Geoffrey Salmond
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Sir William Geoffrey Hanson Salmond KCB
, KCMG
, DSO
(19 August 1878 - 27 April 1933), commonly known as Sir Geoffrey Salmond, was a senior commander in the Royal Flying Corps
during World War I
. Remaining in the Royal Air Force
after the War, he held senior appointments in the Middle East, Great Britain and India. In 1933 Salmond served as Chief of the Air Staff for several weeks before his death from cancer.
near Dover in the English county of Kent
. His father was Major-General Sir William Salmond, Royal Engineers (1840–1932) who was descended from Major-General J. H. Salmond (1766–1837), military secretary to the Court of Governors of the old East India Company
, and author of The Mysore War. Geoffrey Salmond was educated at Wellington College
in Berkshire before joining the Army.
, undertaking his officer training at Royal Military Academy Woolwich around 1897. He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery
on 23 June 1898 and saw active service during the Second Boer War
. He took part in the relief of Ladysmith
and the operations on the Tugela Heights
. He received he Queen's Medal and seven clasps, then in 1900 he was sent to China and gained a medal for the operations during the Boxer Rebellion
there.
In 1905, Salmond was seconded to study Japanese
. He married Margaret Carr, daughter of William Carr
in 1910.
Aviator's Certificate no. 421, after which. on 17 April 1913, he joined the reserve of the Royal Flying Corps
(RFC), although he continued to serve in the regular army. Following staff work in military aeronautics, he went on to take up the post of Officer Commanding, No. 1 Squadron RFC
. In the First World War
the squadron operated over the Western Front
and Salmond and his squadron took part in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle
, including the Battle of Hill 60
and the Battle of Aubers Ridge
.
In 1916 he was sent to command the 5th Wing, RFC, in Egypt, and in July, 1916, he was promoted to temporary Brigadier-General and given command of the RFC in the Middle East, a post which he held with brief intervals, until the end of 1921. The DSO was conferred on him in the London Gazette of 3 March 1917, "for conspicuous ability and devotion to duty when personally directing the work of the Royal Flying Corps during the action. The striking success attained was largely due to his magnificent personal example." The action referred to was during the operations in Sinai at the end of 1916. In this command he was responsible for providing air cooperation for General Jan Smuts
's force in East Africa, for the forces in Salonika and Mesopotamia, for Allenby
's conquest of Palestine, and for the RFC in India.
While holding the command of the Middle East, he had laid out an airway from Cairo to South Africa, clearing a chain of aerodromes in Central Africa. His idea was to send a demonstration flight or flights of RAF aircraft across Africa, thus providing the link of which Cecil Rhodes had dreamed in a Cape-to-Cairo railway. Salmond contemplated flights by both landplane and flying-boat. He was not destined to put his idea into execution, though his airway was used by Sir Pierre van Ryneveld
and Sir Christopher Brand on their first flight to South Africa.
On 1 August 1919 Salmond was awarded a permanent commission in the RAF
, with the rank of air vice-marshal
and he continued to serve as the middle east air commander.
In 1922 Salmond returned to Great Britain to take up the post of Director-General of Supply and Research at the Air Ministry. The following year, his post was renamed Air Member for Supply and Research and he remained as the head of Supply and Research for the RAF until late 1926.
Salmond next appointment was in India as the air officer commanding
. He travelled to India by aircraft, making him the first officer to travel to an overseas command by air. In 1931, Salmond returned from India to take up command of the Air Defence of Great Britain
organization which was responsible for British air defences, including both fighters and bombers. He was promoted to air chief marshal
several months later on 1 January 1933.
On 1 April 1933, Air Chief Marshal Salmond took over from his brother John as Chief of the Air Staff. At this stage he was already suffering from incurable cancer although it is unclear whether Salmond or his brother knew this at the time. Days later (5 April) arrangements were announced for Sir John Salmond to resume the RAF's senior post temporarily. However, Geoffrey Salmond never recovered and he died on 27 April. Sir John Salmond continued as Chief of the Air Staff for several more weeks after Sir Geoffrey Salmond's death.
