Graduation Reviewing Officer     

Commandant

28-1 Entry        January 1928 - December 1929

Bower Leslie    (B)               Harvey G.S., Folkestone     

Clarkson Rodney    (A)          Cleyesmore S., Winchester

Drury Edward    (B)          Haileybury

Earle Alfred   (A)               Halton

Elsmie George    (B)          Wellington

Fraser Blair    (A)               Wellington

Giles Cyril    (B)               Halton

Grierson John    (1B)          Charterhouse

Heath Peter    (B)               Wellington

Heber Percy    (A)               Wellington

Heycock George    (A)          Haileybury

Humphreys Joseph  (A)          Cambridge County High S.

Jones Benjamin    (B)          Eton

Kyle Wallace    (B)               Guildford G.S.

L'Estrange Edgar    (B)          Cheltenham

Learmond Patrick    (A)          St. John's S., Leatherhead

Mcclntyre Richard    (A)          Durham

McKechnie William   (B)          Halton

Sawyer Wilfred    (A)          Halton

Teidman Arthur    (A)          Alleyn's S.

Wallace Richard    (B)          Sedbergh

Wicks Frederick    (A)          Flowerdown

* 21 Graduates i bold)

John Grierson was a long-distance flier,test pilot and writer.

As an RAF pilot officer Grierson began a series of notable long distnace flights in 1931 with a 41/2 day journey by Moth from Karachi,where he was sationed to Lympne. An admirer of Lindbergh,he made a succesful west-bound Atlantic crossing via Iceland in 1934 in his de Havilland Fox Moth 'Robert Bruce'.

Following a short spell with the Air Ministry's Civil Operations Directorate, Grierson transferred to the Hawker Aircraft Company as a test pilot. At Gloster he was one of four pilots to fly Britain's first jet aircraft, the Gloster Whittle E.28/39 Pioneer, and its power jets W.1 engine. The first flight of the second, single-engined Gloster E.28/39, W4046/G, fitted with a Rover W2B/#110 turbo-jet, was made from Edgehill airfield by John Grierson on March 1, 1943.Meteor Mk1 EE210 was sent to the United States in exchange for a General Electric J31-GE-powered Bell YP-59 Airacomet, RG362/G. The Meteor was first flown at Muroc AFB by John Grierson on April 15 1943.

His experiences with these aircraft and with the follow on F.9/40 were the basis of a succesful book 'Jet Flight'.

As a wing commander after the war, he was deputy director of civil aviation in the British Zone of Germany. Much later he continued his love of exploration as a member of the Royal Geographical Society and he was Britain's representative on the Antarctic Operation Deep Freeze in 1966.

Sheffield Daily Telegraph - Wednesday 24 June 1931

"RELEASED" FROM R.A.F.

PILOT WHO FLEW FROM INDIA WITHOUT PERMISSION.

Pilot Officer John Grierson yesterday received communication from the Air Ministry releasing him from further service in the Royal Air Force.

Mr. Grierson, who was attached to the Karachi Royal Air Force, flew from India to Lympne Aerodrome last month completing the journey solo in a second hand Gypsy Moth 'plane in four days, twelve hours and fifty minutes.  On arrival at England he was placed under open arrest at the R.A.F. Depot at Uxbridge and remained at the depot for fifteen days.

Mr. Grierson said that it was quite true that he had left India without permission of his superior officers.  The Air Ministry, he said, had refused to accept his resignation and it seemed to him the only way he could get out of the service.  "Things were very quiet out there on the frontier," he added, "and I wanted to get on with aero engine research work."

12/1/1928 - 13/12/1929