Henry Cave-Browne-Cave
Encyclopedia
Air Vice Marshal Henry Meyrick Cave-Browne-Cave CB
, DSO
, DFC
, RAF
(1 February 1887 – 5 August 1965) was an engineering officer in the Royal Naval Air Service
during World War I
and senior commander in the Royal Air Force
during the 1930s.
Henry Cave-Browne-Cave was the son of Sir Thomas Cave-Browne-Cave (1835–1924) (see Cave-Browne-Cave Baronets
for earlier history of the family) and Blanche Matilda Mary Ann Milton. He was the brother of the mathematicians Beatrice Mabel Cave-Browne-Cave
and Frances Cave-Browne-Cave
. He was educated at Dulwich College
in London.
of the station. In the summer of 1916, Cave-Browne-Cave was appointed as a squadron commander. He later served as Officer Commanding the Seaplane Station at Dunkirk and then as the Officer Commanding the Seaplane Station at Malta
.
By 1918, Cave-Browne-Cave had risen to the rank of wing commander
and on 1 April, when the Royal Naval Air Service merged with the Royal Flying Corps
to form the Royal Air Force
, Cave-Browne-Cave was transferred to the RAF as a lieutenant colonel.
before working as the RAF's Deputy Director of Design.
The summer of 1926 saw Cave-Browne-Cave promoted to group captain
and appointed as Deputy Director of Technical Development several months later. He only worked in technical development for several months as in May 1927 he took up the post of Officer Commanding the Far East Flight. The Far East Flight was a newly created unit and it was established to prove that the RAF had the capability to reinforce the more remote parts of the British Empire
. The Flight, led by Cave-Browne-Cave, departed Plymouth
on 17 October 1927 and eventually arrived in Singapore
on 28 February the next year. Cave-Browne-Cave then took the Far East Flight on a flying tour of Australia further demonstrating the increasing reach of British air power. After the Far East Flight returned to Singapore, it was redesignated No. 205 Squadron
and Cave-Browne-Cave returned to England as a supernumerary within the headquarters of Coastal Area
. The following summer, Cave-Browne-Cave returned to Singapore, resuming his former command in its upgraded form as No. 205 Squadron. At the start of 1930 he became the Officer Commanding RAF Base Singapore.
Back at the Air Ministry in London, Cave-Browne-Cave is credited as being the person who authorised the UKP
10,000 investment in the development of the Supermarine Spitfire
in time for it to be the decisive fighter in the Battle of Britain
.
On 17 January 1939, when flying out of RAF Eastchurch
, Cave-Browne-Cave was seriously injured in a flying accident which occurred at Butley
in Suffolk
. His personal assistant, Flying Officer
Geoffrey Beavis was killed and Cave-Browne-Cave's active career came to an end.
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...
, 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...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, RAF
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...
(1 February 1887 – 5 August 1965) was an engineering officer in 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...
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...
and senior commander 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...
during the 1930s.
Henry Cave-Browne-Cave was the son of Sir Thomas Cave-Browne-Cave (1835–1924) (see Cave-Browne-Cave Baronets
Cave-Browne-Cave Baronets
The Cave, later Cave-Browne, later Cave-Browne-Cave Baronetcy, of Stanford in the County of Northampton, is a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 30 June 1641 for Thomas Cave, a Royalist who fought in the English Civil War...
for earlier history of the family) and Blanche Matilda Mary Ann Milton. He was the brother of the mathematicians Beatrice Mabel Cave-Browne-Cave
Beatrice Mabel Cave-Browne-Cave
Beatrice Mabel Cave-Browne-Cave was an English mathematician who undertook pioneering work in the mathematics of aeronautics.- Birth and education :...
and Frances Cave-Browne-Cave
Frances Cave-Browne-Cave
Frances Evelyn Cave-Browne-Cave , English mathematician.Frances Cave-Browne-Cave was the daughter of Sir Thomas Cave-Browne-Cave and Blanche Matilda Mary Ann Milton. She was the sister of Henry Cave-Browne-Cave, the Royal Air Force officer...
