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Robert Gregory (RFC officer)

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William Robert Gregory
Personal information
Born(1881-05-21)21 May 1881
London, England
Died23 January 1918(1918-01-23) (aged 36)
Monastiero, Padua, Italy
BattingRight-handed
BowlingLeg-break and googly
Relations
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1912Ireland
Only FC30 August 1912 Ireland v Scotland
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 1
Runs scored
Batting average
100s/50s
Top score
Balls bowled 162
Wickets 9
Bowling average 10.22
5 wickets in innings 1
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 8/80
Catches/stumpings 0/–
Source: CricketArchive, 24 November 2015

William Robert Gregory MC (20 May 1881 – 23 January 1918)[1] was an Irish flying ace who served as a fighter pilot with the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He was also an accomplished artist and cricket player. His death was memorialised in a series of poems by W. B. Yeats.

Early life and family

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The only child of William Henry Gregory and Lady Gregory, an associate of W. B. Yeats, Robert was born in County Galway in Ireland in May 1881. He grew up in the couple's houses in Ireland and England (Coole Park and London).[2] He studied at Harrow, Oxford University and the Slade School of Art.[3]

Sport

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He excelled at bowls, boxing, horse riding[4] and cricket. He was good enough at cricket to play once for the Ireland cricket team,[5] taking 8/80 with his leg spin bowling in a first-class match against Scotland in 1912. He didn't score a run.[2] His bowling performance in that match remains the tenth best in all matches for Ireland[6] and the fourth best in first-class cricket for Ireland.[6] His bowling average of 10.22 is the second best for Ireland in first-class cricket.[7]

Art

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An accomplished artist, he studied in London at the Slade School of Fine Art,[8] eventually marrying another Slade student, Margaret Parry; his best-man was Augustus John, who had assisted him in developing his style.[9] He worked in Paris at the design studio of Jacques Émile Blanche, and had his own exhibition of paintings in Chelsea in 1914. He was also an illustrator for books and stage.[2]

World War I

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In 1915 Gregory joined the war effort, although he was now 34, and had three children. He briefly became a member of the 4th Connaught Rangers, but quickly transferred in 1916 to the Royal Flying Corps. A fighter pilot, he eventually was credited with eight victories.[10] His colleagues Mick Mannock and George McElroy, with many more victories, became much better known, but he was the first of the Irish pilots to achieve ace status in 40 Squadron RFC. France made him a Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur in 1917, and he was awarded a Military Cross for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty."[3]

He flew the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8, the French Nieuport 17, and, at the time of his death, the Sopwith Camel.[11][12]

Death and legacy

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He was killed in Italy at the age of 36. It has been commonly stated that he was the victim of "friendly fire", when an Italian pilot mistakenly shot him down;[3] but other sources say it was a flying accident.[13] In 2017, Geoffrey O'Byrne White, a director of the Irish Aviation Authority, great-grandnephew of Lady Gregory, and former pilot in the Irish Air Corps, said he believed Major Gregory had become incapacitated at high altitude, attributing this to an inoculation for influenza.[14]

Robert's death had a lasting effect on W. B. Yeats, and he became the subject of four poems by him, although Lady Gregory is reported not to have agreed with all of their content.[8] They are: "In Memory of Major Robert Gregory", "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death", "Shepherd and Goatherd", and "Reprisals".[3]

References

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  1. ^ "The Home of CricketArchive". www.cricketarchive.co.uk.
  2. ^ a b c "Robert Gregory Profile - Cricket Player Ireland | Stats, Records, Video". ESPNcricinfo.
  3. ^ a b c d "Robert Gregory". Irish Literary Studies Dept. at Washington and Lee University.
  4. ^ Kokotailo, Philip (29 January 2018). "The Irish Airman's Grave: From Padua to Kiltartan". Irish America.
  5. ^ "CricketEurope Stats Zone profile". Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  6. ^ a b "Best innings bowling figures for Ireland in all matches". www.cricketeurope4.net. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  7. ^ "Top first-class bowling averages for Ireland". www.cricketeurope4.net. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  8. ^ a b Maxwell, Nick; Smith, Adrian (11 February 2013). "Major Robert Gregory, and the Irish Air Aces of 1917-18". History Ireland.
  9. ^ Michael Holroyd, Augustus John: A Biography Volume i, p. 259
  10. ^ Yeats' poem "Reprisals", referred to below, says 19, but this number is not consistent with other sources. See, for example, Cross & Cockade (GB) (1973) Vol. 4 No. 4 and (1974) Vol. 5 No. 1
  11. ^ McGreevy, Ronan. "'Those that I fight I do not hate' – An Irishman's Diary on Robert Gregory". Irish Times. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  12. ^ McCrery, N. (2015). Final Wicket: Test and First Class Cricketers Killed in the Great War. United Kingdom: Pen & Sword Books.
  13. ^ see, for example, Norman MacMillan, "Offensive Patrol", Appendix 2
  14. ^ Burke, Ray (2 January 2018). "Challenge to official accounts of Robert Gregory death". RTE News.