GB 0099 KCLMA Groves - GROVES, Brig Gen Percy Robert Clifford (1878-1959)

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0099 KCLMA Groves

Title

GROVES, Brig Gen Percy Robert Clifford (1878-1959)

Date(s)

  • 1898-1900, 1916-1945 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

0.08 cubic metres (8 boxes)

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Born, 1878; educated at Bedford; commissioned into the King's (Shropshire Light Infantry), 1899; served in Second Boer War, South Africa, 1899-1902; Railway Staff Officer, South Africa [1900]; Lt, 1901; service with West African Regt, 1903-1904; Capt, 1909; Territorial Adjutant, 1909-1912; service in Ireland, 1912; served in World War One, 1914-1918; service in France with the King's (Shropshire Light Infantry), British Expeditionary Force (BEF), 1914; transferred to Royal Flying Corps, 1914; served with Royal Flying Corps, as observer and pilot, Western Front, 1915; Maj, 1915; service in Dardanelles, 1915; temporary Lt Col, 1916; Chief of Staff, Royal Flying Corps, Middle East, 1916-1918; awarded DSO, 1916; temporary Brig Gen, 1918; awarded CMG, 1918; Director of Flying Operations, Air Ministry, 1918-1919; British Air Adviser to the Supreme Council and the Council of Ambassadors, Peace Conference, Versailles, France, 1919; Col, 1919; British Air Adviser to the Council of the League of Nations, 1919; awarded CB, 1919; transferred to RAF with rank of Group Capt, 1919; British Air Representative on the Inter-Allied Military Committee, Versailles, 1922; retired as Hon Brig Gen, 1922; Hon Secretary General, Air League of British Empire, and Editor of Air, 1927-1929; served in World War Two, 1939-1945; Group Capt and Hon Air Cdre, RAF Volunteer Reserve, 1939; Deputy Director of Intelligence, Air Ministry, 1939-1940; Political Warfare Executive, Foreign Office, 1940-1946; demobilised, 1946; Associate Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society; retired to South Africa, 1948; died, 1959. Publications: Our future in the air (Hutchinson, London, 1922); Behind the smoke screen (Faber and Faber, London, 1934); and a further publication, Our future in the air (G G Harrap & Co, London, 1935).

Archival history

GB 0099 KCLMA Groves 1898-1900, 1916-1945 Collection (fonds) 0.08 cubic metres (8 boxes) Groves , Percy Robert Clifford , 1878-1959 , Brigadier General
Born, 1878; educated at Bedford; commissioned into the King's (Shropshire Light Infantry), 1899; served in Second Boer War, South Africa, 1899-1902; Railway Staff Officer, South Africa [1900]; Lt, 1901; service with West African Regt, 1903-1904; Capt, 1909; Territorial Adjutant, 1909-1912; service in Ireland, 1912; served in World War One, 1914-1918; service in France with the King's (Shropshire Light Infantry), British Expeditionary Force (BEF), 1914; transferred to Royal Flying Corps, 1914; served with Royal Flying Corps, as observer and pilot, Western Front, 1915; Maj, 1915; service in Dardanelles, 1915; temporary Lt Col, 1916; Chief of Staff, Royal Flying Corps, Middle East, 1916-1918; awarded DSO, 1916; temporary Brig Gen, 1918; awarded CMG, 1918; Director of Flying Operations, Air Ministry, 1918-1919; British Air Adviser to the Supreme Council and the Council of Ambassadors, Peace Conference, Versailles, France, 1919; Col, 1919; British Air Adviser to the Council of the League of Nations, 1919; awarded CB, 1919; transferred to RAF with rank of Group Capt, 1919; British Air Representative on the Inter-Allied Military Committee, Versailles, 1922; retired as Hon Brig Gen, 1922; Hon Secretary General, Air League of British Empire, and Editor of Air, 1927-1929; served in World War Two, 1939-1945; Group Capt and Hon Air Cdre, RAF Volunteer Reserve, 1939; Deputy Director of Intelligence, Air Ministry, 1939-1940; Political Warfare Executive, Foreign Office, 1940-1946; demobilised, 1946; Associate Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society; retired to South Africa, 1948; died, 1959. Publications: Our future in the air (Hutchinson, London, 1922); Behind the smoke screen (Faber and Faber, London, 1934); and a further publication, Our future in the air (G G Harrap & Co, London, 1935).

Presented to the Centre by Groves' family in 1976.