. He was educated at Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
in London.
World War I
During World War I, Cave-Browne-Cave served in the Royal Naval Air Service, initially as the Engineering Officer at the Grain Island naval air station and later as the second in commandSecond in Command
Second in Command is a 2006 action film directed by Simon Fellows, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was released direct-to-video in the United States, Belgium, and Germany on May 2, 2006. It has been rated R by the MPAA for violence and some language. The film was made in Bucharest, Romania.-Plot...
of the station. In the summer of 1916, Cave-Browne-Cave was appointed as a squadron commander. He later served as Officer Commanding the Seaplane Station at Dunkirk and then as the Officer Commanding the Seaplane Station at 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...
.
By 1918, Cave-Browne-Cave had risen to the rank of wing commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
and on 1 April, when the Royal Naval Air Service merged with 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...
to form 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...
, Cave-Browne-Cave was transferred to the RAF as a lieutenant colonel.
Inter-war years
In 1919 Cave-Browne-Cave was awarded a permanent commission in the RAF and reverted to his previous rank of wing commander. He went on to serve in a senior training appointment at No. 1 School of Technical TrainingNo. 1 School of Technical Training
No.1 School of Technical Training is the Royal Air Force's aircraft engineering school, based at RAF Halton from 1919 to 1993, as the Home of the Aircraft Apprentice scheme...
before working as the RAF's Deputy Director of Design.
The summer of 1926 saw Cave-Browne-Cave promoted to group captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
and appointed as Deputy Director of Technical Development several months later. He only worked in technical development for several months as in May 1927 he took up the post of Officer Commanding the Far East Flight. The Far East Flight was a newly created unit and it was established to prove that the RAF had the capability to reinforce the more remote parts of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. The Flight, led by Cave-Browne-Cave, departed Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
on 17 October 1927 and eventually arrived in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on 28 February the next year. Cave-Browne-Cave then took the Far East Flight on a flying tour of Australia further demonstrating the increasing reach of British air power. After the Far East Flight returned to Singapore, it was redesignated No. 205 Squadron
No. 205 Squadron RAF
No. 205 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit formed on 1 April 1918. Prior to this it had existed as No. 5 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service. In 1929, it became the first RAF squadron to be permanently based in Singapore, taking as its motto Pertama di Malaya . No...
and Cave-Browne-Cave returned to England as a supernumerary within the headquarters of Coastal Area
RAF Coastal Area
RAF Coastal Area was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1919, it was to act as the RAFs premier maritime arm. It was replaced by RAF Coastal Command on 14 July 1936.-See also:*RAF station*List of Royal Air Force commands...
. The following summer, Cave-Browne-Cave returned to Singapore, resuming his former command in its upgraded form as No. 205 Squadron. At the start of 1930 he became the Officer Commanding RAF Base Singapore.
Back at the Air Ministry in London, Cave-Browne-Cave is credited as being the person who authorised the UKP
UKP
UKP may refer to:* Ukrainian Communist Party* Pound sterling, but the actual ISO 4217 code is GBP* The Unbounded Knapsack problem.* Ubiquitous Knowledge Processing Lab...
10,000 investment in the development of the Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
in time for it to be the decisive fighter in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
.
On 17 January 1939, when flying out of RAF Eastchurch
RAF Eastchurch
RAF Eastchurch was a Royal Air Force station near Eastchurch village in the English County of Kent. The history of aviation at Eastchurch stretches back to the first decade of the 20th century when it was used as an airfield by members of the Royal Aero Club...
, Cave-Browne-Cave was seriously injured in a flying accident which occurred at Butley
Butley, Suffolk
Butley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk.Butley lies east of the town of Woodbridge on the B1084 road. Administratively, Butley forms part of the Suffolk Coastal district; from 1934 to 1974 it had been part of the former Deben Rural District.- External links :**...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. His personal assistant, Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
Geoffrey Beavis was killed and Cave-Browne-Cave's active career came to an end.