Air Chief Marshal Sir James Milne Robb, (26 January 1895 – 18 December 1968) was a senior
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 ...
commander. After early service in 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 ...
with the
Northumberland Fusiliers, Robb joined 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 ...
and became a
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...
credited with seven aerial victories. He was granted a permanent commission 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 ...
in 1919 and commanded
No. 30 Squadron RAF in the
Iraqi revolt against the British. In 1939, Robb travelled to Canada to help establish the
Empire Air Training Scheme, a massive training program that provided the Royal Air Force with trained
aircrew from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and
Southern Rhodesia. He commanded
No. 2 Group RAF of
RAF Bomber Command and
No. 15 Group RAF of
RAF Coastal Command.
Robb became Deputy Chief of
Combined Operations under
Lord Louis Mountbatten in 1942. During
Operation Torch he was air advisor to the
Supreme Allied Commander, Lieutenant General
Dwight Eisenhower and in February 1943, Eisenhower appointed him Deputy Commander of the
Northwest African Air Forces. When Eisenhower became Supreme Allied Commander in Europe in January 1944, he brought Robb to his
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force as Deputy Chief of Staff (Air). Robb became Commander-in-Chief of
Fighter Command in 1945 and learned to fly the
Gloster Meteor, the RAF's first operational
jet aircraft
A jet aircraft (or simply jet) is an aircraft (nearly always a fixed-wing aircraft) propelled by one or more jet engines.
Whereas the engines in Propeller (aircraft), propeller-powered aircraft generally achieve their maximum efficiency at much ...
. He became
Vice-Chief of the Air Staff in 1947, and then Commander in Chief of the
Western Union's air forces in 1948. In 1951 he became
Inspector General of the RAF.
Early life
James Milne Robb was born in
Hexham,
Northumberland on 26 January 1895, the third son of a
draper, James Thomas Robb, and his wife Mary Elizabeth née Weir.
He was educated at
George Watson's School in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
and
Durham University
Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...
.
He had two older brothers, one of whom,
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
, later became a major-general in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
.
First World War
Following the outbreak of 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 ...
, Robb enlisted in the 4th Battalion,
Northumberland Fusiliers.
He was
commissioned into the
Northumberland Fusiliers as a
second lieutenant on 10 November 1914,
and promoted to captain a year later. In August 1916 he transferred to 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 ...
.
After learning to fly, Robb was posted to
No. 32 Squadron RFC, a fighter squadron on the
Western Front equipped with
Airco DH.2s. Robb was wounded in March 1917 and spent some time with a training unit in England before returning to the Western Front in May 1918 as a flight commander with
No. 92 Squadron RFC, flying
SE5as. Robb achieved the squadron's first air victory on 22 July, shooting down a
Fokker D.VII.
In February 1919 he was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross. His citation read:
Between the wars
In August 1919 he was granted a permanent commission 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 ...
as a
captain. He joined
No. 24 Squadron RAF in February 1920. In September 1922 he was posted to
No. 6 Squadron RAF in
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
flying
Bristol F.2 Fighters. He was promoted to
squadron leader in 1924 and assumed command of
No. 30 Squadron RAF.
[ Robb was awarded the ]Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...
for his service during operations in Kurdistan
Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...
in 1925.
Returning to the United Kingdom in 1926, Robb became chief flying instructor at the Central Flying School at RAF Upavon in Wiltshire. He married Bessie Murray on 29 December 1927. Their marriage produced a son and a daughter. In 1932 he was promoted to the rank of wing commander and attended the Royal Naval Staff College in Greenwich
Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
, London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. This was followed by a posting as senior air officer aboard the aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
in the Far East
The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
. In 1935 he became fleet aviation officer with the Mediterranean Fleet before returning to the Central Flying School as commandant. He was promoted to group captain in 1936.
Second World War
In 1939, Robb travelled to Canada to help establish the Empire Air Training Scheme, a massive training program that provided the Royal Air Force with trained aircrew from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Southern Rhodesia throughout the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In January 1940 he was promoted to air commodore. He took command of No. 2 Group RAF in April. In July 1940 he was awarded the Air Force Cross, and in September he was promoted again, this time to air vice marshal. On 1 January 1941, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath. However, he fell out with the head of RAF Bomber Command, Air Marshal Sir Richard Peirse, over the merits of sending Bristol Blenheims on unescorted daylight missions, which Robb regarded as suicidal. Robb was therefore transferred to RAF Coastal Command, where he command No. 15 Group RAF.
Robb became Deputy Chief of Combined Operations under Lord Louis Mountbatten in 1942. During Operation Torch he was air advisor to the Supreme Allied Commander, Lieutenant General Dwight Eisenhower. In February 1943, Eisenhower appointed him Deputy Commander of the Northwest African Air Forces under Major General Carl Spaatz. After Air Chief Marshal Tedder became Deputy Supreme Allied Commander in Europe in January 1944, he brought Robb to his Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force as Deputy Chief of Staff (Air). Robb was promoted to air marshal in October 1944 and created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in January 1945. In May 1945 he was appointed the head of RAF Fighter Command and learned to fly the Gloster Meteor, the RAF's first operational jet aircraft
A jet aircraft (or simply jet) is an aircraft (nearly always a fixed-wing aircraft) propelled by one or more jet engines.
Whereas the engines in Propeller (aircraft), propeller-powered aircraft generally achieve their maximum efficiency at much ...
. He claimed to have flown over 150 different aircraft types in his career. In August 1945 he received the U.S. Distinguished Service Medal from the President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
, Harry S. Truman.
Post war
In 1947 Robb became Vice-Chief of the Air Staff. He then became Commander in Chief, Air Forces, Western Union Defence Organisation in 1948.[ Finally, in 1951 he became Inspector General of the RAF.][ He was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in June 1949,
] and in January 1951 was elevated to a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. After retiring from the RAF on account of ill health he became King of Arms of the Order of the Bath on 21 March 1952, remaining in this appointment until 26 January 1965.[
Robb was co-author of a volume of the official history of the Second World War, ''Victory in the West'' (1962), of which Major Lionel Ellis was the main author, with Captain G. R. G. Allen RN and Lieutenant Colonel A. E. Warhurst.
He died at a nursing home in Bognor Regis, ]Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
on 18 December 1968.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Robb, James Milne
1895 births
1968 deaths
Alumni of Armstrong College, Durham
British World War I flying aces
Commanders of the Legion of Honour
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich
Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Lion
Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Military personnel from Northumberland
Officers of the Legion of Merit
People educated at George Watson's College
People from Hexham
Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Royal Aeronautical Society
Royal Air Force air marshals
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers officers
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers soldiers
Territorial Force soldiers
Western Union (alliance) military appointments