Papers, 1898-1900, 1916-1945, of Brig Gen Percy Robert Clifford Groves, mainly comprising material on the development of aviation policy and the evolution of the Royal Air Force in the interwar period, and also including material on the Royal Flying Corps in the Middle East during World War One. The papers include Groves' Boer war diary, 1900; photographs of operations of 'C' flight No 17 Squadron in the Sudan, undated [1916]; report on arrangements for No 17 Squadron Royal Flying Corps and the Aircraft Park allotted to the Salonika Army, 1916; lecture on the organisation and work of the Royal Flying Corps, 1917, and related papers; papers relating to the Air Section of the British Delegation of the Inter Allied Aeronautical Commission of Control (Commission Interalliée de Controle Aeronautique), 1919-1922; minutes of the Committee of Enquiry on the Air League of the British Empire, 1926-1927, and associated correspondence; papers relating to publications by Groves on aviation matters, 1927-[1938], including vols I and II of the periodical Air, 1927-1929, reviews and cuttings for Behind the smoke screen [1934] and Our future in the air [1935], and a further survey of air power, This Air Business [1938], which went unpublished owing to the outbreak of World War Two. Personal papers include Groves' commissions in the militia and land forces, 1898-1899; photographs relating to Groves' attendance at the Versailles peace conference (1919-1920); papers relating to promotion, 1919-1924; financial papers; press cuttings on public affairs to 1945.

The papers are arranged in six sections: Boer War diary; papers relating to the Royal Flying Corps; 'Air Papers'; minutes of Committee of Enquiry on Air League, 1926-1927; writings; private papers, news cuttings, etc.

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.
English and French

Collection level description available in reading room at Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives and online at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma; detailed catalogue available in hard copy in the reading room.

King's College London, Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, holds papers of Capt Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart, containing correspondence with Groves, 1933-1948 (Ref: LH 1/336), two reviews by Liddell Hart, from The Daily Telegraph, 25 Jan 1934, and the Army, Navy and Air Force Gazette, 1 Mar 1934, of Behind the smoke screen by Groves (Faber and Faber, London, 1934) (Ref: LH 10/1934/6 and 20), notes by Liddell Hart on Groves' article in The Observer concerning French air strength, 15 Feb 1937 (Ref: LH 11/1937/6), pamphlet by Groves entitled 'Unity or duality in the air?', 1936 (Ref: LH 15/3/146), and correspondence from Groves relating to The other side of the hill (Cassell, London, 1948) by Liddell Hart, 1948 (Ref: LH 9/24/4).

Compiled by Iain Mutch; revised by Rachel Kemsley as part of the RSLP AIM25 project. Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997. Nov 1999, Mar 2001 Wars (events) Air League of Great Britain Air warfare East Africa Groves , Percy Robert Clifford , 1878-1959 , Brigadier General Inter Allied Aeronautical Commission of Control International conflicts Middle East Military engineering RAF , Royal Air Force x Royal Air Force Royal Flying Corps Second Boer War, 1899-1902 Sudan War Warfare World War One (1914-1918) World wars (events)

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Presented to the Centre by Groves' family in 1976.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Papers, 1898-1900, 1916-1945, of Brig Gen Percy Robert Clifford Groves, mainly comprising material on the development of aviation policy and the evolution of the Royal Air Force in the interwar period, and also including material on the Royal Flying Corps in the Middle East during World War One. The papers include Groves' Boer war diary, 1900; photographs of operations of 'C' flight No 17 Squadron in the Sudan, undated [1916]; report on arrangements for No 17 Squadron Royal Flying Corps and the Aircraft Park allotted to the Salonika Army, 1916; lecture on the organisation and work of the Royal Flying Corps, 1917, and related papers; papers relating to the Air Section of the British Delegation of the Inter Allied Aeronautical Commission of Control (Commission Interalliée de Controle Aeronautique), 1919-1922; minutes of the Committee of Enquiry on the Air League of the British Empire, 1926-1927, and associated correspondence; papers relating to publications by Groves on aviation matters, 1927-[1938], including vols I and II of the periodical Air, 1927-1929, reviews and cuttings for Behind the smoke screen [1934] and Our future in the air [1935], and a further survey of air power, This Air Business [1938], which went unpublished owing to the outbreak of World War Two. Personal papers include Groves' commissions in the militia and land forces, 1898-1899; photographs relating to Groves' attendance at the Versailles peace conference (1919-1920); papers relating to promotion, 1919-1924; financial papers; press cuttings on public affairs to 1945.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

The papers are arranged in six sections: Boer War diary; papers relating to the Royal Flying Corps; 'Air Papers'; minutes of Committee of Enquiry on Air League, 1926-1927; writings; private papers, news cuttings, etc.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English and French

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

King's College London, Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, holds papers of Capt Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart, containing correspondence with Groves, 1933-1948 (Ref: LH 1/336), two reviews by Liddell Hart, from The Daily Telegraph, 25 Jan 1934, and the Army, Navy and Air Force Gazette, 1 Mar 1934, of Behind the smoke screen by Groves (Faber and Faber, London, 1934) (Ref: LH 10/1934/6 and 20), notes by Liddell Hart on Groves' article in The Observer concerning French air strength, 15 Feb 1937 (Ref: LH 11/1937/6), pamphlet by Groves entitled 'Unity or duality in the air?', 1936 (Ref: LH 15/3/146), and correspondence from Groves relating to The other side of the hill (Cassell, London, 1948) by Liddell Hart, 1948 (Ref: LH 9/24/4).

Finding aids

Collection level description available in reading room at Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives and online at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma; detailed catalogue available in hard copy in the reading room.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area