Salmond was survived by his wife Margaret and their four children.
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Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir William Geoffrey Hanson Salmond KCB
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...
, KCMG
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....
, 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...
(19 August 1878 - 27 April 1933), commonly known as Sir Geoffrey Salmond, was a senior commander in 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...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Remaining 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...
after the War, he held senior appointments in the Middle East, Great Britain and India. In 1933 Salmond served as Chief of the Air Staff for several weeks before his death from cancer.
Early life and family background
Geoffrey Salmond was born on 19 August 1878 in village of HoughamHougham, Kent
For the village of Hougham, Lincolnshire see Hougham, LincolnshireHougham Without is a civil parish between Dover and Folkestone in southeast England. The main settlements are the villages of Church Hougham and West Hougham, collectively known simply as "Hougham". Great Hougham Court Farm is...
near Dover in the English county 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...
. His father was Major-General Sir William Salmond, Royal Engineers (1840–1932) who was descended from Major-General J. H. Salmond (1766–1837), military secretary to the Court of Governors of the old East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, and author of The Mysore War. Geoffrey Salmond was educated at Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
in Berkshire before joining the Army.
Royal Artillery service
Salmond joined the British ArmyBritish 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...
, undertaking his officer training at Royal Military Academy Woolwich around 1897. He was commissioned into 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:...
on 23 June 1898 and saw active service 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...
. He took part in the relief of Ladysmith
Relief of Ladysmith
When the Second Boer War broke out on 11 October 1899, the Boers had a numeric superiority within Southern Africa. They quickly invaded the British territory and laid siege to Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking...
and the operations on the Tugela Heights
Battle of Spion Kop
The Battle of Spion Kop was fought about west-south-west of Ladysmith on the hilltop of Spioenkop along the Tugela River, Natal in South Africa from 23–24 January 1900...
. He received he Queen's Medal and seven clasps, then in 1900 he was sent to China and gained a medal for the operations during the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
there.
In 1905, Salmond was seconded to study Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. He married Margaret Carr, daughter of William Carr
William Carr (biographer)
William Carr was a biographer for the Dictionary of National Biography, historian, magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant for Norfolk, England....
in 1910.
Royal Flying Corps service
On 18 February 1913 Salmond was awarded Royal Aero ClubRoyal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
Aviator's Certificate no. 421, after which. on 17 April 1913, he joined the reserve of 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...
(RFC), although he continued to serve in the regular army. Following staff work in military aeronautics, he went on to take up the post of Officer Commanding, No. 1 Squadron RFC
No. 1 Squadron RAF
No. 1 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated the Harrier GR9 from RAF Cottesmore until 28 January 2011.The squadron motto is In omnibus princeps , appropriate for the RAF's oldest squadron and one that has been involved in almost every major British military operation since...
. In the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the squadron operated over the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
and Salmond and his squadron took part in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle
Battle of Neuve Chapelle
The Battles of Neuve Chapelle and Artois was a battle in the First World War. It was a British offensive in the Artois region and broke through at Neuve-Chapelle but they were unable to exploit the advantage.The battle began on 10 March 1915...
, including the Battle of Hill 60
Battle of Hill 60 (Western Front)
The Battle of Hill 60 was an Australian assault that was subsidiary to the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.-1914-15:Hill 60 was a low rise on the southern flank of the Ypres Salient and was named for the 60 metre contour which marked its bounds. Hill 60 was not a natural highpoint, but was created as a...
and the Battle of Aubers Ridge
Battle of Aubers Ridge
The Battle of Aubers Ridge was a British offensive mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I.- Background :The battle was the initial British component of the combined Anglo-French offensive known as the Second Battle of Artois...
.
