towards the coasts of Kent
and Essex
. The system met with some success and although it was not fully working until late summer 1918 (the last air raid took place on 19 May) the lessons learnt were to provide valuable grounding for later developments.
In 1922, responsibility for air defence was transferred from the War Office, which was responsible for the Army
, to the Air Ministry
. Ashmore, who had been responsible for matters during World War I, now reported to a new Air Raid Precautions
(ARP) committee set up in January 1924. On 1 March 1924 he became General Officer Commanding the Territorial Army Air Defence Brigades and Inspector of Regular Anti-Aircraft Defences for Great Britain. Experiments were now carried out around Romney Marsh
and the Weald
. These were intended to optimise the arrangement of observation posts and control centres. In 1925 these experiments were extended to cover parts of Essex and Hampshire
and by October a sound methodology had been worked out. On 29 October 1925 the Observer Corps came into official existence.
Within a year four Groups existed in SE England, covering much of Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Essex. The plan was that the country would be covered by 18 of these groups. The involvement and cooperation of the Royal Air Force
(RAF), the Army
, the British police forces and the General Post Office (GPO) (then responsible for the national telephone system), was required. Ashmore was regarded as the first commander of the Observer Corps in all but name during 1925 and he is deemed to be the Corps' founder.
he raised and commanded a battalion of the Home Guard, by which time he was over 70 years of age.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Edward Bailey Ashmore CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, MVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(20 February 1872 – 5 October 1953) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer from the 1890s to the 1920s who served in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, the Royal Flying Corps
Royal 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...
and briefly 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...
before founding and developing the organisation that would become the Royal Observer Corps
Royal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
.
Early career
Following Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Ashmore was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Artillery as a Second LieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in 1891. He was posted to 'Q' Battery Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
and served during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
in South Africa, promoted to Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
24 July 1894. Ashmore was promoted to Captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
on 13 February 1900 and was severely wounded at Sanna's Post during the relief of Kimberley on 31 March 1900.
In 1904 Ashmore served as Adjutant for the Royal Horse Artillery and attended Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in January 1906. Appointed as a staff officer on the Army General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
he was promoted to Major, in April 1909 he was returned to the establishment of the Royal Artillery. Ashmore served as a General Staff Officer 3rd Grade (GSO3) on the General Staff (War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
) and later as a 2nd Grade (GSO2).
In September 1913 he was appointed Assistant Military Secretary
Military Secretary
The Military Secretary is the British Army appointment of which the incumbent is responsible for policy direction on personnel management for members of the British Army. It is a senior British Army appointment, held by an officer holding the rank of Major-General. The Military Secretary's...
to the Inspector-General of the Overseas Forces and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Mediterranean Command. In January 1914 Ashmore transferred to the special reserve of the Royal Flying Corps and trained as a pilot.
By November 1914 he was Officer Commanding 1st Wing RFC
No. 1 Wing RAF
Number 1 Wing of the Royal Air Force was a wing of aircraft squadrons which was originally established as the First Wing of the Royal Flying Corps.-World War I:...
with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. The following month he was appointed Officer Commanding Administration Wing RFC. Promoted to Brigadier General
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
in January 1916 he took command of the 1st Brigade RFC. The following April he took up command of the newly established 4th Brigade. He remained attached to RFC Headquarters unit until August 1917 carrying various ranks including Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Colonel, Acting Major General, Colonel and Major General. In August 1917 Ashmore was appointed Commander of the London Air Defence Area
London Air Defence Area
The London Air Defence Area was the name given to the organisation created to defend London from the increasing threat from enemy airships during World War I...
.
When the Royal Flying Corps amalgamated with 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...
to form the Royal Air Force in April 1918 Ashmore still held the rank of Major General. On the 19 April 1918 he was re-graded to 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...
until he resigned his RAF commission on the 1 December 1919.
Air defence of London
Royal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
. He was appointed to devise improved systems of detection, communication and control. A system to be called the Metropolitan Observation Service was created, this covered the London area, known as the London Air Defence Area, and was soon extended towards the coasts of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. The system met with some success and although it was not fully working until late summer 1918 (the last air raid took place on 19 May) the lessons learnt were to provide valuable grounding for later developments.
In 1922, responsibility for air defence was transferred from the War Office, which was responsible for the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, to the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
. Ashmore, who had been responsible for matters during World War I, now reported to a new Air Raid Precautions
Air Raid Precautions
Air Raid Precautions was an organisation in the United Kingdom set up as an aid in the prelude to the Second World War dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air-raids. It was created in 1924 as a response to the fears about the growing threat from the development of bomber...
(ARP) committee set up in January 1924. On 1 March 1924 he became General Officer Commanding the Territorial Army Air Defence Brigades and Inspector of Regular Anti-Aircraft Defences for Great Britain. Experiments were now carried out around Romney Marsh
Romney Marsh
Romney Marsh is a sparsely populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. It covers about 100 mi ² .-Quotations:*“As Egypt was the gift of the Nile, this level tract .....
and the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
. These were intended to optimise the arrangement of observation posts and control centres. In 1925 these experiments were extended to cover parts of Essex and Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
and by October a sound methodology had been worked out. On 29 October 1925 the Observer Corps came into official existence.
Within a year four Groups existed in SE England, covering much of Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Essex. The plan was that the country would be covered by 18 of these groups. The involvement and cooperation of 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...
(RAF), the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, the British police forces and the General Post Office (GPO) (then responsible for the national telephone system), was required. Ashmore was regarded as the first commander of the Observer Corps in all but name during 1925 and he is deemed to be the Corps' founder.
World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he raised and commanded a battalion of the Home Guard, by which time he was over 70 years of age.