John Grigson

Air Commodore John William Boldero Grigson (26 January 1893–3 July 1943) was a British pilot in the Royal Air Force.

Life
Grigson was born in 1893 in the Vicarage at Pelynt to Canon William Shuckforth Grigson and Mary Beatrice Boldero, and was one of seven brothers, including Geoffrey Grigson, Kenneth Grigson and Wilfrid Grigson. John was educated at Leatherhead (along with his brothers) before joining the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as an Ordinary Seaman in February 1913. In 1916 he joined the Royal Naval Air Service as a commissioned officer, and he was posted to HMS Ark Royal, Britain's first aircraft carrier, in August 1917. On 1 August 1919 he was offered a permanent commission, with the rank of Captain. From 1920 he commanded a flight of Airco DH.9s belonging to No. 55 Squadron RAF in Egypt. Grigson was a highly decorated officer - he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in September 1918 (along with Oswald Gayford, whom he flew with for nearly a year), a bar in December 1919 and a second bar on 28 October 1921. In 1920 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

Grigson became the commanding officer for No. 55 Squadron RAF in 1929, No. 2 (Indian Wing) Station, Risalpur, in 1935, RAF forces in Palestine and Trans-Jordan in 1940 and RAF forces in Greece on 23 April 1941. He served as Officer Commanding for the Rhodesian Air Training Group in 1943 before his death in a flying accident on 3 July 1943, at the age of 50. His grave is in Harare (Pioneer) Cemetery, Zimbabwe. He was the husband of Mary Isabel Grigson, of Ottershaw, Chertsey, Surrey.