In 1916 he was sent to command the 5th Wing, RFC, in Egypt, and in July, 1916, he was promoted to temporary Brigadier-General and given command of the RFC in the Middle East, a post which he held with brief intervals, until the end of 1921. The DSO was conferred on him in the London Gazette of 3 March 1917, "for conspicuous ability and devotion to duty when personally directing the work of the Royal Flying Corps during the action. The striking success attained was largely due to his magnificent personal example." The action referred to was during the operations in Sinai at the end of 1916. In this command he was responsible for providing air cooperation for General Jan Smuts
Jan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
's force in East Africa, for the forces in Salonika and Mesopotamia, for Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
's conquest of Palestine, and for the RFC in India.
While holding the command of the Middle East, he had laid out an airway from Cairo to South Africa, clearing a chain of aerodromes in Central Africa. His idea was to send a demonstration flight or flights of RAF aircraft across Africa, thus providing the link of which Cecil Rhodes had dreamed in a Cape-to-Cairo railway. Salmond contemplated flights by both landplane and flying-boat. He was not destined to put his idea into execution, though his airway was used by Sir Pierre van Ryneveld
Pierre van Ryneveld
General Sir Hesperus Andrias van Ryneveld, KBE, CB, DSO, MC was a South African military commander.He began his military career in World War I, in which he served in the Royal Flying Corps , where he distinguished himself as a fighter ace.After the war, van Ryneveld was called back to South Africa...
and Sir Christopher Brand on their first flight to South Africa.
Royal Air Force service
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...
, with the rank of 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...
and he continued to serve as the middle east air commander.
In 1922 Salmond returned to Great Britain to take up the post of Director-General of Supply and Research at the Air Ministry. The following year, his post was renamed Air Member for Supply and Research and he remained as the head of Supply and Research for the RAF until late 1926.
Salmond next appointment was in India as the air officer commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
. He travelled to India by aircraft, making him the first officer to travel to an overseas command by air. In 1931, Salmond returned from India to take up command of the Air Defence of Great Britain
Air Defence of Great Britain
The Air Defence of Great Britain was a RAF command comprising substantial Army and RAF elements responsible for the air defence of the British Isles...
organization which was responsible for British air defences, including both fighters and bombers. He was promoted to air chief marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
several months later on 1 January 1933.
On 1 April 1933, Air Chief Marshal Salmond took over from his brother John as Chief of the Air Staff. At this stage he was already suffering from incurable cancer although it is unclear whether Salmond or his brother knew this at the time. Days later (5 April) arrangements were announced for Sir John Salmond to resume the RAF's senior post temporarily. However, Geoffrey Salmond never recovered and he died on 27 April. Sir John Salmond continued as Chief of the Air Staff for several more weeks after Sir Geoffrey Salmond's death.
Salmond was survived by his wife Margaret and their four children.
Honours and awards
- Knight Commander of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe 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...
- 3 July 1926 (CB - 1 January 1919) - Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St GeorgeOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe 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....
- 3 June 1919 - Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe 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...
- 3 March 1917 - Mentioned in Despatches - 17 February 1915, 1 January 1916, 25 September 1916, 6 July 1917, 7 November 1917, 22 January 1919, 5 June 1919
- Order of St Stanislas, 3rd Class with Swords (Russia) - 15 February 1917
- Order of the NileOrder of the NileThe Order of the Nile is Egypt's highest state honor. The award was instituted in 1915 by Sultan Hussein Kamel to be awarded by Egypt for exceptional services to the nation...
, 2nd Class (Egypt) - 9 November 1918 - Grand Commander of the Order of the RedeemerOrder of the RedeemerThe Order of the Redeemer , also known as the Order of the Savior, is an order of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the modern Greek state.- History :...
(Greece) - 5 April 1919 - El Hahda, 2nd Class (HejazHejazal-Hejaz, also Hijaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina...
) - 1 April 1920
Further reading
- Baker, Anne. From Biplane to Spitfire: the life of Air Chief Marshal Sir Geoffrey Salmond KCB KCMG DSO Pen & Sword Ltd, 2003, ISBN 0 85052 980 8
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