Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

Henry Meyrick Cave-Browne-Cave (1 February 1887 – 5 August 1965), was an engineering officer in the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and senior commander in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

during the 1930s. He was prominent in the development of seaplanes and, following the armistice, flying boats. In 1927 he led crews in four flying boats, the Far East Flight, from England around Australia and then up to Hong Kong. His career was cut short by a serious flying accident in January 1939 so until 1945 he was appointed

Air Liaison Officer An air liaison officer is generally an air force official acting as an intermediary between the air force they represent and another organization, although this role can vary based on country. United Kingdom In World War II, air liaison officers ...

to the Regional Commission for Scotland.

Family

Henry Cave-Browne-Cave was the younger son of Thomas (later Sir Thomas) Cave-Browne-Cave (1835–1924),Air Vice-Marshal H. M. Cave-Browne-Cave. ''The Times'', Tuesday, 10 Aug 1965; pg. 8; Issue 56396. Deputy Accountant-General of the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

, and Blanche Matilda Mary Ann Milton,and a great-grandson of Sir William Cave-Browne-Cave, 9th baronet. and much younger brother of the mathematicians

Beatrice Mabel Cave-Browne-Cave Beatrice Mabel Cave-Browne-Cave, MBE AFRAeS (30 May 1874 – 9 July 1947) was an English mathematician who undertook pioneering work in the mathematics of aeronautics. Birth and education Beatrice Cave-Browne-Cave was the daughter of Sir Thom ...

and Frances Cave-Browne-Cave. The elder brother, Wing Commander Thomas Reginald Cave-Brown-Cave (1885–1964), also served with distinction in the Royal Air Force but initially in airships.Wing Cdr T. R. Cavebrowne-Cave. ''The Times'', Tuesday, 2 Dec 1969; pg. 12; Issue 57732. Son of a senior administrative official in the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, born and raised on the north side of

Streatham Common Streatham Common is a large open space on the southern edge of Streatham in the London Borough of Lambeth. The shallow sloping lower (western) half of the common is mostly mowed grass, and the upper (eastern) half is mostly woodland with some ...

, he was educated at

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2-18 private, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

in London, became an engineering student in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

in 1903 and was promoted to Engineer sub-lieutenant in 1907.

First World War

During the First World War, 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 command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, f ...

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 Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

and then as the Officer Commanding the Seaplane Station at

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. By 1918, Cave-Browne-Cave had risen to the rank of

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

and on 1 April, when the Royal Naval Air Service merged with the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

to form the

, 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 Training No. 1 School of Technical Training (No. 1 S of TT) is the Royal Air Force, Royal Air Force's aircraft engineering school. It was based at RAF Halton from 1919 to 1993, as the Home of the Aircraft Apprentice scheme. The Aircraft Apprentice s ...

before working as the RAF's Deputy Director of Design. Henry's elder brother, Thomas Reginald Cave-Browne-Cave CBE, also educated at Dulwich College and a Royal Navy engineering officer, specialised in airship research and design. The brothers transferred to the new-born RAF at identical rank and seniority. Thomas left the RAF when the Air Ministry discontinued work on airships following the R101 disaster. He was Professor of Engineering at University College, Southampton, from 1931 to 1950. The summer of 1926 saw Cave-Browne-Cave promoted to

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

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 British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. The Flight, led by Cave-Browne-Cave, departed

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

on 17 October 1927 and eventually arrived in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

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 A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

. 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

GBP Sterling (symbol: £; currency code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound is the main unit of sterling, and the word '' pound'' is also used to refer to the British currency general ...

10,000 investment in the development of the

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

in time for it to be the decisive fighter in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

.The Airplane That Saved the World: What the RAF's World War II Spitfire can teach us about nurturing innovation and radical ideas.
Tim Harford,

Slate.com ''Slate'' is an online magazine that covers current affairs, politics, and culture in the United States. It was created in 1996 by former '' New Republic'' editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. In ...

, excerpt: Harford's book "Adapt: Why Success Always Starts With Failure", 16 May 2011, accessed 19 May 2011. On 17 January 1939, when flying out of

RAF Eastchurch Royal Air Force Eastchurch or more simply RAF Eastchurch (formerly RNAS Eastchurch) is a former Royal Air Force station near Eastchurch village, on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England. The history of aviation at Eastchurch stretches back to the ...

, Cave-Browne-Cave was seriously injured in a flying accident which occurred at Butley in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. His personal assistant,

Flying Officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

Geoffrey Beavis, was killed and Cave-Browne-Cave's active career came to an end.

Notes

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cave-Browne-Cave, Henry 1887 births 1965 deaths Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath People educated at Dulwich College Military personnel from Surrey Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Navy officers of World War I Commandants of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell People from Streatham