Group Captain George Bayard Hynes (12 April 1887 – 30 May 1938) was an early pioneer English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 aviator

Aviator

An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

, one of the first Army pilots. He was awarded the 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...

 during service with the Royal Flying Corps during the first world war, retired as a Royal Air Force Group Captain in 1931 and became the deputy director of aeronautical inspection in the Air Ministry.

Hynes was born on 12 April 1887, in Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 the son of William and Mary Hynes. His father was described in 1891 as a Naval Storekeeper. He was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School.

Hynes gained a commission 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:...

 in 1905. On 7 January 1911, he was awarded the 77th Aviators Certificate from the Royal Aero Club

Royal 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...

 and was then seconded to the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers

Air Battalion Royal Engineers

The Air Battalion Royal Engineers was the first flying unit of the British Armed Forces to make use of heavier-than-air craft. It evolved into the Royal Flying Corps which in turn evolved into the Royal Air Force.-Establishment:...

 and later in 1912 to the Royal Flying Corps. Hynes served in France where he was awarded the 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...

 and mentioned in dispatches five times.

In 1918 he transferred to the new 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...

 with a permanent commission as a Wing Commander. He retired in 1931 and went on to become the Deputy Director of Aeronautical Inspection at the Air Ministry. Hynes died in London on 30 May 1938.

Honours and awards

• 1 January 1917 – Capt. (temp. Maj.) George Bayard Hynes, RA. & RFC is awarded the Distinguished Service Order
  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...
  
  for distinguished service in the field.